New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is doing a lot this offseason to take more of a leadership role for the team. Maye is working closely with new head coach Mike Vrabel to expand his duties, per ESPN NFL insider Mike Reiss.
The Patriots quarterback was tasked by his head coach with leading a drill on the field that involved timing and communication.
“It thrust Maye into the spotlight in an adverse situation that tested all players’ physical and mental toughness,” Reiss wrote.
Maye had to work on his cadence in the drill, while also making sure his teammates ran sprints on the correct snap count. The drill was about timing, communication, and also conditioning. The Patriots players had to run the length of the practice field while participating in the drill.
“Many players were gassed by the end, which is as close to the maximum physical exertion that can happen in a voluntary spring practice. Offensive lineman Cole Strange, for example, came to the interview area after practice still breathing heavily based on the high-intensity sprints,” Reiss added.
The Patriots finished the 2024 season with a 4-13 record, so there’s certainly a lot to work on for the team.
Drake Maye seems to be winning hearts and minds with the Patriots
Maye has not only a new head coach this coming season, but also a new offensive coordinator. The Patriots have Josh McDaniels now as offensive coordinator, who came in with Vrabel.
McDaniels likes what he sees from his young quarterback.
“He’s doing really well. He’s very smart. Works really hard,” McDaniels said, per ESPN. “He’s doing a really good job of digesting the information, processing the corrections when there is a correction to be made, and going out there with a great attitude and mindset the next day.”
Maye is also winning the respect of his teammates. Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson was impressed with how Maye handled himself in OTAs.
“He’s a leader. He has that kind of ‘oomph’ to him,” Stevenson said.
Maye will have a chance to gel with his teammates even more at minicamp. Mandatory minicamp begins on Monday for New England.
The post Insider goes inside Drake Maye’s leadership transformation for Patriots appeared first on ClutchPoints.
