Drake Maye took a huge step forward in his role as a leader on the New England Patriots when he addressed the offense last week after a lackluster practice.
It's not easy for young players, especially a 22-year-old rookie, to get up in front of the team and voice their concerns. But as the starting quarterback, Maye knows he has to be a leader on and off the field.
On the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Talk Podcast, former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer explained how important it is that Maye felt comfortable speaking up.
🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Brian Hoyer discusses Drake Maye taking the next step as Patriots' franchise QB | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I think he understands the role that he has now," Hoyer told host Tom E. Curran. "Obviously, the way things played out this year, he didn't start the season. And you never want to step on a guy who's starting. You never want to step on his toes. And so I think now he's played a few games, he's got a few successful plays and things that have gotten people excited about him underneath his belt.
"And to hear him talk about, 'I felt like we weren't practicing well. I fumbled a snap, things to reset.' I think that's a huge sign of maturity and ownership because as a quarterback, you have to take ownership of everything. The players, the scheme, the defense, your job is to take ownership and then let that trickle down to the rest of the guys.
"So I'm sure that as a young kid at 22 years old, you got to look past that and you've got to (think), 'Well, I may be younger than all these guys, but my role is the role of the leader, the one voice that's going to be in that huddle.' So I think that's a great sign for him and for the team that he feels compelled and then willing to go do that because I don't think anyone sat there and was like, 'Oh man, what's this rookie talking about?' because he's gone out there and earned their respect."
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Hoyer was a teammate of Tom Brady's in New England for several years, and he was always impressed with the legendary quarterback's humility and authenticity. Hoyer believes Maye has a similar personality in that regard.
"I like his demeanor. You can tell he comes across as a very humble person," Hoyer said. "And at the quarterback position, obviously I'm biased because I was in there day in, day out with the greatest of all time, and he couldn't have been more humble. It's funny, I just saw a clip of (Brady), and oddly enough, it was when he played for the Buccaneers. After they beat the Packers to go to the Super Bowl in the COVID year, and he went over to the stands and he's asking the usher, 'Can I see my son?'
"And I'm thinking to myself, like, I wouldn't ask it, you wouldn't think that. (He asked it) with the humbleness of, 'No one owes me anything.' And I think you kind of feel that from Drake: 'I'm going to do the right thing. I'm going to work hard. I'm going to do the right thing. And then when it becomes my time...'
"You don't want to force it. You don't ever want to come across as fake. I think there's sometimes -- you get a feeling like this is the right time to address the team. And clearly he felt comfortable doing that and he did it. And I think it's, if anything, those guys look and see that's not an easy thing to do as a young player, and that gains more respect as you go along."
Maye helped lead the Patriots to an impressive 19-3 win over the Chicago Bears on the road in Week 10. The Patriots will try to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
Also in this episode:
- Was the win over the Bears validation for Jerod Mayo?
- Where is Drake Maye on the franchise QB curve?
- Assessing the offense being installed by Alex Van Pelt.
- In what areas are the Patriots better than last year?
