Sunday Patriots Notes: Drake Maye ready for second-year jump under new coaching staff

Notes and thoughts on Drake Maye, the coaching staff and more.

The offseason rolls on for the New England Patriots and the attention now shifts to upgrading the talent on the actual roster with the coaching staff finalized.

For anything not covered on Pats Pulpit throughout the week, let’s take a look in this week’s Sunday edition of Patriots Notes.

Year 2 jump

When the Patriots drafted Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, they did so with the hope that he would lead their franchise back to contention. After his rookie season, Maye’s fellow teammates see, and believe in, the vision.

“It all starts with Drake. Everybody has seen what Drake can do. We got full faith in Drake. He’s a superstar,” Christian Gonzalez said Wednesday on PFT Live with Mike Florio and Chris Simms. “Being able, as a defense, to get more turnovers — to get back to the Patriot defense everybody knows, just getting the ball back. If we do that and get the ball back to Drake a lot more times, I feel like we could have won a lot more of those games.”

Maye’s first year in New England featured his fair share of flashes. The 22-year old showed improvement in his mechanics as a passer and flashed his big-time arm talent with the ability to push the ball downfield. Then came his dual threat ability as Maye was one of the best and most efficient scrambling quarterbacks in the entire NFL.

But for all the positive flashes that found fellow teammates like Gonzalez buying into the hype, Maye now knows he must take his game to another level entering the infamous sophomore season.

“I think big thing is kind of a year one to year two — people always talk about just taking a jump,” Maye said this week on Good Morning Football. “For me just trying to improve. Improve in certain areas.”

There were some expected rookie moments for Maye throughout his first 12 career starts. That was mainly highlighted by reoccurring turnover issues as he threw 10 interceptions — including a stretch of seven straight games — and lost six fumbles (tied for a league high).

Maye highlighted removing those turnovers as one of the top areas for improvement entering year two. After that? Improving his situational football game and as a leader.

“Situational football is huge. Playing my position, you have to be in tune in every situation. It’s on you,” Maye told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Those guys are looking at you — the other 10 guys on the field, it’s your job to get things going and get things on the right page. So I think situational football and just continuing to grow as a leader.”

The quarterback is already on the same page as his new head coach, as Mike Vrabel explained in his introductory press conference that he will help Maye “as it relates to game management and situational awareness and where we are on the football field and trying to develop him as a leader.”

While the new duo leading New England has not yet gotten to work together, they are excited to get back on the field to what they hope kicks off a year two leap for Maye.

“He had some energy talking to his quarterback,” Maye said about his phone call with Vrabel on the Up and Adams show. “He had some energy and he was kind of fired up to get things going and get things kind of in the right place in Foxboro. So he was excited and seemed like he was ready to get things going.”

Drake and Josh

As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport shared on 98.5 The Sports Hub this week, Drake Maye was “rooting” for the hiring of Josh McDaniels at offensive coordinator. In addition to talking to his new head coach, Maye has already talked to his new OC — and spent time watching some of McDaniels’ old offensive film last season.

“He was awesome,” Maye said on the Up and Adams show. “What he’s done with the Patriots I think speaks for itself. He’s coached one of the greatest and I think the greatest to play. What a success he had at the Patriots and he’s been a head coach as well so he’s got a lot of experience and his stuff works — and he proves it works.

“His stuffs already in the system from all the years of the databases and the years they had it with Coach McDaniels on kind of the film stuff. So it’s been nice. I know a little bit of the terminology just from watching some old Tom stuff but looking forward to getting things rolling and he’s fired up as well.”

Ashton Grant’s review

Working closely with McDaniels and Maye will be new quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant. Grant has been with the Browns since 2020 and served as their quarterbacks coach/offensive assent the last two years — where he overlapped with Patriots former offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and new head coach Mike Vrabel.

Apart of Grant’s QB room last year was veteran Jamies Winston, who shared his thoughts on his old coach during Super Bowl week.

“The fans should be happy. Ashton will be another NFL head coach one day,” Winston told CLNS Media. “Just his attention to detail, his ability to see and visualize something on the sideline and make an in game suggestion. I think he has a wonderful mind. I know he has a great work ethic and I know that anybody in that quarterback room is going to benefit from his intelligence and his work ethic.”

Ping Pong

Apart of his busy week which included the Pro Bowl and playing pickle ball with Kayshon Boutte in New Orleans, Maye took part in Battles of the Paddles on Thursday night. Maye cited his childhood games vs. his brothers and some occasional matches in the facility against fellow teammates such as Hunter Henry as part of his preparation which ended in him winning the event.

That included a victory over Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons while Saints wide receiver Chris Olave was also in attendance. After Maye spent time recruiting potential future teammates at the Pro Bowl, we will note that Parsons and Olave are in line for new contracts.

Kugler’s connections

Part of the holdovers from last year’s coaching staff included assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler, who will hold the same role this season. Kugler recently worked closely with several draft eligible prospects along the offensive line as coached the East Offensive Line at the Shrine Bowl.

Among those who drew positive reviews from his group that week: Kansas Bryce Cabeldue and Oregon State’s Joshua Gray.

Hard coaching

“For me as a player, especially as a quarterback, you want that. You like that,” Maye told NBC Sports Boston about Vrabel’s hard coaching reputation. “You want to be coached hard. We’re playing at the highest level, but we still need to be coached. I think that’s the biggest thing people get away from. We don’t know everything. Especially me, coming into second year and just finished my rookie year, I don’t know everything. I want to be coached hard. I know Coach McDaniels will get that done and Coach Vrabel. Some of our guys, including me, we probably need that — a little hard coaching.”

Patriot Way

Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been hard at work in Chapel Hill putting his team together. In the new era of college football, Belichick is now bringing his Patriots program to the college game.

“Pretty similar except we will be in Carolina blue and it will have the Jordan logo on it,” Belichick said on The Pat McAfee Show.

“Players have come through here that have been through the Patriot program and look and say to the Carolina players, ‘That’s the exact same program we did. Same running program, same lifting program.’ We’re just taking the Patriot program, what we did in New England and taking it here.”

Setting up the week ahead

With the coaching staff finalized and the NFL season complete, all eyes now turn to player acquisition. Vrabel and New England’s top decision makers will now continue their work for the NFL Combine — the next big event on the NFL schedule in the last week of February.