The 2024 NFL season has a well-known — and unfamiliar — really feel for New England Patriots followers.
The keys to the offense, and the franchise, have been handed to a rookie quarterback. A primary-round choice, sporting No. 10, tasked with taking on an offense that years in the past was thought-about the league’s finest, and dwelling as much as lofty expectations and potential comparisons to one of many sport’s finest. A rookie quarterback breaking into the league taking part in for a defensive-minded head coach, in a deep division and convention.
Whereas these would be the similarities between Mac Jones and Drake Maye, they finish there.
In some ways, Jones was a passenger alongside for the experience again in 2021, a truth that’s finest evidenced by his efficiency in a Week 13 victory over the Buffalo Payments that improved the Patriots to 9-4 on the season. On a windy night time in Buffalo, Jones tried simply three passes, as Invoice Belichick relied on the working sport and New England’s protection to hold the night time in a 14-10 victory. It was a three-throw outing from the rookie quarterback that was quick sufficient to be damaged down on video and shared on social media, and I did precisely that the subsequent morning.
Sadly, that video has been misplaced to the annals of time.
It’s exhausting to think about the 2024 Patriots doing one thing comparable with Maye. Their newest rookie quarterback might put on the identical quantity as Jones, however their play on the sector as first-year NFL quarterbacks is vastly completely different. The place Jones was, as talked about above, extra of a passenger alongside for the experience Maye is flying the aircraft, and each safeguard possible has been turned off.
Nonetheless, he’s rising, and growing, the way in which the Patriots want him to.
Sunday’s outing towards the Los Angeles Rams is perhaps the very best instance but of Maye’s growth as an NFL passer. Working behind a New England offensive line that has struggled to guard him at instances, and with a younger receiving core round him that’s studying to separate from protection constantly, Maye linked on 30-of-40 passes for 282 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and an interception which got here on New England’s closing offensive play.
It was an effort that drew the eye of a coach who is aware of quarterbacks, none aside from Rams head coach Sean McVay:
#Rams HC Sean McVay was very complimentary of #Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye:
“He seems like a stud… You possibly can see the influence that he has on his teammates. The way in which folks speak about him right here. He seems like he’s gonna be a particular participant for a very long time and he gave us matches at present.” pic.twitter.com/zPyjAwKiKZ
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) November 17, 2024
Past the numbers, there may be the video that Maye placed on show Sunday. Performs that illustrate how the sport is slowing down for the rookie, and the way he’s already forward of schedule on the younger quarterback growth curve.
Take his first landing of the sport, this nine-yard reference to Kendrick Bourne. Maye’s confidence is obvious within the timing, as he executes an abbreviated five-step drop, drives his again foot into the turf at Gillette Stadium, and comes up firing with out losing a second:
Timing is important within the NFL, significantly down within the pink zone the place the sector is compressed and area comes at a premium. Each wasted second, every additional step, carries a worth. However Maye is aware of the protection, is aware of that Bourne could have inside leverage on his in-breaking route, and rips in an ideal throw on time and in rhythm for the rating.
A route mixture that the Patriots like to name for Maye pairs a sit route over the soccer with a shallow crosser coming from the opposite facet of the sector. It’s a customary “man/zone” learn for a quarterback, as they’ll look to the crosser towards man protection (with that receiver working away from a defender) however get their eyes to the sit route towards zone, with that receiver sitting down in area.
On this play from the primary quarter the Patriots dial that up, and watch Maye work via this idea. He first will get his eyes to the left, the place the Patriots are working a “peel” mixture with a put up route, and a wheel route. That’s his “alert” on the play, which he’ll throw if one of many vertical routes is open early within the play.
However Maye sees the Rams dropping into zone protection, so he will get his eyes to Hunter Henry on the sit route and throws it on time and in rhythm:
Right here is that very same actual design within the third quarter. Once more the Rams use zone protection, so Maye comes off the peel mixture on the appropriate, and will get his eyes on Henry to make an anticipation throw:
Even higher is the location of this move from Maye, as he sees the closest risk to Henry is coming from the left facet of the sector, so he leads the tight finish away from that defender, permitting Henry to make a neater catch and choose up further yardage.
Typically within the NFL, groups look to blitz rookie quarterbacks. The thought is that the sport is already too quick for them, however by blitzing them you velocity up their thought course of much more within the pocket, resulting in errors.
However groups would possibly wish to assume twice about blitzing Maye, who has already proven potential to beat strain seems each along with his thoughts, and his ft.
Take this play from early within the sport. Los Angeles simply brings 5 after the QB right here, however a security blitz from the third stage creates a free run at Maye. However the rookie merely slides within the pocket along with his ft away from the free runner, creating sufficient time and area to get off a throw on a crossing path to convert this third down:
Late within the first half, the Rams used one other blitz to try to get strain on the rookie, this time a linebacker coming from the second stage. Right here, Maye simply hangs within the pocket and calmly replaces the blitz with the ball, firing a fast throw to Demario Douglas on a slant route:
However maybe the most important distinction between 2021 and 2024 in New England? What Maye can do when he’s pressured to create. Whereas Jones was in a position to execute from the pocket, a query mark going through the Alabama prospect coming into the NFL was his athleticism, and whether or not he might create sufficient off of construction and outdoors the pocket to perform within the NFL. These traits have virtually change into conditions within the trendy sport, due to the athleticism on the opposite facet of the soccer, and the defensive schemes that may so typically take away a quarterback’s preliminary reads.
Whereas that query went largely unanswered with Jones, Maye is answering it every week. On this third and 1 from Sunday the Patriots flip to a mesh idea, however the Rams cowl the routes. Watch as Maye shifts into creator mode, buys a while along with his ft, and manages to transform the third down late within the play:
These are the sorts of performs the New England offense couldn’t generate in 2021, however Maye is delivering them week in, week out.
Whereas graphics on each NFL pre-game present final Sunday confirmed the Patriots “within the hunt” for the playoffs, these expectations are usually not the purpose for this season. The one true purpose in New England in 2024 is that this: Be sure that Maye is the long-term reply on the place, and do every little thing doable to see that he’s a greater quarterback on the finish of the yr than he was when the yr started.
The playoffs is perhaps out of the image, however the extra vital questions in New England are being answered in one of the best ways doable.
One other distinction between 2024 and 2021, and one that would work out very properly for the Patriots in the long run.
