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Drake Maye’s drive, maturity impress Patriots captain David Andrews
"He's not satisfied with that ... I thought that was encouraging for me to see."
Injured center David Andrews wasn’t on the field with Drake Maye when the Patriots rookie quarterback made his first NFL start last Sunday. But he got a front-row seat to Maye’s 263-yard, three-touchdown performance in the losing effort against the Houston Texans.
True to form, Andrews pointed out areas for the rookie passer and the rest of the team to improve in following the blowout loss. Maye, after all, did also have three turnovers in addition to his three TD throws.
But the veteran center said the young franchise quarterback’s head is where it needs to be on the latest episode of “The Quick Snap” podcast.
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“Looking at Drake … that’s something I like about him knowing he’s not satisfied with that,” Andrews said. “He knows he left a lot of plays out there, like all players do. I thought that was encouraging for me to see.
“… He did some good things, thought we did some good things in the game. But we’ve always said there’s no moral victories, and there’s no ‘attaboys.’ The only attaboy you get is when you win.”
For his part, Maye echoed those sentiments when speaking to the media on Wednesday, regretting the two interceptions he threw and the fumble he lost and vowing to take better care of the football against the Jaguars in London this weekend.
But the shift in the Patriots’ energy has been palpable with Maye under center, with several offensive teammates praising his mental toughness and “aura” on the field.
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Andrews added that Maye’s ability to stay “cool and collected” after his early interception was a sign of the young QB’s maturity — something he’ll need to display even as a rookie in the Pats’ looker room.
“He’s got to lead. You’ve got to have your quarterback be a great leader,” Andrews explained, “That’s something he’ll learn, he’ll develop. It’s very rare guys come in in their rookie year — like, you don’t want a rookie to come in and think he’s the captain of the team. But at the same time, it is important … I think when you have those guys in the younger class trying to be leaders amongst themselves, it’s great.”
Especially with Andrews out for the year due to a shoulder injury, Maye will need to develop his own brand of leadership on the field sooner rather than later. Even if the on-field results weren’t what he and the Patriots wanted on Sunday, it was a positive first step to what could hopefully be a long, successful career in Foxborough.
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