The grace period is over for the New England Patriots, at least as far as Tedy Bruschi is concerned.
After watching the Patriots’ early-season struggles come to a head in a 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the three-time Super Bowl champion delivered a pointed assessment of his former team Monday on ESPN’s “Get Up.”
And while Bruschi sees larger problems in New England, some of his strongest words were reserved for quarterback Drake Maye.
“The honeymoon in New England is over for me,” Bruschi said. “I mean, now let’s go to work.”
Tedy Bruschi dives into the “real problems” Drake Maye and the Patriots face after a rough start to their season 🧐
For a team that enjoyed a remarkable turnaround last season, Bruschi believes the conversation has changed. The Patriots are no longer simply riding the momentum of their resurgence. They now have problems that need answers, including how to get their quarterback settled down.
Tedy Bruschi Raises Concern About Drake Maye
Bruschi described last season as something resembling a “fairytale,” while pointing to several instances in which circumstances broke New England’s way.
“It’s almost like a fairytale, this last year, of course,” Bruschi said. “Then, going to that Super Bowl, now here are the problems.”
Bruschi noted that New England benefited at different points from special teams plays, defensive plays and opposing quarterback injuries. He wasn’t suggesting the Patriots didn’t earn their success. In fact, he made a point of noting that championship teams capitalize when those opportunities present themselves.
But those circumstances aren’t Bruschi’s focus anymore.
“Now here are the real problems,” he said.
One of them is Maye.
Bruschi echoed head coach Mike Vrabel’s assessment that the Patriots are pressing and specifically pointed to Maye’s response when things begin going wrong.
“Like Vrabes said, we’re pressing. Drake is pressing,” Bruschi said. “He wants to make up for every single mistake.”
Then came the question that crystallized Bruschi’s concern.
“How do you calm down your quarterback now that his head is messed up?” Bruschi asked.
That’s a striking question coming from a player who spent his entire 13-year NFL career in New England and won three championships with the franchise.
It’s also one the Patriots suddenly need to answer.
Patriots Need to Get Drake Maye Settled Down
Maye’s performance against Jacksonville only intensified the scrutiny surrounding New England’s offense.
The quarterback struggled as the Patriots were held to six points and failed to score a touchdown. He also wasn’t operating under ideal circumstances. New England allowed 14 pressures in the loss, according to PFF data shared by Patriots reporter Doug Kyed, including 10 pressures from the right side of the protection.
The offensive line issues don’t absolve Maye of his own mistakes, and Bruschi wasn’t trying to do that.
His concern was what happens after those mistakes.
A young quarterback trying to immediately compensate for every bad play can compound the original problem. One missed opportunity becomes a forced throw. One turnover creates pressure to manufacture a big play on the next possession. Suddenly, a quarterback isn’t simply running the offense. He’s trying to rescue it.
That’s the cycle Bruschi believes New England needs to stop.
His comments also represent a notable shift in expectations for the Patriots. Last year’s success changed the standard. After reaching the Super Bowl, New England isn’t being judged as a team still searching for signs of progress.
Now comes the harder part: responding when opponents expose weaknesses, correcting problems before they snowball and keeping the franchise quarterback from feeling as though he has to fix everything himself.
For Bruschi, the honeymoon is finished.
The work starts now.
Patriots Legend Sounds Alarm on Drake Maye: ‘His Head Is Messed Up’