Despite some glaring issues for the New England Patriots, there has been one positive this season.
And that's Drake Maye.
The rookie has shown a lot of promise since taking over as the starting quarterback in Week 6. And opposing teams now have to plan for a quarterback that is unpredictable, but in the best way.
That includes Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who spoke about Maye ahead of the team's Week 12 matchup against the Patriots.
“I saw a true quarterback who has the ability to gain the confidence of his teammates and lead and orchestrate an offense," McDaniel said on Wednesday. "A guy who can make plays in a multitude of ways. The Patriots are kind of feeling that right now where he’s a guy that can see down the field, can play fearlessly in the pocket, and make everything throw—with the arm strength to do it. [He's] also a very good athlete that has some juice and can make plays off-schedule. I think that's been a huge bonus to their offense as of late. [They] had some explosive plays whether he threw it outside the pocket or he scrambled outside the pocket.
“He’s a guy that you expect to continue to get better," he continued. "It’s always impressive when rookie quarterbacks make plays at the NFL level, just because there’s a lot coming at them. They just learned the foreign language like a handful of months ago and are doing it in live-action with guys that are trying to inflict pain on you.
"I think it’s a credit to him and his preparation, and their coaching staff, as well.”
So far this season, Maye has 126 completions on 189 attempts for a 66.7 completion percentage. He has a total of 1,236 passing yards along with nine passing touchdowns.
On the rushing side, he has 28 carries for 260 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
Patriots fans have clearly noticed Maye's potential, but now he's catching everyone's attention. Let's see if he shows McDaniel what he's made of on Sunday.
