Pats Pulpit
The sophomore quarterback could be working with some new targets this year.
Entering the offseason with over $130 million in projected salary cap space and four top-100 draft picks, the New England Patriots are in prime position to address one of their biggest needs: a lack of dynamic playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.
While they do have the centerpiece in place in the form of quarterback Drake Maye, surrounding him with talent will be a crucial part of the plan moving forward. What that process will look like remains to be seen, but it will be just one part of rebuilding a New England offense that has had its fair share of issues three seasons in a row.
Another will be getting everybody on the same page. As far as the passing game is concerned, that is a task that falls not just on the pass catchers themselves but their young quarterback as well.
And as Maye explained during a recent appearance on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast, “there are levels to it.”
“The first level is, ‘I trust this guy throwing routes on air. I know where he’s going. I know his steps. I know how he’s breaking off in-routes, out-routes. I know how he’s getting in and out of breaks.’ That’s the first level to it,” Maye told the former Patriots defender.
“The second level is 1-on-1. ‘I like this guy 1-on-1. I know 1-on-1 where he’s going to be at in this route.’ That comes from routes on air. And when you know, ‘Hey, on this route,’ that’s when you can level up: ‘If it’s zone coverage, this is where I can speculate he can sit in a zone. You got a 15-yard sail route and it’s a trap corner in Cover 2. You kind of sit there. Don’t run into him to throw a pick.’
“Little things like that is what you see [Patrick] Mahomes and [Travis] Kelce do such a great job of. And then you get into option routes for different guys. You got a pulsar corner here, or, ‘Hey, I can break it off high or kind of flat.’”
The Kansas City Chiefs’ pairing of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce is one of the most productive in league history, with both players well on their way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Building a productive relationship like that with any one pass catcher is a lofty goal, but one the Patriots hope to start building toward with Maye under center.
The question is who his Kelce-like go-to guy will be. Wide receiver DeMario Douglas and tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper have shown promise in that regard, but there is a chance New England opts to add to the mix given its vast offseason resources.
Whatever will happen, Maye is well aware that all of it starts with building a rapport on the practice field and “feeling the guy out.”
“The biggest thing is you know what he’s...
