We Can Confirm That Drake Maye Has Been Even Better Than You Think

Boston Globe. Getty Images.

I think it's safe to say that there's not a man, woman, child, or third trimester fetus in New England who hasn't wondered at some point if Drake Maye is in the best possible hands when it comes to Alex Van Pelt. As I mentioned earlier in the week, I'm still an undecided voter, but I'm more than willing to defer to Maye on the issue. If he feels like his skills are being developed properly and he's reaching his maximum potential, who are any of us to argue. 

Granted, Van Pelt didn't do his candidacy for 2025 any favors at his presser today when he admitted he didn't realize Marcus Jones can play offense:

... when Jones single-handedly produced the Pats best offensive play of 2022:

However he did swing a lot of undecided voters over to his side with this endorsement of Maye following that disastrous interception at the end of the Rams game:

This is significant for several reasons. First, because it means Maye did not, in fact, horribly misread a two-deep safety look in a crucial situation. But even more because it helps prove exactly what kind of a leader our rookie quarterback is. He's the kind how refuses to point fingers; he'll point a thumb into his own chest. Even when it's his receiver who blew the read, he'll work that stuff out behind the scenes in the film room and the practice field, not in front of the paying customers. If that doesn't sound like a big deal, it just means you've repressed all your memories of the days when Mac Jones would go into full "You have failed me!" meltdown mode every time he threw an off target pass. I mean, there's only so many times you can watch your QB rip off his chinstrap on the way to the bench and pantomime how much it's everybody else's fault but his before it destroys the soul of an entire team. Maye is the Anti-Jones.

And while we're on the subject of throwing passes on target, there's this little datum from the good people who keep track of such things:

And it should not be lost on anyone that the only quarterbacks in the league within 10.0% of Maye's accuracy are throwing to DK Metcalf, Justin Jefferson and Garrett Wilson, among others. Whereas Maye's WR1 is the guy who broke off his route incorrectly with a game on the line. (No disrespect intended to Pop Douglas.) 

Now, just to throw another log onto the warm, glowing fire of Maye's rookie development, let's check his success when it comes to making off platform throws, since he has to do that more than anyone in the league:

But don't take my word for it. Ask the QB experts:

I'll be the first to admit that promise, leadership, accuracy, avoiding sacks and making plays when everything goes wrong hasn't led to a winning streak. But it's not nothing. And given that this is all with just six starts on his resume, playing behind the most porous offensive line and the thinnest WR depth chart in the league, it's even more impressive. Imagine what Drake Maye is going to be like once he gets a team around him and really learns how to destroy a defense.

I know I am. Next Thursday, when I'm bowing my head over a plate of comfort food, I know what I'll be thankful for.