Pats Pulpit
The Patriots’ starting quarterback senses a desire to win among his teammates.
Drake Maye flashed plenty of smiles back on the football field for the first day of training camp.
The 22-year-old enters the summer as the unquestioned starter on a team that remodeled their coaching staff and roster this offseason. But with nobody on the roster having won a playoff game for the New England Patriots, getting back to their winning ways is what leaves Maye the most excited about this season.
“I think you’ve got guys around here that are tired of losing around here and guys that want to win. I think that’s what excites me most. Guys want to win around here,” Maye said Wednesday. “I think the past two or three years around here and the past year for me, I can only speak for myself, but I think there’s guys around here that are tired of losing and want to win.”
After winning just four games during his rookie season, Maye enters his sophomore season with a new-look offense around him. With veteran coordinator Josh McDaniels leading the way, Maye has a plethora of new pass catchers and offensive lineman as the team prioritized upgrading his supporting cast this spring.
The quarterback shared he felt he was finding his stride in the system near the end of offseason program, which raised the excitement level even higher to return to action for day one of training camp on Wednesday.
“I think it’s awesome. I think coming out here and kind of a reset. Everybody feels good coming into camp,” Maye said. “I think it’s kind of you get a tester, you get a feel when you come to these practices. And these joint practices, you get a real feel where you’re at. So, I’m excited for where this team’s going. I think we’ve got some more work to do. Get in shape. Kind of small details offensively. But I like day one where we’re at. And I think we’ve got some more work to do.”
Part of that work will come off the field for Maye as he continues to step into a larger leadership role in season two.
Maye will also continue to adapt to a new offensive language and system under McDaniels. While he feels good about where he is at with the base install, Maye knows mastering any system will take time and reps.
“I mean, it takes a while to master something at the level that some of the guys played at. So, I think I’ve got a long way to go, but I think I like where I’m at, I’ve got some more stuff to improve on,” Maye explained. “It all comes to facing defenses, I think you can master it, ‘Hey, what are these guys going to do on the route? I think there’s a different kind of level when you’re facing different coverages, what are you going to do? And I think there’s a different level to it...
