Drake Maye rose to the occasion for the Patriots on and off the field originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
You need to be careful when declaring anything a defining moment.
Something that you might think in real time as a big deal turns out to be nothing more than a mirage.
Like last year, when the Patriots stunned the Bills in October and Mac Jones looked like Joe Montana. Did a light come on? Had the plummeting team found its footing with its second victory? No, it was just a dead cat bounces. They did not win again until December 7.
Or this year, when the Patriots not only took the Bengals “over the hill” but also “into deep water.” in a season-opening victory. Yeah. They only won again three weeks ago and were taken to the “pyre” several times along the way.
So anyone babbling about how this team is a few breaks away from 6-4 or whatever about what things would look like if they had managed to sneak in the Titans, Dolphins, and Seahawks games has need to be registered.
We watch all the games and know what we are watching. A bad team with a good but green-as-broccoli quarterback and a wet-behind-the-ears coaching staff who – to its very real credit – has a decent share of grit and resilience. This, while not always demonstrating skill and discipline, shows a fairly high level of buy-in.
Every Sunday is not a referendum on your position in the league. Games are just a checkpoint for where you stand in relation to the team you’re playing. What if the other team is giving up – like the Jets and Bears – and your team hasn’t given up and is gradually improving on all fronts? Then you could take your least talented roster and pull off a win.
The truth is the Patriots are not climbing the mountain. They have barely left base camp.
Sorry to piss on the campfire, but they beat a dead Bears team filled with a bunch of well-paid, rolling-the-eyes, kicking-stone-babies, biding their time until their Eberflus is Eberflushed.
But we are seeing two non-football developments that are going to have a lasting impact.
The first is the fact that Jerod Mayo has – despite all the turbulence of his first year – gained enormous buy-in from his players. After the “sweet” heard around the world that Mayo uttered After the Jaguars’ loss, there was a significant pause as we waited to see how the team would respond.
And in the three games that followed – admittedly against the dregs of the others – they won twice, erased penalties, lost a little against the run and relied on their very, very likeable young quarterback.
On Sunday, they played their best. They not only played their best; they trained as best they could. Which is also notable because Mayo needs buy-in from its staff, which is a patchwork collection of leftovers and new additions.
Defensively, the Patriots saw a Bears offensive line that couldn’t protect their indecisive quarterback and attacked. They used Brenden Schooler as a spy. They set boundaries like demons most of the day. They kept the heat up.
Offensively, DeMario Douglas has designed some innovative plays for him. Kayshon Boutte – who (growing opinion) is a better player than Ja’Lynn Polk – got more targets. Play action on wide area runs resulted in wide open targets. The marriage of Rhamondre Stevenson’s sometimes sliding, sometimes pounding style and the determined work of the offensive line resulted in a rushing attack that didn’t leave us saying, “Why bother?” Drake Maye probably played his worst match and got his first win.
Which brings me to the second development of this game and last week. And the one that really matters. One that constitutes a decisive moment for the franchise.
Drake Maye fully ascends to the role of franchise quarterback. He is the cap ornament, the big toe, the big boss, the capo di tutti capi, the final boss.
I don’t know what he said to his (emphasis “his”) team Wednesday after a botched workoutbut I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the skill level has increased everywhere. People want to be led. But they MUST be led by someone they respect. Someone who doesn’t come to this position by decree, but who grows into it. Maye did this.
It’s interesting because Maye has shown what a sharp leader he is by slowly taking on the leadership role. Toward the end of training camp, Mayo said he wished Maye would be less deferential and accepting of his role as Jacoby Brissett’s apprentice. He wasn’t going to win the job out of camp, but he still had to compete to try to win it. And it was around this time that Maye’s performance began to improve.
Maye didn’t step up and take charge of the situation, acting like he owned the team. And in showing that deference at first, then moving up, he showed an understanding of a group dynamic that Brissett came into camp as a veteran leader.
It’s hard to watch Sunday’s game without seeing the contrast between the two quarterback situations. Caleb Williams is the leader of an offense that is spending $52 million in cap space on Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet and D’Andre Swift. Williams texted Bears punter in fourth round when he was drafted and told they wouldn’t need his services much this season.
Now, as Williams goes through the ups and downs that a rookie quarterback inevitably encounters, his receivers are losing their collective minds over him and recently hired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Maye let the leadership game come to him. And when he got tired of seeing mistakes this week — he was also content with having a lot of them — he spoke up. And the team responded. It’s that simple.
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Maye’s performance on the field as well as his willingness to lead and demand without being a jerk will greatly contribute to a team that will shake up its squad around him. Maye isn’t just the de facto leader of the team. He deserved it.
Beating the awful Bears isn’t a sign that the Patriots are suddenly competent. The only upcoming game against a team in disarray will be in Week 13 against the Colts. They will still take their part in the last seven games.
But if you’re looking for a lasting impact from this game, it’s that in Maye they have the right guy to lead. On and off the field.
