The 2024 NFL season has a well-known — and unfamiliar — really feel for New England Patriots followers.
The keys to the offense, and the franchise, have been handed to a rookie quarterback. A primary-round choice, carrying No. 10, tasked with taking on an offense that years in the past was thought-about the league’s greatest, and residing as much as lofty expectations and potential comparisons to one of many recreation’s greatest. A rookie quarterback breaking into the league taking part in for a defensive-minded head coach, in a deep division and convention.
Whereas these will be the similarities between Mac Jones and Drake Maye, they finish there.
In some ways, Jones was a passenger alongside for the journey again in 2021, a reality that’s greatest evidenced by his efficiency in a Week 13 victory over the Buffalo Payments that improved the Patriots to 9-4 on the season. On a windy night time in Buffalo, Jones tried simply three passes, as Invoice Belichick relied on the operating recreation and New England’s protection to hold the night time in a 14-10 victory. It was a three-throw outing from the rookie quarterback that was quick sufficient to be damaged down on video and shared on social media, and I did precisely that the subsequent morning.
Sadly, that video has been misplaced to the annals of time.
It’s onerous to think about the 2024 Patriots doing one thing comparable with Maye. Their newest rookie quarterback might put on the identical quantity as Jones, however their play on the sphere as first-year NFL quarterbacks is vastly completely different. The place Jones was, as talked about above, extra of a passenger alongside for the journey Maye is flying the aircraft, and each safeguard conceivable has been turned off.
Nonetheless, he’s rising, and growing, the best way the Patriots want him to.
Sunday’s outing in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams could be the perfect instance but of Maye’s growth as an NFL passer. Working behind a New England offensive line that has struggled to guard him at instances, and with a younger receiving core round him that’s studying to separate from protection constantly, Maye linked on 30-of-40 passes for 282 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and an interception which got here on New England’s last offensive play.
It was an effort that drew the eye of a coach who is aware of quarterbacks, none apart from Rams head coach Sean McVay:
#Rams HC Sean McVay was very complimentary of #Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye:
“He appears to be like like a stud… You may see the affect that he has on his teammates. The best way individuals discuss him right here. He appears to be like like he’s gonna be a particular participant for a very long time and he gave us suits at present.” pic.twitter.com/zPyjAwKiKZ
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) November 17, 2024
Past the numbers, there may be the video that Maye placed on show Sunday. Performs that illustrate how the sport is slowing down for the rookie, and the way he’s already forward of schedule on the younger quarterback growth curve.
Take his first landing of the sport, this nine-yard reference to Kendrick Bourne. Maye’s confidence is clear within the timing, as he executes an abbreviated five-step drop, drives his again foot into the turf at Gillette Stadium, and comes up firing with out losing a second:
Timing is vital within the NFL, significantly down within the crimson zone the place the sphere is compressed and house comes at a premium. Each wasted second, every additional step, carries a worth. However Maye is aware of the protection, is aware of that Bourne may have inside leverage on his in-breaking route, and rips in an ideal throw on time and in rhythm for the rating.
A route mixture that the Patriots like to name for Maye pairs a sit route over the soccer with a shallow crosser coming from the opposite aspect of the sphere. It’s a normal “man/zone” learn for a quarterback, as they’ll look to the crosser in opposition to man protection (with that receiver operating away from a defender) however get their eyes to the sit route in opposition to zone, with that receiver sitting down in house.
On this play from the primary quarter the Patriots dial that up, and watch Maye work by means of this idea. He first will get his eyes to the left, the place the Patriots are operating a “peel” mixture with a submit route, and a wheel route. That’s his “alert” on the play, which he’ll throw if one of many vertical routes is open early within the play.
However Maye sees the Rams dropping into zone protection, so he will get his eyes to Hunter Henry on the sit route and throws it on time and in rhythm:
Right here is that very same precise design within the third quarter. Once more the Rams use zone protection, so Maye comes off the peel mixture on the appropriate, and will get his eyes on Henry to make an anticipation throw:
Even higher is the position of this cross from Maye, as he sees the closest risk to Henry is coming from the left aspect of the sphere, so he leads the tight finish away from that defender, permitting Henry to make a neater catch and decide up extra yardage.
Typically within the NFL, groups look to blitz rookie quarterbacks. The thought is that the sport is already too quick for them, however by blitzing them you velocity up their thought course of much more within the pocket, resulting in errors.
However groups would possibly wish to suppose twice about blitzing Maye, who has already proven potential to beat strain appears to be like each along with his thoughts, and his toes.
Take this play from early within the recreation. Los Angeles simply brings 5 after the QB right here, however a security blitz from the third stage creates a free run at Maye. However the rookie merely slides within the pocket along with his toes away from the free runner, creating sufficient time and house to get off a throw on a crossing path to convert this third down:
Late within the first half, the Rams used one other blitz to attempt to get strain on the rookie, this time a linebacker coming from the second stage. Right here, Maye simply hangs within the pocket and calmly replaces the blitz with the ball, firing a fast throw to Demario Douglas on a slant route:
However maybe the largest distinction between 2021 and 2024 in New England? What Maye can do when he’s compelled to create. Whereas Jones was capable of execute from the pocket, a query mark dealing with the Alabama prospect coming into the NFL was his athleticism, and whether or not he might create sufficient off of construction and out of doors the pocket to operate within the NFL. These traits have virtually develop into stipulations within the trendy recreation, due to the athleticism on the opposite aspect of the soccer, and the defensive schemes that may so typically take away a quarterback’s preliminary reads.
Whereas that query went largely unanswered with Jones, Maye is answering it every week. On this third and 1 from Sunday the Patriots flip to a mesh idea, however the Rams cowl the routes. Watch as Maye shifts into creator mode, buys a while along with his toes, and manages to transform the third down late within the play:
These are the sorts of performs the New England offense couldn’t generate in 2021, however Maye is delivering them week in, week out.
Whereas graphics on each NFL pre-game present final Sunday confirmed the Patriots “within the hunt” for the playoffs, these expectations should not the purpose for this season. The one true purpose in New England in 2024 is that this: Be sure that Maye is the long-term reply on the place, and do every thing potential to see that he’s a greater quarterback on the finish of the yr than he was when the yr started.
The playoffs could be out of the image, however the extra essential questions in New England are being answered in one of the simplest ways potential.
One other distinction between 2024 and 2021, and one that might work out very effectively for the Patriots in the long run.