For Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, one of the issues that stood out in his rookie year was his willingness to gamble on throws. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing–it’s just that, with every gamble comes the risk of losing the gamble and throwing an interception. And Maye did that with some frequency–he had a 3.0% interception rate, which was fifth highest among players who started at least nine games.
That’s why, no matter how many times we can say, “It’s only training camp,” the fact that Maye has been on a pretty remarkable run over the first eight days of practices is notable: Maye has yet to throw an interception, heading into Friday night’s loose scrimmage.
By the loose count of the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed, Maye has completed 53 of 74 passes (71.6%) and though he’s taken 18 sacks, he has not been picked off yet.
Patriots Asking for More Ball Security
Kyed notes: “Through eight practices, Maye has taken to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ edicts that he protect the ball and hit the first open receiver. Boom. Done.
“Maye has primarily operated within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, save for a couple deep-ball touchdowns to DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams. The aggression will come with time and trust, as Maye learns his new receivers and the playbook.”
Again, there were the 10 interceptions from Maye last season. But there was also the slew of interceptions he threw this spring, including four in the first practice of 2025. Yup, it’s training camp. But it’s also much nicer to have the second-year guy not getting picked off.
Drake Maye Still Taking Chances
Maye said he has not been shying away from risk, but he has just been smart about his risks. And a bit lucky.
“I think it’s one of those things where I’m trying to take care of the football, and maybe they could have had a few here and there,” Maye said. “I think Pep (Jabrill Peppers) maybe should have had one in the first practice. I joked with him about it. But yeah, I think that’s a goal of ours to secure the football. And I think not trying to, like I said, yeah, throw off the perfect game or no-hitter, but I think that’s part of it.
“I’m not scared to throw it. I’m still not gun shy, so.”
Patriots Giving QB More Responsibility
For the Patriots, Maye will also be taking on more responsibility as he is being charged with reading defenses and adjusting his offensive line on the fly. But he said that, playing for Mack Brown at North Carolina, he’s had that experience before.
“It helps that I did it in college, kind of sent the line. Me and my center, we kind of sent the line where we wanted and changed it and a little bit of that. There was a little bit of that last year of getting the protection right,” Maye said.
“But I think it’s starting to come along. I think it’s nice knowing it’s my job to send those guys to the right spot and get them on the same page and get all those guys, all 11 of us. It starts with me, kind of right out of the huddle of getting the guys in the right spot and getting the play started and starting with a good huddle. So, I feel like I’m a good spot.”
