LONDON – Kendrick Bourne felt a little down.
The Patriots receiver started on Sunday for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury last year. The veteran has the utmost confidence in his abilities, but through the first three quarters, he saw two targets and didn’t have a catch.
Bourne thought he should’ve caught his first target, which was knocked away. In the second half, he tried to stay positive but admitted it was difficult. That’s when rookie quarterback Drake Maye approached him, encouraged him and told him he should’ve thrown to him more.
It was exactly what Bourne needed.
“He’s like, ‘I’ve got to get you the ball.’ I was like, ‘Wow. That’s dope.’ He makes me feel like he understands. He knows,” Bourne said. “I don’t even know how he knows that. For him to say that it shows the kind of person he is, the quarterback he is, and everybody being involved is important to him.”
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On the Patriots’ final drive, Maye hit Bourne for a 14-yard completion. After the game, the receiver said he was disappointed with the Patriots’ overall effort but impressed with the rookie quarterback after their sideline talk.
“It shows his heart. It shows his mentality. It shows that he’s a team player,” Bourne said. “He understands – as a receiver, it’s hard to be engaged when you’re not touching the ball. The fact that he can understand that so young, shows his potential.”
In his second NFL start, Maye, the No. 3 overall pick dazzled with several highlight-reel deep throws and showed off his athleticism. Those traits were obvious back when he was in college at North Carolina. What impressed Bourne and several veteran Patriots on Sunday was Maye’s leadership and how he conducted himself on the sideline and in the huddle.
Even when it looked like they were going to get embarrassed abroad, the Patriots still had a small glimmer of hope. When it looked like they were going to get blown out, Maye gave the players a sense of hope.
The reason was Drake Maye.
No matter how bad it looked inside Wembley Stadium, the rookie quarterback provided hope for a better tomorrow for the Patriots franchise. Even after the disappointing 32-16 loss, players left London feeling confident about the leader of their offense.
“The way he’s playing, there’s always a chance to either win a game, be in a game or if you’re down, you feel like you can come back and win a game,” running back JaMychal Hasty said. “That’s what he provides for us.”
It remains to be seen if the rest of the Patriots can follow Maye’s lead, but the rookie quarterback showed he can be one of the franchise’s few bright spots.
Players need to follow Maye’s lead
The Patriots offense looked fast and exciting – for one quarter.
The goal was to start fast and Maye’s unit scored a touchdown in its opening drive. That was a first for this year’s Patriots team and the first since Week 17 of last year.
While the offense struggled as the game went on, the defense looked worse and even the special teams fell apart. It was a messy afternoon in London. Maye completed 26-of-37 passes for a career-best 276 yards with two touchdowns.
Other than the rookie quarterback, however, the Patriots look a long way away from contending. Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf knew this would be a tough rebuild, but as Sunday’s game progressed it was eye-opening just how far the Patriots look from contending.
Considering the Patriots are rebuilding, they’re going to play young players. The problem with that is when those players make mistakes.
“It’s a part of it – playing a lot of young players, a lot of growing plains, a lot of learning and getting acclimated. That all comes with it,” Hasty said. “We’ve all been first or second-year players. Just keep encouraging those guys to get better and improve. All of us need to get better and improve. I wouldn’t just put it on the young guys. It’s some of the vets, too. We need to help the team more.”
“We’ve got a lot of young guys,” Michael Onwenu added. “At some point, you have to adjust and adapt. That’s for everybody – young guys and older guys.”
Maye, 22, clearly has the potential to be a franchise quarterback. That checks off a vital box for the Patriots – as long as he continues to develop. The Patriots also need veteran players to step up and it would be nice to see other young players step up and make impacts.
“I’m tired of calling it a rebuild. We need to learn. Are we going to rebuild forever?” Bourne said. “Yes, we’re young. Young people have to buy in and we have to figure it out.”
Maye left London looking improved
The Patriots trailed 25-10 in the fourth quarter when Maye stepped up for the Patriots.
On third down, the rookie threw a 32-yard pass to Hunter Henry. On the next snap, Kayshon Boutte snared Maye’s 33-yard throw. Then on third-and-15, he connected with K.J. Osborn for a 22-yard touchdown.
The 2-point conversion failed, and the Patriots trailed, 25-16, but Maye impressed his teammates by staying focused and composed throughout the afternoon.
“I think he showed tremendous leadership throughout the whole game,” Onwenu said. “We started fast. That’s something we haven’t been able to do. I thought he kept the same composure throughout the game.”
Players were upset throughout the game. Bourne noted when the Jaguars started to score, the mood on the sideline felt like “here we go again.” As the game went on, the Jaguars took control, and it seemed like the result was never in doubt.
That wasn’t the case for their rookie quarterback. Maye remained confident and collected. Even when some of his teammates were frustrated, he did what he could to try and give the team life.
“Just complete poise the entire game,” Hasty said. “Never got rattled. Commanded the huddle. Looked extremely comfortable out there making checks, making reads, getting the ball out of his hands, and running — 10 did great for us.”
The Patriots didn’t look like a good football team on Sunday. However, their rookie quarterback looked like their best player. In a rebuild, any team would take that.
Now it’s on the Patriots franchise to follow in his footsteps.
