FOXBOROUGH - Mike Vrabel didn’t pull any punches. His take-down of Drake Maye Friday night following the win over Washington was direct, to the point, and fueled by displeasure.
Perhaps Vrabel was a bit soft on crime when it came to Rhamondre Stevenson and putting the ball on the ground recently, but he didn’t hold back calling out Maye when asked about the play in question.
The Patriots coach unloaded full barrel in wake of Maye coughing up the ball on a strip sack during the Patriots first offensive possession against the Commanders. It was a play that could have been avoided.
“That’s a bad decision,” Vrabel said. “I think we’re going to need better from him. I think he knows that. That’s obvious. It wasn’t there. We just have to find a way to get rid of the football or take a sack and punt and play defense.”
The Patriots do need better from Maye.
He can’t make ill-advised decisions under duress. If the pass rush gets to him and there’s no outlet, he has to find a way to get rid of the football, as Vrabel said, or just take a sack.
He has to live another day without giving the opposition a helping hand.
Looking at his gaffe Friday night, Maye reacted too late. In the grasp of a Commanders defender, a flummoxed Maye haphazardly tried to throw the football, only he fumbled the delivery.
That can’t be his go-to reaction when an oncoming pass rusher gets a beat on him.
Maye had fumbled the ball nine times last season to go along with 10 interceptions, many in the same fashion as his latest miscue. So that immediately sent up a red flag with the head coach, who has been preaching ball security from the minute he took over.
For the Patriots to succeed this year, Maye has to take the proverbial leap in Year 2. He can’t stay the same. And, he can’t improve by just a hair.
He needs to take a significant step toward legitimate stardom.
He needs to make the people around him better, but mostly, he needs to eliminate the unforced errors.
It wasn’t the best look having him cough up the football the first series of the first preseason game.
And he knows it.
“At the end of the day, you just can’t put the defense in that position when games matter during the season,” Maye said. “I told those guys it’s on me. We got to get back out there. Glad I was able to get another series going.”
Maye did lead an 8-play, 61-yard scoring drive on the ensuing series which culminated with him scrambling in for the score from five yards out.
So he rebounded well.
Rebounding, however, isn’t the point of this exercise.
When Vrabel talks about making good decisions, it’s not just about off-the-field stuff. It applies on the field as well.
Tom Brady doesn’t have a statue sitting in the plaza outside Gillette Stadium because he didn’t know how to protect the football.
He didn’t become the GOAT because he panicked when oncoming pass rushers emerged in his face.
This isn’t to say Maye is comparable to Brady. It’s just to point out some of the ingredients in the recipe for a successful quarterback.
When it comes to Maye, it’s still early in the process. He’s still trying to master a new offense, and establish chemistry with several new receivers.
It just behooves him to get a handle on the needless turnovers.
The Patriots certainly look like they’re headed in the right direction after back-to-back 4-13 seasons. They’ve already generated some buzz, and can’t afford to be derailed by mistakes, especially by the quarterback.
“I think we’re kind of starting to build something, that we’re going to start to build an identity,” Maye said. “That’s what coach is talking about. I got to do my part of protecting the football.”
Whether he’s sitting in the pocket, moving to find a better throwing lane, or simply scrambling, Maye, who had an up-and-down day during Sunday’s practice, needs to be smart about handling the football and making those split-second decisions that make or break a team.
Vrabel doubled-down on that point Sunday, prior to the team’s workout.
The Patriots want to take advantage of Maye’s physical gifts, with an asterisk attached.
“Yeah, we have to be able to protect ourselves as the quarterback of the football team. At the yard markers, at the sideline, near the line to gain and especially the goal line. I think the biggest thing is just don’t assume,” Vrabel said. “Try to use the rules to your advantage, and being able to slide, whether you go feet first or whether you go head first, you’re still protected. And again, we want him to be aggressive, but just not reckless and put the ball or himself in harm’s way.”
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