Drake Maye Clearly In Favor Of These Patriots Play-Calling Adjustments

Drake Maye played decent enough Sunday afternoon with the little opportunity he had in a double-digit loss for the Patriots to the Arizona Cardinals.

Maye finished the day with 202 passing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown when he took matters into his own hands in the second half. That’s decent given the fact that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt refused to let Maye take multiple shots down the field and kept the passing game around the line of scrimmage throughout the day.

Maye clearly showed he’s ready for a more aggressive approach with the Patriots moving forward.

“Yeah we wanted to get (the ball out),” Maye said, per team-provided video. “Get it to guys in our hands and make them tackle. It was our big game plan. I think it’s also tough for AVP because we really didn’t get in a rhythm. It’s easier when you get in a rhythm to call some deeper stuff and kind of get that going.”

The Patriots quarterback also shared his appreciation for scenarios when New England gets to run the offense with tempo in hurry-up situations to get the defense on its heels.

“Just going tempo,” Maye said. “They can’t get in their stuff. They’re playing simple stuff, they have to because they have to get the call in fast. I think we practice that all the time in practice. … (Van Pelt) likes us in tempo. I think it’s just finding the right time for it. I think our guys do a nice job. It’s a testament to what they do in practice.”

Jerod Mayo also voiced frustrations about not seeing Maye get the chance to try a quarterback sneak in a short-yardage failure that led to Arizona taking over on downs. Maye knows he’s more than ready to convert when the Patriots call his number.

“That’s a good point,” Maye shared in response to that approach. “I was a good quarterback sneaker in college. I’m a big dude. I’m heavier than people think. I think there’s a conversation for that. I think it’s tough to stop a 6-(foot)-5 dude for one yard.”

Maye and the Patriots go back to work in Week 16 on the road against the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.