J.T. O’Sullivan spent nine seasons in the NFL, and has since become one of the top quarterback analysts in sports media.
When the New England Patriots made the long-anticipated quarterback switch from Jacoby Brissett to Drake Maye, they made a commitment to stick with the rookie through thick and thin. There would be no putting the toothpaste back in the tube, Maye was their guy now.
Two weeks into his starting tenure, that decision is looking good. While the Patriots lost both games and are plagued by a variety of issues in all three phases of the game, Maye looks like the least of their worries at this point in time.
His first career start against the Houston Texans in Week 6 already was promising, and he followed it up with a superior performance in Week 7 versus the Houston Texans. Or, as former NFL quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan pointed out in a new analysis on his The QB School YouTube channel, there was “substantial improvement” between those two games.
“There’s a lot to be excited with this film. It wasn’t perfect, but there’s a lot to like,” O’Sullivan said in a recent breakdown of Maye.
Going through a significant number of his 42 dropbacks, O’Sullivan identified a lot areas worth addressing — both good and bad. The overall tenor, however, was an encouraging one.
“I think that he shows great arm strength, some feel, some touch,” the one-time Patriots backup said. “He’s always going to have that kind of spectacular moment that seemingly comes every single half. You couple that, though, with kind of a lull and really some fortunate throws that weren’t intercepted. When you put it all together it certainly looked like an improvement, looked like he’s getting more comfortable.”
O’Sullivan highlighted Maye’s anticipation, play recognition and ability to go through his progressions as positives from the rookie’s second start. On the flip side, there were concerns about wasted movement in the pocket and his footwork being “all over the place” at times.
“It’s going to continue to be a bit of struggle, whether it’s the pass protection, whether it’s the issues on the perimeter, whether it’s specifically centric to Drake Maye,” he said. “Polishing those things up as he continues to get better and better with timing, the space of the game, I think you’ll just continue to see his game grow.”
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