Let's be honest: This isn't the ideal week for Drake Maye to make his first NFL start.
The New England Patriots rookie, who was officially named the team's starting quarterback on Wednesday, will face a fierce Houston Texans defense that leads the NFL in pressure rate on opposing quarterbacks (42 percent of snaps) and boasts the league's lowest opposing QB completion percentage (51.7 percent).
Given the struggles of the Patriots' offensive line -- which has allowed QB pressures on an NFL-leading 48.3 percent of snaps -- Maye essentially is being thrown into the fire. But there's reason to believe he'll avoid getting burned.
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On a new Patriots Talk Podcast with Tom E. Curran, Patriots Insider Phil Perry highlighted an encouraging admission from offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who noted Maye was perfect during a live blitz period at Wednesday's practice.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Instant reaction to the Patriots making move to Drake Maye | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"(Van Pelt) told us on Thursday that in the blitz period on Wednesday, so the first padded practice of the week ... (Maye) went 6 for 6," Perry said. "And this is my understanding too after talking to players in the locker room. Third down, against the blitz, his performance has exceeded expectations.
"It's not necessarily because you think, 'Oh, against the blitz, he's scrambling around, he's making off-platform throws, he's doing Drake Maye types of things.' No, he's playing within the structure of the offense. He's playing from the pocket and succeeding there.
"I can tell you, players in the locker room have been more impressed by that than they have been by any of the physical gifts that he's exhibited out there."
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Maye's physical traits and athleticism were a big reason why the Patriots selected him No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. But if he wants to succeed as an NFL quarterback, he'll need to make plays from the pocket, especially in the face of pressure. So, it's encouraging to hear that Van Pelt and Maye's teammates believe the North Carolina product is handling the blitz and reading defenses well in practice.
Make no mistake, however: Maye's athleticism can be a difference-maker for the Patriots. As Perry wrote Wednesday, Van Pelt likely will tweak the offense to get Maye on the move and make plays on the run, which could put more stress on the defense.
"What Alex Van Pelt is saying there, if we were put to put a different filter on it, is, 'When there are people getting after his ass, he's gonna start running around.' And that's where (Maye) can be, in my opinion, at his best, or he will be eventually as a pro," Perry said.
"The best quarterbacks in football work tremendously off script. He'll have to be able to find that balance between running the plays and playing a little bit of recess."
Also in this episode:
- Tom and Phil offer immediate reaction to Alex Van Pelt’s press conference and the decision to start Drake Maye.
- Is Alex Van Pelt going to be OK with Maye playing "off-script" in this offense?
- How much of an issue is it that the news came out before Jerod Mayo was ready to share it?
- Is there any chance of an upset vs. the Texans?