EAGAN, Minn. - As litmus tests go, there isn’t a much better gauge for a quarterback and an offense than going up against a Brian Flores’ defense.
Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, who once held that role in New England, is a master at dialing up pressure, disguising where it’s coming from, and getting the best of quarterbacks.
Wednesday’s joint practice - the first of two with the Vikings at the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center - showcased that ability, as Flores tested Drake Maye in every possible way.
He put him through the ringer, throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at the Patriots second-year quarterback.
The result?
Probably what most would have expected. Maye was sacked at least a half-dozen times, forced to scramble on countless drop-backs, or resigned to throw the ball away.
Flores had pressure coming from every direction, and the Patriots couldn’t handle it on many occasions.
The good news?
It wasn’t all bad. Maye, when afforded time, gave almost as good as he got.
In between all the sacks, he made plays. Big plays, as the passing game flourished at times.
“Some good, some bad,” Patriots center Garrett Bradbury said, assessing the practice from the offensive side. “You know, Coach McDaniels is big on getting 11 on 11, you know, and this defense, you gotta find those 11. But it was good. I was excited to come up here just football reasons, because it’s a good test.”
It often looked like men against boys with the first-teamers, but the Patriots figured it out on occasion, and got everyone blocked allowing Maye to deliver.
“You’ve got to apply your rules and see what the defense is giving you,” Bradbury said, “because when we blocked it up, there were some big home runs.”
The baseball metaphor was apt.
Maye hurled a bomb and hit Mack Hollins on a busted play for a long touchdown. He also found TreVeyon Henderson down the left sideline for a 70-yard TD pass to close out a two-minute drill.
He also made some nice plays hitting DeMario Douglas, Stefon Diggs, and Kayshon Boutte.
The takeaway here is simple enough.
If Maye has a bit of time, he’ll hit his fair share of plays and put up points. Maye is that good.
If he’s running for his life, he might make an occasional play. Either that, or get swallowed up which is no way to survive and win games in the NFL.
“We got to give him time, period. As much time as he needs,” Bradbury said of his quarterback. “There are certain plays where we know the ball’s coming out quick. And there’s certain plays where it’s going to be a little longer ... so we want him moving up, we want him stepping up.”
Maye obliged. He stepped up in the pocket on a number of occasions to make throws to help defeat Flores’ defense. Or, the rush got home too quickly and killed the play.
“We have some weapons outside, so he can sling it, or he can take off and run,” Bradbury said. “He’s a dynamic player and we have to use him to the best of his abilities.”
That’s the goal. Accomplishing it is another matter.
With two rookies on the left side of the line, there’s going to be some growing pains. Maye is going to have to persevere through all of that.
It was no surprise that Will Campbell and Jared Wilson had some difficulties with various stunts and wrinkles Flores threw at them.
At the very least, it was important for them to see how defensive coordinators might try to exploit them when the real bullets start flying.
“I think it was good for us. It was good for us to see a defense that does a lot of things,” Maye said. “They got us a few times; I felt like we got them. So, it’s good for us to see that and experience a new defense that’s very different from Washington and very different from our defense.”
Ultimately, it was a positive sign that Maye & Co. were able to trade blows, as opposed to it being one-sided for Flores and the Vikings defense.
Having a mixed bag against that almost seemed like a victory.
“I mean, this is as confusing as it’s going to get all year. You know? I think it was strategic by Coach (Vrabel), we were able to come up here,” Bradbury said, “because teams are going to do some of this, they’re not going to do it every play, like maybe they do, but I think it’s really good.”
Vrabel knew what kind of test this would provide. He and Josh McDaniels wanted to see how Maye and the offense would hold up against old friend Flores.
Even though Flores made life miserable for Maye, there was still a sense of the mission being accomplished.
One big play at a time.
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