Pats Pulpit
After a pair of joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings, the New England Patriots remained in the win column in Week 2 of the preseason.
Naturally, most of our attention this week was on that game and the practices leading up to it. As a result, our weekly wrap-up also has a heavy focus on the trip to the Midwest.
With that said, welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.
The Minnesota defense did everything in their power to make life difficult for Drake Maye during a pair of joint practices. Particularly on Thursday, the Vikings heated up the pressure and covered well in the secondary.
Still, the 22-year-old handled things well which left some inside the building praising his mental toughness — with Mike Vrabel also complementing him for handling the “s—tstorm” — as Maye connected on a handful of explosive plays on the practice fields.
“I was really excited about the way he handled those practices this week,” offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said on WBZ during the preseason game. “Practice by nature is always difficult because you put yourself in a scenario where you run the same thing over and over again. That’s not really how a football game goes. There were a lot of long yardage situations that he had to handle. A lot of 2-minute drills. A lot of difficult low-red zone situations that he was a part of. I think we saw a lot of growth from him.”
Perhaps the most promising sign for Maye over two days of work: no turnovers.
“He did a great job taking care of the football, had great poise,” McDaniels added. “And there’s not going to be a more difficult defense to have to deal with before the ball is snapped – and then combine that with how good they are after the ball is snapped. Really excited about where he’s going, where he’s headed. I love the way he works. Love the way he approaches every day. Patriot Nation should be excited, too.”
As work translated to the game field on Saturday, it was another slow start for Maye’s unit, however. The quarterback had a high completion to Mack Hollins before overshooting Pop Douglas on a pass that was then nearly intercepted.
Maye was also flagged for a delay of game penatly which he took the blame for postgame.
“I want to win,” Maye said Saturday. “I missed Pop high. He was wide open sitting in a zone out there. There’s a couple plays we should have back, but I thought the guys up front blocked well. It’s preseason, but these guys are still trying to tackle us and stop us. We’re trying to go down and score.”
Returning for a second series, Maye rebounded well as he did in the preseason opener. A nine-play drive ended with a touchdown on the ground, as Maye completed two-of-three passes including a 20-yard gain to Mack Hollins as he rolled out to his right...
