Josh McDaniels, Patriots QB coach setting bar high for Drake Maye in 2025

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant have put rather a lot on Drake Maye’s plate getting into the 2025 season. Whereas they acknowledge that they’re placing a variety of strain on the second-year quarterback, although, additionally they trust that Maye will succeed.

McDaniels admitted that he has “excessive” expectations for Maye this upcoming season, saying that the quarterback has given him loads of cause to really feel that means.

“He’s the quarterback of our soccer group, and so I’ve at all times had excessive expectations for the quarterback room usually,” McDaniels informed reporters earlier this week. “I understand how arduous they work, so I’ve confidence in his preparation. I do know there’s going to be alternatives to enhance as we undergo on daily basis, each week. It’s my first alternative to educate a sport with him, with a variety of our guys.

“So, I’m certain I’m going to be taught rather a lot. However at all times go in, my emotions are at all times based mostly on what I see on daily basis and the way arduous they work and what they put into it.”

McDaniels has spoken glowingly about Maye for the reason that Patriots re-hired him in January, however he appeared to be particularly impressed by the quarterback in latest weeks. In the course of the Patriots’ preseason sport towards the Vikings in August, he informed the group’s broadcast that he felt Maye had turned the corner throughout joint practices earlier that week.

Three weeks later, McDaniels stays optimistic that Maye is heading in the right direction, main as much as Sunday’s regular-season opening matchup towards the Raiders.

“I couldn’t ask Drake to do greater than what he’s doing,” He’s making an attempt to know precisely what we’re doing, actually making an attempt to be as well-versed as he can on what we all know from the Raiders, however simply trying ahead to going on the market and watching him play, and seeing our total group on the market collectively.”

A part of what McDaniels is asking Maye to do is tackle extra tasks pre-snap. Nonetheless, Maye informed Jason McCourty in August that McDaniels has been a superb mentor in that regard, saying that his new offensive coordinator “talks to him as a lot as attainable” within the pre-snap communications.

With the steering Maye’s been given, Grant mentioned that the pre-snap reads and changes are the areas he’s seen the quarterback develop on the most getting into the beginning of the common season.

“My confidence in him has grown for the reason that day we met again in February and it simply has continued to develop since we’ve been right here,” Grant informed reporters earlier this week. “I believe he has confirmed every day that he’s able to that [pre-snap] accountability. So I’m excited to see what he does come Sunday.

“The boldness within the system No. 1 for certain, after which second, simply with the ability to transfer up into the pocket,” Grant added. “Trusting his throws and trusting the safety.”

Identical to McDaniels, Grant additionally admitted that the Patriots’ teaching employees has put a variety of strain on Maye this season, but it surely’s as a result of they belief him to succeed.

“It’s simply the expansion,” Grant mentioned on Maye’s maturity as an NFL participant. “While you are available in in your first 12 months, there’s one million issues being thrown at you after which whenever you transfer and progress to your second 12 months, then there’s sure issues that we will deal with as a result of the burden of shifting to the NFL isn’t as massive because it as soon as was.”

Maye gave some cause for hope final season. He accomplished 66.6 p.c of his passes for two,276 yards for 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with an 88.1 passer ranking. He additionally added 421 speeding yards on 7.8 yards per carry (second amongst all quarterbacks) and two speeding touchdowns.

Nonetheless, the Patriots solely received one sport that Maye began and completed in 2024, with a few of his errors costing them video games. It’s evident he wants to scrub up across the edges to ensure that the Patriots to reach 2025, and he is aware of that.

“I really feel like at instances, final 12 months, after I bought the ball out on time and I bought the ball to the proper man, we moved the ball effectively,” Maye informed reporters on Wednesday. “So, I believe simply making an attempt to begin off this season with that mindset and like I mentioned, keep forward of the chains, do my half, discovering completions and never holding the ball.”