Patriots Preseason Game 2: Drake Maye Does a Damn Fine Impersonation of a QB1

The Patriots might be coming off a 4-13 season. Not draw a preseason crowd the way they used to. Be forced to spend all of 2024 sitting at the NFL nerd table that is the Sunday at 1pm games. That's our cross to bear. But at least they'll never sink so low as to have a girl who got famous for hocking loogies on dongs ring the lighthouse bell.

--Unlike last week's game against Carolina, Jerod Mayo gave the people (who came through Book of Revelations-style thunderstorms to get to their seats) what they paid for. 

--With all due respect to Jacoby Brissett, whom we'll get to, fans want Maye to be the Hootie of these Blowfish. And against the Eagles he earned the billing. With 22 snaps, 6-for-11 passing with a couple of drops, 47 yards, a rushing touchdown and scores on his first two drives. 

--But watching him in this live-fire exercise went beyond the numbers. What jumped out at you was how, now that he gets to face professional, testosterone-fueled rage monsters coming after him with bad intentions - without the red jersey to protect him, is how athletic he is. To finally assert his physical dominance over other men. Slipping some tackles. Breaking others. Sliding away from pressure. Escaping the pocket. Take for example his touchdown run. In practice, every time a QB tucks the ball and runs with it, it looks like a broken play. Like no one was open so he just took the coward's way out and picked up what he could against 11 guys who aren't allowed to touch him. But this was a Zone Read, where they intentionally left No. 50 unblocked. Maye read him firing inside to stop the dive play, pulled the ball back, and took off:

Perfect read. Perfect execution. And a QB who has the burst of speed to take it in untouched. Josh McDaniels might have added some element of that during the Cam Newton season. I don't know; I've memory-holed all of 2020. But now it's a wrinkle they can keep going to, forcing defenses to have to defend it for the first time.

--In the passing game, he was able to go through his progressions impressively. Particularly on downs where there was nothing available on the play side and he'd check to the backside and pick up yards. None better than this toss to Javon Baker. Maye first looked to his right before going left to this high-low read, where he checks the middle defender. When that guy came up on Ja'Lynn Polk sitting down underneath, Maye already had the ball in the air as Baker made his in-cut:

And perhaps his finest moment was the third play on this video. A blitz in which the edge rusher came in free. Maye got his head around quickly, found Mitchell Wilcox releasing, and got him the ball for 4 yards:

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A great read, throw, catch and run. Which can't have been easy for Wilcox, because that "87" on a Patriots uniform carries megatons of weight.

--Maye's most impressive throw of the night was obviously this one he aired out to Baker:

One of those experts who break down the minutiae of quarterback play on YouTube might pick nits with Maye's footwork, and he did seem to take a bunch of crow hops in his dropback or whatever. But the arm talent is unmistakable. He showed it on some other deep balls as well. A couple of Go routes along the boundary that had a chance to be caught but weren't. If nothing else, if no other thing, Maye got to take significant reps against an NFL defense demonstrated he can perform. And I remind you again, he doesn't turn 22 until the end of the month. That's your headline from this game. 

--As far as Brissett, he really doesn't have anything to prove. What he is has been well established for a long time. He's a competent, dependable, safe QB you can trust. Especially when it comes to ball security. (Mental note: Start workshopping a spec script for NCIS: Ball Security.) Which is why, when he said after the game he and Austin Hooper had a miscommunication here, you believe him:

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Brissett's whole career has been about good decisions with the ball. Which includes chucking it away on 3rd down in the red zone when everyone is covered in the end zone and taking the 3 points. I'm much more concerned that we're halfway through August and the Pats TE2 isn't on the same page with their QB1 on a crucial goal line play. 

--As far as last week's headliner, Joe Milton did some Joe Milton things:

He is and will continue to be a project. A collection of raw materials who'll likely be stashed on the practice squad. And whose development will undoubtedly be measured in years, not months. But if you don't have fun watching him, then tackle football is simply not for you. 

--The biggest gamble this franchise has made all year is the decision not to seriously address the offensive tackle spots. As my brother Jack has been saying (and I'm fairly certain Brian Hoyer mentioned as well last night) that the Pats starting left tackle isn't on the roster yet. That they're keeping cap space waiting for some established veteran to shake loose. I hope he's right. Because the Vederian Lowe situation hasn't improved since last year's Vederian Lowe situation. On this sack they gave him plenty of help in the form of a solid chip by Kevin Harris. And Lowe still got caught giving up his inside leverage:

Mercifully, that was Maye's last snap of the game. Milton's night also ended on a sack. Bailey Zappe's ended on a botched snap from Liam Fornadel, who is in the running for the most Lord of the Rings Elvish Name in Patriots history. But that wasn't the only messed up center exchange of the night, proving the O-line problems begin at the tackles, but don't end there. And keeping David Andrews healthy for 17 games is mission critical

--They don't give out game balls in preseason, because a Wilson football is worth more than a preseason game. But if they did, the Pats defensive line would split it. Three 4th down stops against a team that has perfected the art of the 4th down pickup. One in particular by Mike Purcell, who seems to be solidifying a roster spot with Christian Barmore out indefinitely. And for the second week in a row, five sacks. And some all around solid play by the Front-7 that might go a long way to explaining that other huge personnel gamble the front office just made:

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Taking nothing away from Deatrich Wise, Jr. overpowering a block, but Keion White's sack is even more impressive to me. At the snap, the tackle went into a full backpedal, and White still blew by him from the outside like he was standing still. Between them, plus with Josh Uche playing his usual rush specialist role, it's possible the Patriots simply saw no need to invest in a 32 year old edge player. They'd better be right. 

--I'm going to add Raekwon McMillan to that list of guys who seem to be cementing a roster spot for themselves. In fact, I don't know why he's been talked about as a bubble dweller. I thought he was solid last year. And last night added 8 tackles, with one a TFL. I think he'll carve out a role in the rotation that's led by Ju'Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai. Though part of me is rooting for Steele Chambers, simply because he's got the name of a '70s porn actor.

--I failed to mention this last week, but on the cover of the media guide they place at every work station in the press box, was Bryce Baringer. Which speaks volumes about the current state of things. But also about Baringer, who once again punted his ass off, with two 60-plus yarders. Hopefully things will improve to the point he's no longer a cover model. Or our offensive MVP like he was as a rookie. But he's very much a weapon.

--Here's your reminder it's preseason for everybody. This is why you've got to put in the work:

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--Just to end where we began, Maye isn't the QB1 yet. And that's fine. But he's proven he can play like one. Which is all we can ask for at this point.