Patriots players offer up advice for Drake Maye: Play free and be yourself
FOXBORO -- The Patriots are turning the keys over to rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who will make his first NFL start on Sunday against the Houston Texans. Maye has the support of the New England locker room, and his teammates have just one important piece of advice when he takes the field at Gillette Stadium: "Be yourself."
That was the sentiment in Foxboro on Wednesday, after Jerod Mayo made it official that Maye would be taking over for veteran starter Jacoby Brissett. The 22-year-old Maye will bring a lot more athleticism and a much bigger arm to the quarterback position, and Patriots players want to see it all in action on Sunday.
Fans certainly want to see the future of the franchise rear back and throw a bomb downfield or take off from the pocket for a big gain. Patriots players are no different.
"Just play free," veteran receiver Kendrick Bourne said of his advice to Maye. "Have fun and don't think, just sling it. Whatever you see is what you believe you saw, so make the throw. Have fun and don't be timid, and live with the mistakes."
"Just be confident," running back Antonio Gibson told the No. 3 overall pick out of UNC. "He's been there, playing at a big school. Some people get nervous and some people don't. It might not last long, it might last for just a second, but just go out there and be you, have fun, and we got you."
When asked what he likes most about Maye, Mayo said it's his arm and overall athleticism. Bourne loves both of those, but also loves the confidence that Maye has exuded in the huddle on the practice field.
"He's poised. I think he is really confident and that's what I like to see," said Bourne. "When we do walkthroughs and things like that, he sounds confident and feels confident. In the huddle he seems confident and that's what we need. He's our new leader and that's who we're going to follow."
"I don't think he's ever lacked confidence since he stepped in the building," said veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones. "I'm excited to see him go out there.
"Drive us down the field and do what needs to be done. Just make the right play," Jones said of his advice to the rookie. "He has the ability to run around and extend some plays. Just be himself and be who we drafted him to be."
No one is expecting perfection from Maye, especially not in his first NFL game as a starter. He'll be going against an extremely talented Houston defense on Sunday, but teammates are hoping that matchup gives Maye a chance to show off his escapability when the pressure comes at him.
"His athleticism is actually impressive. I didn't think he was that fast. I think his 40 might be faster than mine," Bourne said with a laugh. "The old me -- when I got here I got faster.
"He is just impressive with what he can do and escaping the pocket," Bourne continued. "I think he has a really good pocket-presence feel also. Sometimes the line is going to lose, sometimes we're going to lose at receiver. We all just have to help each other. The faster we get open, the better it is for him, Th better the O-Line does, the better he can make his reads. The worse the O-Line does, if he can move in the pocket well we can all complement each other."
Bourne said that Maye starting "absolutely" brings an air of optimism around the team. Everyone is bummed for Brissett, who took a beating but always got back up over his five weeks as the team's starter. But they're just as excited to see what Maye can bring to the field.
The hope is that Maye will be able to do a lot more at quarterback than Brissett was doing, which will have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the team.
"I want everyone to be on one string," said receiver DeMario Douglas. "That's the whole offense. Be on one string so we play with confidence and come out with the dub."
Bourne said he has a new touchdown dance that he hopes to show off come Sunday. He'll be putting in extra work with the QB this week to build their chemistry -- and try to figure out a special handshake the two can share on the field.
The excitement around the quarterback change was evident among the Patriots players who spoke on Wednesday. They're all excited to see Maye go out and try to give this offense a spark.
"Play fast and have fun. You get good results when you play like that," said Bourne. "When you play timid, played scared, play nervous or question yourself, that's when bad results happen. I'm excited for him."
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