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Notes and thoughts on Drake Maye, the trip to London, and more.<\/p>\nNotes and thoughts on Drake Maye, the trip to London, and more.<\/p>\n
In the midst of a five game losing streak, the\u00a0New England Patriots\u00a0head across the pond to London where they\u2019ll take on the\u00a0Jacksonville Jaguars\u00a0in Wembley Stadium.<\/p>\n
With Drake Maye looking for his first win as a starter, let\u2019s empty out the notebook from the week in this week\u2019s\u00a0Sunday Patriots Notes.<\/em><\/p>\n 1. Maye\u2019s mental game:\u00a0<\/strong>To the naked eye, Drake Maye\u2019s first career NFL start looked similar to his time at North Carolina. Deep touchdowns, first-down scrambles, off-script plays, etc. etc. etc.<\/p>\n But to those who have worked closely with Maye behind the scenes over training camp and the start of the regular season, the rookie is a different quarterback. \u201cCompletely different,\u201d according to his offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n Much of that has to do with Maye\u2019s mental work, which continues to shine on the practice and game field.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a period [Wednesday], again another start-fast period against our defense, good-on-good in the red zone,\u201d offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt shared. \u201cI didn\u2019t give him an answer for a zero-blitz look that the defense presented and he got himself out of trouble with the right protection adjustment and the route change and threw a touchdown.<\/p>\n \u201cSo to me \u2014 wow. He can get in there and he can protect himself. He knows the calls he needs to make. I don\u2019t know if we\u2019d have gotten that done in Week 1.\u201d<\/p>\n Starting the season as the backup, Maye was able to observe veteran Jacoby Brissett both on and off the field through the first five weeks of the season. That allowed time for the 22-year old to continue to grow the mental side of his game \u2014 which was an underrated quality of his to begin with by many draft pundits.<\/p>\n When Maye then took the field last Sunday, one area of growth in particular stood out.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the biggest thing is kind of the run checks and the different looks that get us in the best run. I think that\u2019s the biggest thing. Watching Jacoby do it, watching how he does it and bringing in guys that block the right guys, I feel like that\u2019s kind of the thing that I didn\u2019t really look at until I look at the film. I feel like in the run game, I did mostly everything that got asked and the right execution.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I think that was the biggest kind of sigh of relief of seeing all the different run looks under center, seeing it and getting the guys blocked up. So, just got to continue to do that. I think the passing game, I feel like I was seeing it well, just got to make some better throws.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Maye\u2019s arrival back in April, coaches and teammates have been impressed with his work in the classroom. Van Pelt has not seen a change in the rookie\u2019s approach has been named the starter, which perhaps played a large role in Maye throwing 243 yards and three touchdowns in his starting debut.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s very natural. He\u2019s a natural leader. He\u2019s a great studier,\u201d Van Pelt said. \u201cVery intelligent guy that can ask great questions in the meeting rooms. He\u2019s everything you want in a young quarterback. I think sitting and watching the preparation of Jacoby for the first five weeks was a big piece of that, seeing how the quarterback room operates at the pro level, the questions that need to be asked, the concerns, the comments throughout the week. I think that just helped build up his inventory of how to go through meetings and ask the questions that he needs to get answered.<\/p>\n \u201cBut very impressive with his approach. He studies hard at night, you can tell that. When you call a new play in a Wednesday practice, he\u2019s already digested the verbiage and can spit it out easily so I know he\u2019s putting the work in. You get texts throughout the course of the evening on certain looks \u2014 \u2018What\u2019s this mean here when they do this?\u2019 or \u2018What do I need to do in this look?\u2019 So I know he\u2019s putting the time in.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Youthful energy:\u00a0<\/strong>Alex Van Pelt is in his 29th season in the NFL as a player or coach. So while the coordinator has been impressed with Maye\u2019s work ethic, he often has to remind himself that the rookie is still just a 22-year old.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely, he\u2019s a young pup,\u201d Van Pelt responded when asked if Maye brings a youthful energy. \u201cMy daughters are 22 and 25 so I have to put that into perspective. He\u2019s still young. He does have that youthfulness to him. But again, from a pro approach he\u2019s doing it the right way of getting himself ready each week.\u201d<\/p>\n 3. International success:\u00a0<\/strong>The Patriots will play in their fifth international game this week which will be tied for fourth-most in the NFL. New England is currently 3-1 in the NFL\u2019s International Series, with the lone loss coming last year to the Colts in Germany.<\/p>\n In the Patriots previous two games in London, they have allowed just one touchdown and have scored over 30 points in each of those games.<\/p>\n 4. London support:\u00a0<\/strong>Standing in Winston Churchill\u2019s old boarding school in London on Friday, both head coach Jerod Mayo and quarterback Drake Maye were asked why NFL fans in the U.K. should follow and support the Patriots.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I would say is that we\u2019re hitting the reset button and looking forward to building something special,\u201d Mayo responded. \u201cBuilding the next dynasty, and it starts with, obviously, through the draft and developing, but also through free agency. We look to get back on top here pretty soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Maye took a different route with his response.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst off, I think it comes from the team name, New England. I think it\u2019s easy for U.K. fans to be attracted to that,\u201d he said. \u201cOur colors are pretty sweet; they represent a lot of different things. From there, just kind of the excitement for the team. I think we\u2019re on the come up, and we\u2019ve got a lot of things to look forward to, a lot of bright futures ahead. Shout out to all the fans that are already Patriot fans over here and look forward to having some more.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. 30 points:\u00a0<\/strong>Speaking of 30 points, the Patriots hold the longest streak in the NFL as they have gone 34 games without scoring 30+ points. That dates back to Bailey Zappe\u2019s second career start against the\u00a0Browns\u00a0on Oct. 16, 2022 where the Patriots posted 38 points.<\/p>\n In London could be a strong time for New England to snap their streak, as the Jaguars\u2019 struggling defense allowed 35 points to fellow rookie quarterback Caleb Williams last week.<\/p>\n \u201cWatching Caleb, had a big win over the Jags out here and just seeing \u2013 I think Caleb made some plays on the move. The biggest thing with him, I thought he made some nice throws,\u201d Maye said Friday. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing last week that I feel like I had some throws that I wish I had back.<\/p>\n \u201cBut as always, I think it\u2019s pretty cool watching the\u00a0Texans, how they handle Caleb and now watching the Jags, what they did against rookie quarterbacks, it\u2019s good for me watching what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. Fast start:\u00a0<\/strong>The Patriots have faced first quarter deficits in each of their last four games, which has left them highlighting faster starts in practice this week. That included a \u201cstart fast period\u201d to begin practice that features top offense vs. top defense out of the gate.<\/p>\n One idea to help correct the issue could be putting the offense on the field first if given the opportunity, as New England has deferred the four times they’ve had the choice this season.<\/p>\n 7. Polk\u2019s struggles:\u00a0<\/strong>Following last Sunday\u2019s game, Jerod Mayo noted rookie Ja\u2019Lynn Polk, who had a pair of drops, needed to get over the \u201cmental hump.\u201d Speaking this week to MassLive\u2019s Mark Daniels, the rookie said he was \u201cnot dealing with [any] mental problems\u201d and was \u201climited\u201d in what he can currently do.<\/p>\n While only Polk knows what he means by limited, it may be a fair assumption to point to his role. Despite playing mostly the Z\/slot role in college, Polk has been used at the X plenty to start the season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re trying to find the best guys that we can put out there right now, the three guys that work best together. That combination, just like the O-line, could change week to week, positionally as well,\u201d Van Pelt said Thursday. \u201cI thought he could give us the best chance at the X to win one-on-one matchups, especially the 3-by-1 sets when you\u2019re isolated on the weak side. But he can do great things in the slot as well. The Z as well.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a very smart guy. He can play multiple positions. So for us as a staff, it\u2019s trying to find the pieces in which ones work best together and how to use those guys with their skillsets in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Van Pelt additionally noted that the offense has put plenty on Polk\u2019s plate, which can be tough for any rookie. New England may try to lighten the load on the receiver, but still have full confidence he\u2019ll get over the mental hump.<\/p>\n \u201cSuccess always gets you over that. He had a couple drops in the game, uncharacteristic of him,\u201d Van Pelt said. \u201cHe\u2019s a rookie. They\u2019re all young guys right now. Just got to figure a way to overcome that, get back to focusing on what he can do well, and that\u2019s a lot of things.<\/p>\n \u201cBut he\u2019s going to make plays for us as the year goes on, there\u2019s no question about it.\u201d<\/p>\n 8. Layden\u2019s return:\u00a0<\/strong>After starting the first four games of the season, rookie guard Layden Robinson reverted to the bench in Week 5 before landing on the inactive list last week. With injuries elsewhere on the offensive line, Robinson is now slated to return to the starting lineup this weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first thing I would say is Layden is one of the hardest practicing guys on the team. He always shows tremendous effort,\u201d Mayo said. \u201cSometimes, you hit a wall, and he\u2019s gone through that wall, and he\u2019ll play tomorrow. He\u2019s a very tough player, and I look forward to his future as well.\u201d<\/p>\n That sets the stage for a starting offensive line of: LT Trey Jacobs – LG Michael Jordan – C Ben Brown – RG Layden Robinson – RT Mike Onwenu \u2014 which will be New England\u2019s seventh starting offensive line combination in as many weeks.<\/p>\n 9. Lefty center:\u00a0<\/strong>Elsewhere along the offensive line, New England added center depth in Lecitus Smith after the release of Nick Leverett. Smith, who comes from the\u00a0Packers\u00a0practice squad and is set to serve as the top backup this week, is unique as a left-handed snapper.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has upside. Once again, we look at the practice squad as a place where we want to develop those players. Hopefully they become starters at some point, or rotational players,\u201d Mayo said of Smith. \u201cI did learn left-handed snappers, it\u2019s a little bit different. I never knew that, which I thought was interesting. This guy definitely has potential to be a good player for us.\u201d<\/p>\n 10. Setting up the week ahead:\u00a0<\/strong>Despite being across the pond, the Patriots will not have a bye week upon their arrival back to the states. They will be back to work for a normal week that includes practices Wednesday through Friday as they prepare to welcome Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and the\u00a0New York Jets\u00a0to Foxboro in Week 8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Notes and thoughts on Drake Maye, the trip to London, and more. In the midst of a five game losing streak, the\u00a0New England Patriots\u00a0head across the pond… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":15328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animal-world"],"yoast_head":"\n