We saw him the other night and he was playing in a ping pong event. What did you take away from seeing Drake Maye kind of being around other players and in that sort of environment? Drake Maye is a great guy. I just hear great things. He has all the attributes to be a great player. Just when you thought the Patriots were turning a new page and starting an entirely new era in their history, here comes McDaniels to ride the Ferris Wheel now stationed on Route 1 , otherwise knows as the job of offensive coordinator; every few seconds, someone new comes through.
In this case, someone new is actually some one old or, more specifically, someone familiar. Look at that list. The only outsider hired in that group was Van Pelt ā and only after the Patriots went through options, some of whom turned them down.
Does that mean McDaniels is a bad hire? But it does mean we can question the motives. Of course, what happens to Jones is of little consequence to the Patriots fans anymore, but what is happening to Maye should give you pause.
Maye, after all, was drafted on April 25 of last year, less than nine months ago. Children have been both conceived and born in that window, and Maye ā himself a relative infant ā is already on his second head coach and second offensive coordinator. Nine months. The good news? As our colleague and contributor Greg Bedard has pointed out , McDaniels has every chance to be a long-term solution.
But in the short term, is McDaniels going to change the offense back to the same system he ran under Tom Brady? Does that mean Maye has to start over again? Do you understand the difference? The league, like everything, is ever-involving. If and when the Patriots get back to whether they were in, say , the league will be in , , or Jayden Daniels is now the hottest thing in the league, a rookie quarterback with a record and a place in the NFC Championship Game.
