The New England Patriots expect Drake Maye to be their franchise quarterback in waiting, but things might be different if Bill Belichick were still in charge. That assumption is based on Belichick’s damning verdict of Maye.
Speaking on an edition of “Coach with Bill Belichick” for Underdog Fantasy, Belichick branded Maye as a signal-caller who “needs a lot of seasoning in terms of reading coverages, overall throwing mechanics and consistency. Is he a big, fast athlete? Yeah. But I think it’s going to take more than that to be ready to play quarterback in the National Football League.”
Belichick also said, “You expect quarterbacks at this level to be able to throw check-downs to backs, to throw slant routes to wide receivers, to hit a wide-open seam, and look, you know, we all have plays that we wish we had back. Just saying these are some of the things that, you know, we need to work on. I think that Maye probably has more of these than the other quarterbacks do.”
Bill Belichick’s thoughts on Patriots Rookie QB Drake Maye 👀
That’s a fairly lengthy to-do list compiled by a coach who’s seen every kind of quarterback. Yet, for all Belichick’s reservations about Maye, the 22-year-old third overall pick in the 2024 draft has hard-to-classify intangibles that increase his upside.
Drake Maye Doesn’t Fit the Bill Belichick Template
It wasn’t the first time Belichick expressed concern about Maye’s ability to adapt to the pros. He also made his feelings clear shortly after Maye’s name was called on draft day.
Belichick told “The Pat McAfee Show” that Maye “hasn’t played very much. He really doesn’t have a lot of experience. He’s going to need some work in reading defenses, reading coverages. He’s kind of quick to bail out of the pocket. He’s going to need to hang in there a little bit longer and find those receivers.”
The New England Patriots are selecting Drake Maye..
CONGRATULATIONS @BostonConnr 👏
Each time he’s spoken about Maye, Belichick’s opinion has revealed one fundamental truth. Namely, how the former North Carolina standout doesn’t fit the decorated ex-coach’s template at football’s most important position.
Belichick favors a deliberate and efficient strategist as his QB1. His career took off when he had Tom Brady at the controls.
Brady was a game-manager deluxe, and while he worked tirelessly to refine his game and become much more, TB12 always did what a particular game asked of him. If that meant handing the ball off 30 times, so be it. If it meant playing small ball and throwing underneath, so be it. If it meant airing it out 40 times in search of the big play, Brady would do it.
Maye is a different kind of quarterback, the kind who’s prepared to gamble on his athletic talents and play off-script whenever the mood strikes.
Patriots’ Fortunes Tied to a Different Kind of Quarterback
Maye’s ad-libbing will take some getting used to once he’s taken the reins from Jacoby Brissett, but his awesome arm talent should make the unorthodox moments easier to handle. This touchdown, thrown off his back foot against Clemson, per Ian Valentino of AtoZ Sports, sums up Maye’s X-factor
Awesome throw on the move from Drake Maye to J.J. Jones
Playing out of structure is not something the Patriots have been accustomed to from their starting quarterback. Nor have they had a starter as mobile as Maye.
The latter showed off his wheels to move the chains against the Washington Commanders in preseason.
Maye is going to do things a little differently. Less like Brady and more akin to Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.
There will be so-called standard plays he doesn’t make, but Maye is also likely to be a fixture on weekly highlight reels for touches of the spectacular.
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Bill Belichick Gives Damning Verdict on Patriots’ Drake Maye