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Bill Belichick gives candid assessment of Drake Maye after preseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye played pretty well in the preseason, especially in the finale against the Washington Commanders.
He completed 13 of 20 pass attempts for 126 yards with one touchdown and zero turnovers in that game against the Commanders. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft also showed off his athleticism, including a 17-yard run that picked up a first down on third-and-long.
When you consider Maye also played well in the second preseason matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles, there were plenty of encouraging signs for the Patriots in regards to their future franchise quarterback.
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Not everyone was super impressed with Maye, though.
Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick gave a candid assessment of Maye’s preseason performance earlier this week.
“You like his size and you like his arm. I think his inexperience really showed up in the preseason, as it did a little bit at North Carolina,” Belichick said of Maye during his new show Coach on Underdog Fantasy. “And I think that he needs a lot of seasoning in terms of reading coverages, overall throwing mechanics and consistency. Is he a big fast athlete? Yeah, but I think it’s going to take more than that to be ready to play quarterback in the National Football League.”
How can Maye show he’s ready to be a starter at the pro level?
“You expect quarterbacks at this level to be able to throw check downs to backs, to throw slant routes to wide receivers, to hit a wide open seam,” Belichick said. “And look, we all have plays that we wish we had back. Just saying, these are some of the things that we need to work on.
“I think that Maye probably has more of these than the other quarterbacks do, based on what we’ve seen in preseason. Which is, granted, a limited sample.”
For what it’s worth, Belichick also was critical this week of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, who showed flashes of his exciting potential for the Chicago Bears during the preseason.
The Patriots appear to be taking things slow with Maye. They named Jacoby Brissett the Week 1 starter late last month, but our insider Phil Perry has reported that the Patriots “gave Maye more than what would be viewed as a typical backup number of snaps in his first regular-season week as a pro.”
The decision to start Brissett was met with lots of approval, including from former Patriots players Tom Brady, Devin McCourty and Brian Hoyer. But even though the veteran is the starter right now, we could still see Maye on the field at some point this season. Experience is often the best teacher.
Kickoff for Patriots-Bengals is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.