The New England Patriots are trying to get back to the ways of AFC dominance they enjoyed under the Belichick-Brady era. The Patriots are entering their first season under head coach Mike Vrabel, who they’re hoping will be able to maximize the potential of second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye has had some well-documented struggles over the Pats’ offseason program, but had one of his best days on Monday. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels talked about the corrections Maye has made as he learns on the fly.
“We either make a good play or we learn from the result,” McDaniels said, according to Pro Football Talk. “And so sometimes, as a coach, and nobody wants to hear this, but sometimes as a coach, the negative results can actually be your best teachers, because you have a play where something didn’t necessarily go your way or the right way, and then you learn from it.
“And then the biggest key for us as we go forward is when we learn from a mistake. Can we go out there the next day and not repeat the same error? And so I think he’s doing a really good job of digesting the information, processing the corrections when there is a correction to be made, and then go out there with a great attitude, mindset the next day.”
McDaniels assured reporters that he’s not overly concerned with Maye being under too much pressure heading into year two.
“I think if I know him very well, which I’m learning more and more about him every single day, he’s going to place high expectations on himself,” McDaniels said. “I know that for sure.
“We’re certainly going to want to try to get the best result out of our quarterback position every play that we can, and I think that’s all we can control. We can’t really control outside expectations.
“We’re certainly going to try to do the very best we can with our opportunities. And I see a guy that has a great attitude and mindset about coming out here and trying to be the best version of himself that he can be, and I know that that’s what he can control. It’s what we can control as coaches, and hopefully we meet our expectations, which will eventually be yours.”