The New England Patriots will look like a completely different team than they did a year ago, with emerging quarterback Drake Maye set to make a big jump heading into his second season.
Maye took over as the Patriots’ starting quarterback after an abysmal 1-4 start and had a solid rookie season despite the team’s 4-13 record. The 22-year-old quarterback threw for 2,276 passing yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, adding two rushing touchdowns as well.
While appearing recently on Up & Adams, former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe praised Maye’s rushing abilities, which could be a ‘backbreaker’ for defenses, and compared him to Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes.
“It’s such a great weapon and something, quite honestly, I’m a little bit jealous of,” Bledsoe said. “It can really break the back of a defense. When you have a defensive play on third down, where you cover everybody, you’ve done your job, and all of a sudden the quarterback pulls it down, runs, and gets a first down, that’s really disheartening.”
“I’m not saying do it more, but the ability to do that really changes him. You watch Pat Mahomes, it seems like every game, Pat would make one big play running the ball. Obviously, he’s magic throwing the ball. It always seemed like in crunch time he’d pull it down to run for that first down that was just a backbreaker. I think Drake Maye has the ability to do that.”
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Being compared to arguably the best quarterback in the National Football League, who is a three-time Super Bowl champion, while entering only his second season, is high praise for Maye. With the offseason additions New England made and drafting Maye protection in Will Campbell, the team is ready to compete for a playoff spot again.
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