Patriots QB Drake Maye identifies key area where he wants to improve

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has enjoyed an impressive start to his NFL career, but like all rookies, there are plenty of areas for improvement.

Where specifically does Maye think he can improve after his first four starts for the Patriots?

"I've got to protect the football. That's the biggest thing," Maye told reporters at a press conference Wednesday. "I think there's times where my decision-making, whether it's ball security in the pocket, and knowing when that timer goes off in my head, little things like that. Other than that, just taking the right play is the biggest thing.

"Taking an incompletion, that last first down knowing the situation, or that third down around midfield, the first interception I threw. Sometimes the punt is not the worst thing there. Maybe you go try to make a play, check down, and get a broken tackle and pick up the first. Knowing the situation, what's the best play for this football team, instead of being as aggressive in certain situations.

"I think you're growing that and storing these situations in my memory bank for times when, ‘Hey, I did this last time, maybe try a different thing,’ or maybe try to be more conservative, knowing when to attack these football teams because I'm going to be aggressive. I’m that kind of quarterback."

Maye has completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 770 yards with six touchdowns in five games. He also has run for 209 yards with another touchdown. Maye has actually been the Patriots' leading rusher in three of his four starts, including Week 9 when he ran for 95 yards in a 20-17 overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans.

But turnovers have been a problem for him. He has coughed up the ball six times -- four interceptions and two fumbles -- in four starts.

Maye committed three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) in last week's loss to the Titans. The first interception was a bad throw to Ja'Lynn Polk early in the second quarter. He lost a fumble in the fourth quarter on a strip sack, which led to a Titans go-ahead touchdown. He also took a deep shot in overtime that resulted in a game-ending interception.

The last interception was an example of Maye going for the home run when taking a single or a double would've been perfectly fine -- or even preferable -- in that situation. Maye called this interception a "dumb decision" in his postgame press conference Sunday.

The Patriots have 11 turnovers (five interceptions, six fumbles lost) in nine games. When you combine these turnovers with the abundance of penalties the Patriots are committing, all of a sudden the margin for error shrinks dramatically.

Maye has played really well as a rookie. It's a small sample size, but he looks like the real deal, which is a very positive development for the future of the Patriots. But he absolutely has to take better care of the football. Luckily for him, a bunch of these turnovers should be eliminated in the future as he gains more experience.