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Perry: Drake Maye has ‘exceeded expectations’ in an important area originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Let’s be honest: This isn’t the ideal week for Drake Maye to make his first NFL start.
The New England Patriots rookie, who was officially named the team’s starting quarterback on Wednesday, will face a fierce Houston Texans defense that leads the NFL in pressure rate on opposing quarterbacks (42 percent of snaps) and boasts the league’s lowest opposing QB completion percentage (51.7 percent).
Given the struggles of the Patriots’ offensive line — which has allowed QB pressures on an NFL-leading 48.3 percent of snaps — Maye essentially is being thrown into the fire. But there’s reason to believe he’ll avoid getting burned.
On a new Patriots Talk Podcast with Tom E. Curran, Patriots Insider Phil Perry highlighted an encouraging admission from offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who noted Maye was perfect during a live blitz period at Wednesday’s practice.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Instant reaction to the Patriots making move to Drake Maye | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
“(Van Pelt) told us on Thursday that in the blitz period on Wednesday, so the first padded practice of the week … (Maye) went 6 for 6,” Perry said. “And this is my understanding too after talking to players in the locker room. Third down, against the blitz, his performance has exceeded expectations.
“It’s not necessarily because you think, ‘Oh, against the blitz, he’s scrambling around, he’s making off-platform throws, he’s doing Drake Maye types of things.’ No, he’s playing within the structure of the offense. He’s playing from the pocket and succeeding there.
“I can tell you, players in the locker room have been more impressed by that than they have been by any of the physical gifts that he’s exhibited out there.”
Maye’s physical traits and athleticism were a big reason why the Patriots selected him No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. But if he wants to succeed as an NFL…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/perry-drake-maye-exceeded-expectations-200535886.html
Author : NBC Sports Boston
Publish date : 2024-10-10 20:08:29
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