FOXBOROUGH – During his weekly radio appearance on WEEI Monday, Drake Maye teased that he still had “stuff in my bag,” as in more goodies in his repertoire.
That was a nice soundbite, but what more could the Patriots rookie quarterback possibly show?
Already, he’s thrown a pass with his left hand to avoid a sack. He’s thrown on the run, off platform, across his body. He’s thrown sidearm, using all kinds of crazy arm angles. He’s zipped 20-yard lasers on a rope, and hurled perfectly thrown bombs.
He’s also scrambled around the pocket, keeping a play alive for about 12 seconds before hitting running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the endzone with a game-tying touchdown with no time left on the clock.
That’s quite the array of plays. What else could he possibly pull out of his magic bag of tricks?
Maye wouldn’t divulge that information on the radio show.
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How about some of his teammates? Would they spill the beans? They see him in practice every day, along with the games. Surely they would know.
He laughed when informed about Maye’s cryptic tease. But he wouldn’t bite, either.
The veteran receiver would only say Maye practices those off-platform throws quite a bit. And whatever surprises Maye might have in store, Bourne would love to be on the receiving end.
“He’s just putting the league on notice by the things he’s doing, the plays he’s making,” Bourne said. “I can’t wait to see what he does next. You don’t know what’s next and that’s why he’s exciting. He’s exciting to watch. I think everybody knows … this is come-see football.”
Running back Antonio Gibson pleaded the fifth.
“Nope, I don’t know what he’s hiding,” Gibson said with a smile.
Wideout K.J. Osborn thought it might be something along the lines of what we’ve already seen with some new wrinkle. Basically, more throws that make you shake your head in awe.
“Maybe it won’t be the trick stuff, but the amazing throws he makes,” Osborn said. “In practice, you see those ‘Oohs and Aahs’ throws. And you’re like, ‘Woa.’ Maybe it might not be left-handed, or side-armed, but his accuracy, what he can do on the run, I think it’s special.”
Six starts into Maye’s NFL career, he’s made a number of eye-popping plays. Included in the mix are nine touchdown passes.
Do the players have favorites from the Maye playlist thus far?
Tight end Austin Hooper thought a recent throw the No. 3 overall pick made to him during the Week 10 win over the Chicago Bears, throwing him open, was amazing for a rookie.
“He threw it to a spot only I could get it,” Hooper said Thursday. “The (defenders) are covering me in man (coverage), he just picks a point in space where he knows I’ll be, and threw it on the money. That was big-time.
“He threw me open. And I’m thinking, ‘Oh wow. We got something, here’’’ Hooper went on. “I’ve played with a lot of veteran (quarterbacks) who were super-talented. That’s a very difficult throw no matter what your experience is, being able to throw it to only one spot, and he’s done that a number of times this year.”
Bourne, meanwhile, acknowledged the left-hand throw Maye also tossed against the Bears was “crazy” but ultimately pointed to the miracle touchdown against Tennessee that tied the Week 9 game, sending it into overtime.
“We all knew about that play, but him moving around like that, having the awareness to extend the play, keep his eyes downfield, three people tackling him at one time, and a fadeaway jump shot to Rhamondre for the win, it was like, one of one,” Bourne said. “You can’t practice that. That’s just natural talent.”
Gibson said he was caught off guard by the side-arm, almost under-handed throw Maye made last week against the Rams. He thought that was pretty cool. The Patriots running back has a feeling there’s more to come.
“I don’t think we’ve seen all of what he can do. I think he’s just getting started,” Gibson said. “We’ve probably gotten some bits here and there. But once he really gets comfortable, we’ll start to see the real Drake.”
Next up? Maye’s first go-round with the Miami Dolphins in the heat at Hard Rock Stadium. The Patriots are going to need a few of those Maye specials to take down Tua Tagovailoa, who is one of the few quarterbacks who is unbeaten (6-0) against New England.
