The Patriots are sure to expertise some tough patches now that they’ve handed the reins to Drake Maye — nevertheless it doesn’t need to be all unhealthy.
Maye rapidly displayed his gunslinging mentality throughout his beginning debut final Sunday in opposition to the Houston Texans, accounting for disastrous misses in addition to some awe-inspiring hits. It’s truthfully spectacular that one man will be liable for each the interception he threw on the conclusion of the primary quarter and his landing connection with second-year vast receiver Kayshon Boutte proper earlier than halftime.
Maye’s expertise was by no means in query, although. It’s all about eliminating throws like the previous and creating the little issues that result in sustained success.
New England, in the long run, ought to discover that the positives outweigh the negatives in the case of having a 22-year-old starter. Maye is inexperienced, positive, however that comes with just a few benefits that ought to be capitalized upon.
QUICK TRIGGER
Maye has one thing his new fanbase hasn’t skilled a lot of on the quarterback place over the past three many years — which is above-average athleticism. Cam Newton nonetheless had some juice throughout his lone season in 2020, however the subsequent closest factor to “athletic” that we’ve seen was Matt Cassell operating round like a rooster together with his head lower off in 2008.
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The Patriots ought to reap the benefits of the truth that they will implement the 22-year-old’s capability to tuck the ball and run.
Maye rushed for 38 yards in his debut in opposition to Houston and racked up a moderately astonishing 1,147 yards and 16 touchdowns on the bottom in his two seasons as a full-time starter at UNC. He can transfer! New England’s makeshift offensive line inevitably will break down, however there’s little doubt the rookie will hold drives alive on a extra constant foundation than Jacoby Brissett did.
NO BIAS
The Jets at the moment are coping with some fairly main points, they usually’re ones that come completely from having a veteran quarterback, as Aaron Rodgers’ lack of ability to develop relationships together with his total receiving corps has led to panic trades (Davante Adams), vapid offseason additions (Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, Mike Williams) and damage emotions amongst those that aren’t given alternatives (Malachi Corley) throughout the final two seasons. Williams, as an example, couldn’t crack the code and develop into certainly one of Rodgers’ bobos, so he was left on the receiving finish of a public call-out as a result of he didn’t learn one thing the identical method as his impossible-to-please quarterback.
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The Patriots even handled one thing comparable throughout Tom Brady’s final season with the membership in 2019, as he actively averted the likes of Jakobi Meyers and N’Keal Harry as a result of he knew losing time on their improvement wasn’t going to assist him shifting ahead
Rodgers and Brady have zero tolerance for incorporating new expertise, and that comes with proving your self for a pair many years, however somebody like Maye must develop these relationships if he hopes to seek out success. New England is unhealthy, however not less than it isn’t that dramatic.
HE DOESN’T KNOW BETTER
Maye possesses one of many strongest issues on the planet: the boldness of a 22-year-old skilled athlete.
Maye has a very good head on his shoulders, sure, however there’s a sure foolishness that comes with the territory of being extraordinarily profitable at such a younger age. New England ought to reap the benefits of that, by not solely placing him in positions to succeed however empowering him to fail whereas making certain he has the help of the franchise. The NFL is an imperfect league, and much too typically younger gamers consider they’re unequipped to succeed based mostly on early failures. The Patriots want to make sure that these failures, that are sure to return, don’t have the identical affect on Maye that they did on Mac Jones.
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Irish creator Samuel Beckett mentioned it greatest: “Ever tried. Ever failed. Irrespective of. Strive Once more. Fail once more. Fail higher.”
