Drake Maye might have made a strong claim in the New England Patriots quarterback battle in Thursday's preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but the rookie breathed a sigh of relief following his first extended NFL action.
The Patriots quarterback admitted that getting out on the field and playing over a quarter in Thursday's game was a confidence booster after he played just one drive last week.
“I think every time you get out there you get more and more confident,” Maye told reporters. “First off, it’s always going to be the nerves, getting out and running out there the first time. But other than that, more reps are only going to help me. At the end of the day, I’m just fortunate to be able to get out there get some reps, and make the most of my opportunities.”
While Maye saw extended action on Thursday, he has other reasons to feel confident about his game moving forward, too. Even though he completed 6 of 11 passes for just 47 yards, Maye led the Patriots to a score in his first two drives. He was responsible for the second score, rushing for a four-yard touchdown right before halftime.
Maye's last two drives ended with punts, but his best throw of the night came on one of those drives. The rookie launched a deep ball on a third-and-long in the third quarter that would've gotten the Patriots into the red zone. The ball hit Javon Baker's hands, but the fellow rookie wasn't able to complete the grab.
As Baker blew Maye's best pass of the night, the quarterback showed veteran poise when he reacted to the play. He didn't look upset with Baker's drop, carrying an attitude that he was ready to move on to the next play.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo praised Maye's demeanor after the game as the rookie explained why he stays so even-keeled.
“My job as a quarterback is not to get rattled: to stay cool, calm, and collected, especially on the sideline. I tend to throw my helmet or something,” Maye said. “Moping like that can go a long way with your guys and how they are feeling and setting the tone. I try to stay cool and calm but I probably need to get more excited when good things happen. My parents always get on me saying I need to get excited when good things happen. At the same time, you can’t just ride the highs and can’t get too down low.”
What Drake Maye said of his rushing TD in Patriots' loss to Eagles
Maye still got to enjoy a fun moment on Thursday with his rushing touchdown, running in for a score on a designed keeper play. The Patriots actually had five other rookies on the field for that play, which was a cool moment for Maye.
“It was an awesome moment,” Maye said. “We spent a lot of time here, in the rookie meetings in the spring, it was just us. It was definitely cool having those guys out there. I think the first thing I did was chest bump JP [Ja’Lynn Polk]. So it was cool to get there with guys in the same spot, going through the same things. It was a fun time for us and a moment I’ll never forget.”
However, Maye is hoping to have a better celebration the next time he gets into the end zone.
“I didn’t really plan on rushing one, I probably should have thought of [a celebration],” Maye said. “Usually, in college I would do the finger roll, but I was just happy to get in the endzone and score points.”
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