#drake-maye

#drake-maye

Drake Maye started and finished ten games last year (played in three others to a lesser extent), and passed for 15 touchdowns to ten interceptions. On the surface, admittedly, that's pretty middling, but when keeping in mind his rookie status, poor weapons, and former OC Alex Van Pelt's inability to put together a functioning game plan, Maye looked sound. I mentioned the additions made to the team vastly improved the roster on paper, but what exactly did those additions look like?

Hope has been renewed in Foxborough, with the arrival of Mike Vrabel as head coach and plenty of roster turnover raising expectations for a team that has posted back-to-back four-win seasons. But as the Patriots open regular-season action on Sunday afternoon against the Raiders, there are still plenty of question marks surrounding a team looking to re-establish itself as a playoff contender.

The supporting cast - or lack thereof - surrounding Drake Maye during his rookie campaign with the Patriots was arguably the worst in the NFL. The Patriots had a matador-like offensive line that gave Maye no support, and New England's group of receivers instilled no fear in opposing defensive coordinators. That appears to be changing this year, with the cast of characters surrounding Maye already making him one of the league's biggest winners as teams concluded roster cutdowns this week.

"I can't believe how mature he is at such a young age. He's light years ahead of where I was as a rookie, most rookies I've seen."