Coming off the New England Patriots’ 32-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye discussed wanting to improve as an outspoken leader.
Chris Mason of MassLive has since shared multiple examples of how Maye has taken steps in the right direction regarding that aspect of his development.
Mason notes that Maye made a “rookie mistake” that resulted in offensive lineman Michael Onwenu surrendering a sack in the fourth quarter of the Jacksonville game. Maye quickly approached Onwenu to accept blame for that particular play not going as planned.
“With the situation we’re in, our record, it’s honorable,” Onwenu said about Maye’s reaction to the sack. “…I’ve seen him grow tremendously [across his first two regular-season starts]. Even throughout practice, he’s just every week been improving and becoming better as a leader and a quarterback.”
The Patriots may be a mess beyond their 1-6 record. First-year head coach Jerod Mayo has seemingly gotten into a war of words with former coach Bill Belichick amid the club’s six-game losing streak. Some fear Mayo is already in danger of losing the locker room and could be fired by team owner Robert Kraft if the organization is viewed as a laughingstock by the end of Week 18.
“He’s the calm in the storm,” New England wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said about Maye while speaking with Karen Guregian of MassLive on Thursday. “He’s the bright spot. He gives us hope for where we’re headed. I love that about him.“
Mason passed along the nugget that Maye approached Bourne after the loss to the Jaguars to “let him know that he needed to get the wideout the football more.” Meanwhile, running back Rhamondre Stevenson referred to Maye as “the ultimate leader” on Thursday.
As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Patriots as seven-point underdogs for this Sunday’s game against a 2-5 New York Jets team that may be on the cusp of experiencing a franchise reset during the upcoming offseason.
Maye likely will continue to lose more often than he wins through January, but he could save the jobs of others if he continues to flash promise with his on-the-field performances and establishes himself as the most important voice in the New England locker room.
