Bromance Brewing Between Pieces Of Patriots’ Young Core

DeMario and Drake, sitting in a tree, C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-N-G-O-N-T-O-U-C-H-D-O-W-N-S-F-O-R-Y-E-A-R-S-T-O-C-O-M-E!

Is that not how the old nursery rhyme goes?

The Patriots have seen something grow between DeMario Douglas and Drake Maye, with the young duo quickly developing a connection on the field during their first extended action together last weekend against the Houston Texans.

Douglas caught six passes and scored his first career touchdown in the matchup, all while being mic’d up and displaying tons of admiration for his new quarterback.

“Ooo I like this Drake!” Douglas said, watching Maye command the huddle late in the game. “Ooo he’s got confidence! Uh-oh.”

“All I need is you, boy,” he told the rookie at another point. “Let’s go!”

“I love how he gained confidence throughout the game and I thought it was a good first game for him,” Douglas continued following the game, per team-provided transcript. “He’s (a good player) and I like the confidence that he had going into his first game. (Houston is) a good team and he held his own. We have a young offense, and we are making progress. Our first game together as a young offense and I felt like we should be moving forward after this game.”

Maye is equally as enamored with his top wideout, continuing to shower the 23-year-old with praise in the days following the game.

“Pop, you can’t guard him in a phone booth,” Maye said Wednesday, per team-provided video. “He’s tough to guard in man-coverage. He’s got a knack for finding the zone, so he’s a great guy to have out there because he makes my job a little easier — any time you see a man matchup, Pop is a guy you want to go to.”

New England has a bromance on its hands.

The Patriots aren’t going to win a bunch of games this season, so the primary objective should be figuring out what they have in the young core. Douglas has already proven to be a potential long-term contributor, while Maye certainly seems to be well on his way — especially if he can continue to build strong relationships with his receivers.

“Drake and the receivers get together after every practice and throw and catch the ball,” Douglas said Sunday. “We do the little things that when it comes down to it in the game, everything clicks.”