In 1993, the Patriots were coming off a 2-14 season. A new coach was brought in, and a new quarterback arrived courtesy of the first overall pick in the NFL draft that year.
Bill Parcells had taken the reins from Dick MacPherson and with that coveted top pick, chose Washington State’s star quarterback Drew Bledsoe. That meant the Patriots rebuild was officially underway.
Bledsoe was the poster boy for the hopes of the franchise. He was billed as the savior. Expectations soared. And the rookie stepped in right away, armed with a poor offensive line, a security blanket tight end in Ben Coates, and a group of receivers that didn’t scare anyone.
Sound familiar?
A little more than three decades later, that sounds a lot like Drake Maye’s story, doesn’t it?
Bledsoe, who like Maye also grew up with a father who coached football, can certainly relate on so many levels. He’s walked in Maye’s shoes. He’s lived that life.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Patriots Hall of Fame quarterback has kept tabs on the young star, in between running his successful wine business.
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Bledsoe has been impressed with what he’s seen from Maye. During the rookie’s four starts, Bledsoe has been struck by Maye’s athleticism along with some of the intangibles he brings to the table.
“I’ve been able to watch a little, and I really like what I’m seeing,” Bledsoe told MassLive Thursday. “He seems to have good composure about him. I didn’t know he ran so well, which is a great addition.
“But I also like the approach they took with him this year. He got to watch a few games. That did a few things for him. He got to watch Jacoby (Brissett) play, but I think it also took the heat off a little bit.”
Bledsoe, who got thrown to the wolves Week 1, believes it may have benefitted Maye to sit initially. That allowed fans see what he was walking into. While expectations grew with a Brissett-led opening upset of the Cincinnati Bengals, reality set in soon after. The Patriots lost four straight, with each loss looking worse than the previous one.
At 1-4, Brissett took a seat and the baton was passed to Maye.
When he started Week 6 against the Houston Texans, the image was already planted about a Patriots offensive line that was unable to block, and a receiving corps that struggled to separate. All of that was a given by the time Maye took his first meaningful snap.
“It was established that the team wasn’t quite there yet,” Bledsoe said. “Whereas if (Maye) started from the beginning, the whole story would have been about him, and how it was his fault.”
Instead, Brissett had pretty much taken all the hits to that point, both on the field, and off. He was a convenient punching bag/scapegoat all rolled into one.
It’s been four games since Jerod Mayo made the switch. While the record hasn’t improved, the outlook for the future has. Maye has performed well enough, shown off enough of his ability to get people thinking the Patriots just may have scored another franchise quarterback with the third overall pick.
His game-tying touchdown pass a week ago in the closing seconds of regulation against the Tennessee Titans was insane. The visual of Maye scrambling around, dodging would-be tacklers, and buying time for nearly 12 seconds before somehow seeing and hitting Rhamondre Stevenson was the stuff of legend.
Where Maye goes from here, how he finishes out the season, how he continues to grow and develop will be closely watched. Already, he’s being asked to carry a load. With his arm talent and ability to run, he’s pretty much been the entire Patriots offense. He’s carrying the team along with all of the expectations of its fan base.
Bledsoe’s advice to the 22-year-old quarterback?
“You just have to make it really simple, and just play ball,” he said. “That’s what you have to do, facing the stuff from the outside. I know for me, those expectations were never as high as my own expectations.
“You also just have to recognize at the end of the day, you’re just handling your business and doing the football stuff as well as you can do it. And, it’s being honest with yourself about where you are, and how you’re playing. It’s understanding which things you can ultimately get better at, and which things you’re already doing well even though it’s not working out.”
The Patriots have gone 1-3 in Maye’s starts. Next up is a date with fellow 2024 NFL Draft classmate Caleb Williams, who was taken first overall by the Chicago Bears.
Maye has had plenty of good moments. But he’s also had some he’d rather forget. He’s tossed six touchdown passes to go along with four interceptions and two lost fumbles.
Already, the Patriots rookie has been very good about self-critiquing, taking accountability for mistakes, and doing his best not to be a mistake-repeater. He’s deflected criticism from teammates, taking it on himself, and hasn’t let frustration get the best of him.
“That’s exactly what you have to do, that’s exactly how you have to be,” Bledsoe said. “You just gotta keep it simple, and Alex (Van Pelt) will do a great job making sure he keeps it simple. Drake just has to handle the football part, then let the pieces fall as they may. Some of its in your control, some of its not.”
Bledsoe knows Van Pelt. They were drafted the same year, and both were quarterbacks. Eventually, they wound up playing a few years together in Buffalo. Bledsoe’s first meeting with Van Pelt is the stuff of legend.
“We spent my 21st birthday at Hooters in Indianapolis together at the Scouting Combine,” Bledsoe said of his initial meeting with the Patriots offensive coordinator. “So I hung out with him for the first time then, and then we were together a couple years in Buffalo. I absolutely love him. I knew he was going to be an outstanding coach.
“He’s a great guy and a really good quarterback to have around. He has such a calm demeanor. For me, when I was playing there, he was essentially a coach while he was in uniform at that point. He was a really smart guy but also just had a really nice way about him. Everyone loved him.”
Told Van Pelt hasn’t necessarily endeared himself to fans with his play calling, Bledsoe cracked: “When you get better weapons, all of a sudden you become a great play caller.”
Get better weapons, and the quarterback will look better, too. That’s Bledsoe’s other piece of advice for the Patriots. Maye can only do so much with that roster.
“The team they currently have in place, they need to get more pieces over the next couple of years to help him out,” Bledsoe said, likely hinting at Maye’s lack of weapons, and shaky offensive line. “They’re not there yet, but I think they’ll get there.”
