Maye had his lowest moment of camp, but another highlight
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FOXBORO, Mass. — Drake Maye didn’t see red.
The New England Patriots rookie quarterback came out of his first read over the middle and attempted a check into the flat where he knew running back Rhamondre Stevenson would be.
And Stevenson was. But so was Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon, famous for his red sleeves under his uniform. Judon intercepted Maye’s pass and took it in for a touchdown. He immediately fumbled over the snap.
“It was just a rookie mistake, no pun intended,” Maye said after practice. “In this league, when you’re going to throw the ball to the running backs, you want to make sure you’re looking out before you throw it.”
But Maye’s recovery from that interception — his only one in three training camp practices — was remarkable. Veteran Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett said Maye showed his professionalism by bouncing back from adversity.
Maye threw a completion to wide receiver Jalen Reagor on the next play, the final repetition of that 11-on-11 period. Maye then went back behind center for 11-on-11 against New England’s backups. He went 3-for-3 and scrambled once.
“Yeah, that’s part of it,” Maye said. “You can’t live with ups and downs. Every play is new and I can’t be too hard on myself — sometimes I’m too hard on myself, especially when I threw my first interception. That’s how you bounce back in this league and I’m trying to learn that.”
Maye finished the day 17-of-23 on 29 reps, with the aforementioned interception. He shadowed Brissett in competitive periods, as he has in past practices. Brissett was 14-of-20 on 23 reps with one sack. It was the first time this summer that Maye had more reps than Brissett, but that was largely due to Maye’s third-team reps against the third-string defense.
It wasn’t the best start for Maye, as his first 7-on-7 snap was deflected at the line of scrimmage. That’s rare. He did respond on that 7-on-7 stretch, though, going 5-for-6. He connected with Patriots tight end Hunter Henry for three completions in six plays, including when he found the veteran on a cross-field pass at just the right moment. Henry gave Maye a shout-out after that opening 7-on-7 stretch.
Maye’s first snap in 11-on-11 play, like Brissett’s, was a win for the defense. Maye went 2-for-4 on those six reps, with two completions on a screen to KJ Osborn and a short pass to Stevenson, who was working from the slot. The majority of Maye’s passes on Day 2 were short passes and short routes, and the same was true on Day 3.
Well, besides the most beautiful work of the afternoon.
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During the second half of the 11-on-11 series, Maye connected with rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. Maye faked a pass and sent a deep ball to Polk, who ran down the sideline with cornerback Azizi Hearn covering him. The ball landed in Polk’s hands just before safety Jaylinn Hawkins could break the contact.
Henry ran up to Polk to congratulate the rookie after a play the offense sorely needed. It was a sign of what the unit could be.
Maye followed that snap with an off-balance lateral pass to tight end Austin Hooper. It was a similar pass to the one Maye had during Day 1, again demonstrating his comfort with extended plays and plays on the move.
Maye concluded his day with three completions to deep receiver David Wallis, Polk and running back Ja’Mycal Hasty.
Maye and the Patriots will return to the Gillette Stadium practice fields on Sunday. New England is expected to start its games with pads on Monday.
