Phil Perry and Marc Bertrand join Tom Giles on Arbella Early Edition to discuss the improvements Drake Maye has shown over the past two days of Patriots training camp. Is he closing the gap on Jacoby Brissett?
FOXBORO -- Drake Maye shrugged his shoulders and smiled after what was easily his best fully-padded practice as a professional.
He'd just gone 11-for-13 in competitive team periods -- including a red-hot stretch of 7-on-7 passing in a red-zone period -- but still looked forward to doing that which was one of his greatest strengths as a collegian: launching it deep.
"Trying to be smart with it," Maye said. "I feel like I throw the football well down the field. Still feel like I haven't really aired it out yet, but I think it's coming."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Maye was more of a point guard than three-point sharpshooter on Day 8 of Patriots training camp. He completed four of five passes in a 7-on-7 period with the offense situated inside the defense's 10-yard line, including accurate strikes into tight spaces for Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte and La'Michael Pettway.
He later threw in the direction of a blitz, attacking the vacated area, for an easy completion to Ja'Lynn Polk. On the next snap, a play-action call, he quieted his feet inside a clean pocket and drilled one to Jalen Reagor over the middle of the field.
🔊 Next Pats: Drake Maye showing an encouraging INTANGIBLE quality at Patriots camp | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
Deep shots or no deep shots, Maye has now strung together two straight encouraging practices, looking focused -- as veteran teammate Jacoby Brissett suggested Friday -- on "the little things." Short-area accuracy. Clean footwork. Sound fundamentals.
Brissett remains the top passer for the Patriots, getting the first-team reps. But Maye will have an opportunity to continue to build some positive momentum for the third straight day when he and his teammates are back on the field Saturday.
Let's get to our Day 8 edition of The Drake Maye Report...
The rep report
Maye and Brissett had to grind it out on a steamy day on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium.
Brissett saw 27 snaps in competitive 11-on-11 periods and five snaps in 7-on-7 work. Maye, meanwhile, saw 16 snaps of 11-on-11 work and five snaps in 7-on-7 work.
While the volume of plays has typically been split between Brissett and Maye -- with Brissett always taking the field as the first-team quarterback -- Friday's session was a change in that regard. Brissett racked up 14 snaps (including one spike to stop the clock) in an 11-on-11 period late in the practice.
Joe Milton saw three snaps in competitive team periods, and Bailey Zappe was a spectator throughout the competitive periods of practice.
Crunching the numbers
Maye wasn't the only quarterback who had himself a nice day. Brissett was impressive in his own right, completing 18 of 26 passes and getting sacked twice.
Maye hit 11-of-13 between 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods. He went 7-for-8 in full-team periods of practice, with his only misfire being a pass breakup when Azizi Hearn jumped in front of a pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster.
MORE PATRIOTS COVERAGE
Play of the day
The eye-opener of the day was perhaps Maye's completion in the front corner of the end zone to Kayshon Boutte in 7-on-7 work. It showed that which Maye is known for -- athleticism, making off-platform throws look fluid, arm strength -- and was fit into a tight window.
But after hitting Polk for an easy completion into a defensive blitz call, Maye has now had multiple passes that have attacked pressures over the course of the last couple of practices. Those are impressive in a different way, highlighting what looks like good pre-snap recognition as opposed to sheer physical ability.
The best play of the practice for any quarterback? Brissett's skinny post touchdown to an open DeMario Douglas, who looked uncoverable at times Friday. It was a high-velocity dime that allowed the top offensive unit to finish its two-minute drill with a flourish.
Why he's ready
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we'll highlight the portions of the rookie's performance that suggest he's prepared to sit atop the hierarchy of quarterbacks in New England sooner rather than later.
Maye has heated up as the temperatures in Foxboro have climbed. Over the last two days, in competitive practices, Maye has completed 76.1 percent of his passes. That figure alone doesn't mean much, but considering the last two days have focused frequently on red-zone work -- where the field is condensed and coverage is typically tighter -- the accuracy Maye has exhibited is noteworthy.
When Maye had issues in previous practices, some of his most confounding errors were when he had clean pockets and simply missed his target. Those moments were few and far between in Days 7 and 8 of Patriots camp.
If he can continue to throw accurately, leveraging his athleticism when he should, and then add a few more deep shots to his throw profile? He'll look like a player who's ready sooner rather than later...
Why patience is a virtue
In this section of The Drake Maye Report, we'll highlight the portions of the rookie's performance that suggest he's not quite ready to sit atop the quarterback depth chart.
...That's not to say Maye was mistake-free on Friday. His lone 11-on-11 incompletion was a near-pick. Could Smith-Schuster have worked his way back to the football more aggressively, not allowing Hearn to jump the route? Maybe. But Hearn nearly snagged Maye's second competitive throw of the practice.
Maye also has moments when he chooses to scramble, and it's worth wondering how valued those reps would be by his coaching staff. Jerod Mayo said previously in camp that he was hoping to see what Maye can do from the pocket, allowing Maye to show what his pass-catchers and pass-protectors can do as plays develop. But Maye had two rushing attempts in his first four dropbacks of 11-on-11 work.
Does he have answers to quick pressure? Can he come up with quick solutions when his first read is taken away? Those are the types of questions Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt may want to be able to answer confidently before deeming Maye truly "ready."
