FOXBOROUGH – Opposing defenses haven’t feared any Patriots quarterback playing long ball for quite some time.
Defensive coordinators haven’t felt the need to pay much attention to the deeper reaches of the field defending the Patriots. They’ve been able to handle business with one safety back instead of two. That in turn, has made it more difficult for the Patriots to attack the middle of the field.
With Drake Maye now under center, there’s already signs of change. Given the success the rookie quarterback had with the deep ball against Houston, the Texans had to make a switch with their safety alignment. The Jaguars are likely to do the same, going with more of a Cover-2 scheme with two safeties deep.
That will create more space in the not-so-deep middle, which is prime real estate for Patriots receivers. Demario “Pop” Douglas in particular.
“Hit ‘em deep, oh yeah, they’ll change,” Maye said, when asked if there was a cause and effect to his deep ball prowess.
Douglas just smiled at the thought of defenses now having to adjust to their offense. Maye hitting Douglas with a 35-yard crosser over the middle for a touchdown might become more of the norm if defenses feel threatened deep by the Patriots.
“If we hit on the long ball, it backs the defense up,” Douglas said Wednesday. “It helps open up the offense, the run game, too. That deep pass opens up a lot of things.”
Just ask Troy Brown, Wes Welker and Julian Edelman, who thrived over the middle during the Patriots championship seasons.
With Alex Van Pelt having more conservative game plans with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback the first five games, the Bengals, Seahawks, Jets, 49ers and Dolphins didn’t have to blink. They could get away with having just one safety back.
Former Patriots great Ted Johnson put it into greater context during an appearance on “Eye on Foxborough.”
“If you want to win football games, you have to have a deep threat element to your team. You have to have a big play element,” Johnson said, “or else, teams are just going to load up the box and dare you to throw. And it’s going to be very hard to run against a lot of fronts, and do the quick passing game when they’re loaded in the box, knowing you don’t have a deep threat.”
Maye, making his first NFL start Sunday against the Texans, utilized what he had in the tool box to change the narrative. He showcased that deep-play ability hitting Kayshon Boutte with a 40-yard bomb down the right side line for a touchdown before the half. The ball was thrown perfectly to Boutte, who had a step on Texans defender Derek Stingley
“A lot of people probably thought we didn’t have any deep threats, and then man, this game showed we could go deep, we could go short, we could do it all,” Douglas said. “Now, they gotta respect us.”
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Maye also helped earn that precious space for his receivers with his ability to run the football. He gained valuable yards, and also sent a signal to opposing defenses if there’s room, he’s not afraid to take off.
Maye’s threat to run might eventually warrant teams delegating a spy, another component that will open up space for receivers.
“Drake being able to use his feet, he just makes a difference, that’s what I think, personally,” Kendrick Bourne said.
The Jaguars have surely watched the film. As it is, they’re one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Between Maye’s ability to run, and his ability to hit the long ball, the Patriots offense is a different animal.
“You want that middle of the field to be your property. That’s the easiest throw to make for a quarterback, between the numbers, between the hashes,” Johnson said. “If you can have production and make hay over the middle of the field, like the Demario Douglas touchdown, it’s a lot easier to move the ball downfield and score points.
“In the middle of the field, you have capable players. Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Demario Douglas. That’s where they’re going to make their money, in the middle of the field. That’s another benefit of Maye being able to throw the deep ball. You loosen things up in the middle of the field if they play two safeties deep.”
It’s the Maye Factor. Or as Bourne said, it’s having a “modern-age” quarterback. Something opposing defenses are hard-pressed to defend.
