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Mike Reiss
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — On one purple zone play late in Patriots obligatory minicamp observe Monday, quarterback Drake Maye fired a move to rookie operating again TreVeyon Henderson on the objective line for a landing, which led to a rousing cheer from the offense.
Quickly after, Maye summed up his viewpoint on the place issues stand as spring practices come to an finish this week, whereas he continues to study coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense.
“I feel we’re catching the stride; I feel I am beginning to discover a stride,” Maye stated. “I am bummed out we’re about to depart, nevertheless it’s enjoyable.”
The Patriots have yet another observe Tuesday earlier than an prolonged break. Maye has a special day to sit up for, with plans to marry longtime girlfriend Ann Michael Hudson on June 21. After that, he stated he’ll flip his consideration to preparing for the beginning of coaching camp in center to late July.
Maye’s progress as he enters his second NFL season, and in addition from the beginning of spring practices in late April, has been a hot-button matter in New England. His potential was cited by first-year coach Mike Vrabel as one of many interesting components of the job.
Within the first voluntary organized group exercise open to reporters 4 weeks in the past, Maye threw 4 interceptions, though one may need been nullified by a defensive penalty. He has regarded sharper since, seldom turning the ball over.
“You’ll be able to take that with a grain of salt, however on the similar time, you do not wish to flip the soccer over and get in unhealthy habits,” he stated. “I really feel like I’ve finished a very good job of making an attempt to maintain the soccer in our fingers, and that is one in every of our key focuses.”
Maye shared that specializing in “taking what’s open, taking the very first thing” has been an vital adjustment for him as a result of “once you have a tendency to attend for the large one, holding the ball, generally it isn’t open.”
“It is good for us to put in performs, get a really feel for what I like. Coach McDaniels has been superior about asking what I like and what he expects from me on sure performs,” he stated. “So it has been good to have the ability to get that exterior and on the sphere.”
In the meantime, Vrabel stated on the “Bill O’Brien Podcast” that he has labored with Maye on “management and command; his psychological method, aggressive stamina to play this place and understanding how laborious it’s within the league to win and play the quarterback place nicely.”
Requested earlier than Monday’s observe about Maye’s evolution as a frontrunner, Vrabel stated: “I feel it is a distinctive place being 22, so I feel there’s a number of room to develop. I feel there’s a number of pure management qualities. I’ve to encourage him and to place him in these positions to try this.”
One instance of how Vrabel has finished so got here on the finish of Monday’s observe, when he aligned the offense throughout the objective line, put Maye within the center and had him name out the cadence and simulate a snap rely that gave each participant the cue on when to run successive 30-yard sprints. If a participant left early, Vrabel added a dash.
Maye’s voice boomed throughout the sphere. He stated after observe that his largest concern in that state of affairs was serving to teammates with the cadence so they would not bounce offside.
Of his voice rising louder in his second season, Maye stated: “It is a possibility for me to take a bounce. From final 12 months being a rookie, making an attempt to return in right here and earn my stripes by means of laborious work. This 12 months is identical method — you bought new guys in right here, new workers, carry on attending to know everyone, present my work ethic.
“From there, because the season comes round, attempt to take the subsequent step in management and main the offense and hopefully main this soccer group.”