As quarterback Drake Maye prepares for his second season in the Josh McDaniels offense, McDaniels knows Maye is in a much better spot than he was a year ago. But there’s still plenty of room to grow.
This time around, they’re focusing on better preparing him for game scenarios by “weaponizing” his mind.
As explained by Mike Reiss of ESPN in his weekly look at all things Pats, he explains that, during offseason practices, McDaniels would at times hurry Maye to the line of scrimmage but without giving him a play call. The purpose was to get Maye to solve problems on his own.
“Then we can go into the meeting room and talk about what he was thinking, why he was thinking,” quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant said, per Reiss. “If it was a great answer, you give him a pat on the back. If it’s something you might want to tweak or adjust, we talk about it.
“It’s easy to say ‘solve the problems,’ but if you never let him practice solving problems, then you’re just talking to a cement wall. . . . We’re trying to weaponize Drake’s mind. As opposed to be just throwers of the football, we want them to be operators of the offense.”
That’s the challenge for every quarterback. Understanding based on the pre-snap look what will, or won’t be, available — and making a decision accordingly.
It’s something that requires reps in games. The Patriots are trying to give Maye reps in practice in anticipation of the reality that those issues will arise in games.
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