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Drake Maye talks Patriots’ decision to not attempt Hail Mary & more on WEEI
"If you can’t make a Hail Mary from 50 yards, I think maybe you’re playing the wrong sport.”
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye made his weekly appearance on the WEEI Afternoon Show on Monday, giving his thoughts on New England’s 25-24 loss to the Colts and more.
Here are three takeaways from Maye’s interview:
Any second guesses on last-second play?
Drake Maye established himself as one of the top QB prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class thanks to his arm and ability to sling the football down the field.
He ran into little resistance throwing the ball on Sunday against the Colts, completing 80 percent of his throws (24-for-30) for 238 yards and one touchdown. His lone interception was a bit of bad luck, with a ball bouncing off Hunter Henry’s hands in the end zone and right into the grasp of Indy safety Julian Blackmon.
But with one second left on the clock in a one-point game, Jerod Mayo opted to put Maye on the sideline. Instead of opting for a 50-yard Hail Mary throw, New England instead chose to attempt a 68-yard field goal from Joey Slye.
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Slye’s kick came up short, sealing a crushing loss for the Patriots.
While Hail-Mary throws may not have a high success rate, a 68-yard kick from Slye would have set an NFL record.
Speaking on WEEI, Maye said he wasn’t lacking in any confidence when it came to potentially attempting a Hail Mary from the 50-yard line.
“Yeah, I think anytime you’re on the 50, midfield; if you can’t make that throw in the NFL, I’m not sure you should be in the NFL,” Maye said. “We had a chance at a Hail Mary but Joey felt like, and the special teams coordinator and coach Mayo … was ready for whatever the team’s decision. But yeah, if you can’t make a Hail Mary from 50 yards, I think maybe you’re playing the wrong sport.”
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The 2024 NFL season has already seen two successful Hail Mary plays.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers hit Allen Lazard with a 52-yard heave before halftime in a Week 6 loss to the Bills, while Maye’s fellow 2024 rookie Jayden Daniels completed a 52-yard throw down the field as time expired to give the Commanders a dramatic 18-15 win over the Bears in Week 8.
Even though Maye didn’t factor into New England’s final play, the rookie stressed that Slye’s attempt did come close to rewriting the record books.
“It looked like it had a chance. It’s always tough when you’re watching a game-winning field goal or a game-losing field goal on either side of it,” Maye said. “Thought it had a chance. Ended up coming just short. I think it was pretty impressive in that cold weather probably affected it a little bit.
“I’m not sure what the wind was. It was pretty windy at times. I think it ended up helping the point of at least making it close and not being 10 yards short. That would’ve been more of a bad look.”
Battling the elements
As Maye noted, it was a chilly afternoon in Foxborough on Sunday. Temperature at kickoff was 37 degrees.
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But even with the winter weather finally here in New England, Maye took to the field against the Colts without any long sleeves or additional layers under his red “Pat Patriot” throwback jersey.
Maye might hail from North Carolina, but he acknowledged on Monday that he has no qualms about playing in the cold.
“I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I think it could be an advantage for us down the road,” he said. “I think it’s New England. It’s part of football, it’s part of New England history, all of those games they won in the cold weather. … It really didn’t affect me that much. I was throwing the football well. The biggest thing is the hits hurt a little more, but that’s about it.”
At one point during his interview, Maye was asked about Tom Brady, who occasionally donned a neoprene wetsuit under his gear during sub-zero conditions — such as the 2019 AFC Championship Game in Kansas City.
So does Maye think he’s tougher than Brady when it comes to handling the elements?
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“Nah, I don’t know about that,” Maye said, adding: “I’ll probably need to put a scuba suit on if Tom would do that.”
Finding the silver lining
Maye’s ascension as one of the top young quarterbacks in the NFL has been arguably the one positive for New England in a 3-10 season so far.
It’s been a frustrating year for many in New England, with Sunday representing the fifth one-possession loss of the season for a rebuilding Patriots roster.
Despite his exasperated postgame comments following Sunday’s one-point loss, Maye tried to spin a positive on Monday.
“It’s motivational to come back and study harder, or kind of get something (going) in small group meetings, or be with receivers more, be with the O line more, or talk through more looks, little things like that,” Maye said. “Because we’re just few plays away from being the right side of things. And I think those guys see that. They’re not losing sight of that.”
Even with his impressive early returns, Maye is looking to continue to tighten up his own game coming out of New England’s bye week.
“I’m trying to learn from experiences or negative plays, and ;earn from turnovers, learn from sacks that I take and see if I get the ball out or do something better,” Maye said. “So that’s probably the biggest thing. … I think playing for the New England Patriots and starting quarterback is always an awesome opportunity.”
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