Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett weighs in on how rookie quarterback Drake Maye is handling himself after making an error at Patriots’ training camp.
FOXBORO -- Jacoby Brissett liked what he saw.
His rookie teammate Drake Maye threw an interception, an ugly turnover on a short throw into the flat to pass-rusher Matthew Judon, but responded "like a professional."
"He throws a pick and then the next play he throws a completion," Brissett added. "Those are the learning curves and the NFL moments that you need out here. That's what I told him. That's the game right there. That was your game today, and you went out there and won the day."
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Maye bounced back from his misstep with an in-cut completion to Jalen Reagor and then hit his next three throws in a competitive period at the end of practice to finish off his day.
It was nowhere near perfect for Maye on Friday. But his ability to react positively in the face of a difficult moment bodes well for his ability to withstand the inevitable failures that will line his developmental path.
Progress is not linear for those playing the toughest position in the sport -- particularly for those who are, like Maye, still waiting on their 22nd birthday -- but Maye showed some mental toughness in pushing through his Day 3 dip.
"Just a rookie mistake, no pun intended," Maye said. "Had a deep shot and was going to throw to the flat late, and in this league, they're going to cover the running backs, so you've gotta make sure you look before you throw it."
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Maye is no stranger to on-the-field adversity after enduring an at-times frustrating 2023 at North Carolina. After losing his offensive coordinator and some of his most talented offensive teammates from an uber-productive 2022 campaign, Maye had to learn to push through all manner of challenging moments in his final collegiate season.
At this level, though, things will be even more unforgiving. And soon pads will be introduced, which won't make things any easier. Maye will be looking for receivers who are jammed at the line. He'll be facing down pass-rushers who can use their full repertoire of pass-rush moves in the trenches.
He understands what's coming. And he understands he can't get bogged down by the mistakes that are on the horizon.
"You can't ride the ups and downs," he said. "Every play is a new play. I just can't be too hard on myself. Sometimes, I get hard on myself, especially like I said, throwing my first interception, but yeah, just kind of bounce back. It's how you bounce back in this league. And I'm trying to learn that."
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The rep breakdown
Friday's workout was the first session in which Maye saw more competitive reps than Brissett. While the veteran was still the top quarterback at practice -- he was first up in all team periods -- Maye took 28 snaps in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 periods, which was four more than Brissett's 24.
It should be noted that Maye's final four snaps appeared to come with a group of younger players and players a bit further down the depth chart. Even so, they were played at full speed. And even if they were excluded from our tally, Maye and Brissett would've come away with an equal number of competitive snaps, which would've been a first for this camp.
It's clear that Maye is getting a significant volume of snaps to A) learn and B) show his coaches and teammates what he's capable of.
Crunching the numbers
Maye finished the practice 17-for-23 with an interception and a false start penalty. He completed nine of his 12 attempts in 7-on-7 action and eight of his 11 throws in 11-on-11 periods.
Brissett, meanwhile, went 14-for-20 and absorbed a would-be sack by Judon.
Play of the day
For the second consecutive day, Maye's best play of practice was a completion to Ja'Lynn Polk.
Launching a pass down the right sideline, Maye found Polk behind corner Azizi Hearn for about a 40-yard gain. The reception got Hunter Henry to sprint across the field to celebrate with a fired-up Polk, and both Maye and Brissett jogged down the length of the field to whoop it up with the second-round wideout.
Maye appeared to underthrow Polk slightly on the play. He also acknowledged after practice that he could've done more to keep free safety Jaylinn Hawkins away from his intended target. Had it been a live-contact situation, Hawkins would've had Polk lined up for a massive collision.
"That wasn't a great throw," Maye said. "Polk made a nice catch. Great player. I gotta look off the safety a little bit. But he made a nice play. Just give him a chance, right. Give those guys a chance. That's what he's here for... I'm looking forward to seeing some more of JP."
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.
Despite Maye's snap-count snafu and his interception to Judon on the subsequent play, his day was not a calamity.
He found Hunter Henry for three completions in an early 7-on-7 period that had the veteran tight end fired up and seeking Maye out for an enthusiastic low-five. He also showed some arm talent when scrambling away from pressure late in the practice and completing a fade-away throw to Austin Hooper to avoid a sack. He hit Polk for one of the longest gains in camp, once again showing his aggressive attack-downfield mindset.
It was his response to his rookie-mistake interception, though, that might've been the best indicator of his pro readiness.
He's going to err, both in practice and in games. Those errors show up in a fast and furious manner early in his career, especially. Part of the gig. But if he reacts coolly when they pop up, and if he learns from them, he'll drastically improve his chances of maximizing his eye-opening physical traits.
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.
For those who believed Maye's footwork needed serious work after the draft, his performance during Day 3 could've been used as evidence.
When kept clean in the pocket and able to make a quick and decisive throw, Maye had very few issues.
But Maye wobbled an inaccurate throw to Henry on a play-action keeper. He tried a last-second pump-fake to one spot on the field and then threw to a different target without resetting his feet that went incomplete. His interception was another negative play that resulted from a last-second change of heart. A quick-hitter to Maye's left went incomplete after it seemed to confuse Polk and Javon Baker, both of whom were in the general vicinity, as to the intended target.
There will be days like this for most young quarterbacks. Even the highly-drafted ones.
But if the Patriots want to prevent Maye from taking snaps that matter until days like this become a thing of the past -- or at least very few and far between -- it wouldn't be stunning.
