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Mike Vrabel Defends Drake Maye Patriots Got To Help Him Out

Bonisiwe Shabane
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mike vrabel defends drake maye patriots got to help him out

FOXBORO — The Patriots’ season opener was on Drake Maye’s shoulders, and the second-year quarterback couldn’t deliver in the 20-13 loss to the Raiders. Ultimately, Maye performed similarly to how he played last season. He had some impressive moments, especially in the first half and while targeting wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, but he also took a delay of game penalty, struggled under pressure and wasn’t able to put... Maye was just 4-of-11 for 45 yards with an interception and a fumble while facing pressure on Sunday. After going 14-of-20 for 150 yards and a passing touchdown to DeMario Douglas in the first half, Maye was just 16-of-26 for 137 yards with an interception after halftime. The Patriots crumbled after Maye’s turnover, which came on the opening drive of the third quarter.

Maye was hit while he threw and sailed the ball over Stefon Diggs and into Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao’s diving arms. Head coach Mike Vrabel took it easy on his quarterback after the game. Send this article to your social connections. Send this article to your social connections. In case you forgot, or didn’t know, Thursday’s Jets-Patriots game was a matchup between the two teams that were most interested in Mike Vrabel this past offseason. If Thursday was any indication, Vrabel’s decision was validated by the top reason he decided to go to New England.

Following the Patriots’ 27-14 victory over the Jets, Vrabel pointed to Drake Maye for the reason he wound up with New England. “I came here because of the familiarity. I came here because of Drake,” the Patriots head coach told Prime’s “TNF Postgame Show.” “I knew what he would be, and it was important for me to come here. And that’s someone I wanted to coach. And so building a program is about that. It’s about putting great people around your really good players.

That’s what Drake is for us.” Mike Vrabel is already having to walk back comments just days away from the New England Patriots' second preseason game of the exhibition season. Following New England's dominant win over the Washington Commanders in their preseason opener, the Patriots' head coach was fixated on a turnover committed by starting QB Drake Maye on the team's first possession of... Rather than getting rid of the ball and moving on, Maye attempted to make something happen and wound up fumbling the football. Washington recovered that fumble, and Vrabel was not happy about it. “That’s a bad decision,” Vrabel said, per Karen Guregian of MassLive.

“I think we’re going to need better from him. I think he knows that. That’s obvious. It wasn’t there. We just have to find a way to get rid of the football or take a sack and punt and play defense.” On Wednesday, Vrabel spoke again about Maye's decision-making and leadership qualities, but this time he went with a different tone, via Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.

Mike Vrabel says Drake Maye isn’t lacking in leadership, he always just wants more from every player.Vrabel: “There’s no finished products, no matter what.” The New England Patriots went out on Sunday and gave it their all, doing what they could to secure a tough divisional win over the Miami Dolphins. And that they did. But Drake Maye helped make the moment extra special for one very important member of the Patriots organization. After taking the knee on the final play of the game, Maye rushed right over to the team’s equipment manager, making sure that the ball was kept safe so it could be given to... Maye wanted to make sure he got the game ball from his first win as head coach of the Patriots.

“I took that football out, the one I (took a knee) there and gave it right Stick our equipment guy, and let coach get that ball,” Maye said. “Said that means a lot and I think it means a lot to him. So it took everybody, but he’s leading the charge and that meant something to do that.” Robert Kraft then handed him the game ball in the locker room, earning a huge cheer from the staff. And he also handed out some game balls to the players who impacted Sunday's game in a huge way. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye may have just won the first game of his second NFL season, but he's thinking about his first-year coach Mike Vrabel first and foremost.

After defeating the Dolphins 33-27 in a back-and-forth thriller, Maye revealed to reporters that he kept the game ball to give to Vrabel as a memento of the coach's first win at the helm. Specifically, Maye saved the football he used while kneeling out the clock, then handed that over to the Pats' equipment manager to give to Vrabel, per Boston Herald reporter Andrew Callahan. Drake Maye saved the football he used to kneel the clock out today and handed it to the #Patriots lead equipment manager so Mike Vrabel could receive it in the post-game locker room to... pic.twitter.com/5rU6ay5tAY For New England, the win wasn't the sleekest win—but they got it done. Maye himself finished with 230 passing yards and two touchdowns, as well as one rushing TD.

Drake Maye didn’t have a ton of answers when it came to the Raiders in Week 1. The Patriots quarterback went 30-of-46 for 287 yards with a touchdown and an interception in New England’s 20-13 loss to Las Vegas. "Looked like there were some struggles under pressure in this game," coach Mike Vrabel said after the game. “Without looking at the tape, I thought there were some good, positive plays and really good command of what we were doing. And then there were times where maybe he missed somebody and we’ll have to see. It’s a challenge playing quarterback in this league and we’ve got to help them out."

“We have to be more balanced. We have to use our run actions and be able to run the football,” he continued. “It’s hard to turn it into a drop-back passing game in this league. That’s just the facts. When they’re up two scores and they’re in their third down package, we just don’t want to ever live in that world.” New England had a 10-7 going into halftime, but only mustered three points in the second half.

It wasn’t just Maye or the offense that is to blame for Sunday’s loss. The defense started slow, Will Campbell had a rough debut and there were some questionable calls from Vrabel. Mike Vrabel is a man on a mission. He's undertaken a major roster reconstruction that improved his team in almost every respect. Yet, Vrabel is no amateur; he's aware that paper improvements are just that until they show up for real on the field. The new head coach added emphatically to his defense in the offseason.

Playmakers were added at all three levels to a lackluster defense that couldn't get off the field in 2024. Veteran starters were jettisoned, and new players who better fit Vrabel's defensive system were brought in. On offense, Vrabel beefed up his offensive line, adding more than half a dozen players in free agency, the draft, and undrafted free agency. He also added four new receivers to bolster that weak position, and an explosive running back to liven up that mediocre room. Yet, Vrabel has now made it crystal clear that all that means nothing unless they put points, aka touchdowns, on the scoreboard. In a New England Patriots YouTube video, Mike Vrabel reminded quarterback Drake Maye about the Patriots' dismal 2024 offensive performance.

NESN's Owen Crisafulli commented on and quoted Vrabel's verbal trashing of the team's 2024 offensive effort. NFL training camp is officially underway, which means the return of mic’d-up moments from coaches and players. New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel might have already delivered the best soundbite of the summer. He roasted second-year quarterback Drake Maye with a jab about the team’s offensive struggles last season. Vrabel has never been the most buttoned-up coach in the NFL. After playing 14 seasons as a linebacker in the league, he brings a similar unfiltered energy to his role on the sidelines.

That personality was clear in a recent mic’d up video from Patriots training camp. The four-minute clip features several moments from practice, but one exchange in particular has gone viral. While coaching rookie quarterback Maye on being more aggressive in the red zone, Vrabel takes a shot at the team’s offense from last season. “How many touchdowns did you guys score last year?” Vrabel asked. “The answer is not enough.” While it might seem like an unnecessary shot, that’s the kind of coach Vrabel is.

He may not be the top offensive or defensive mind in the league, but one thing he does better than most is build a culture. The Athletic’s NFL Insider Dianna Russini sat down with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and starting quarterback Drake Maye for a conversation about training camp, the upcoming season and more on a recent... Ahead of the Patriots’ 20-12 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Saturday’s preseason game, the two teams engaged in a couple of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. Vrabel was happy with the way his quarterback managed to navigate a tricky defense. “These practices here against the Vikings’ defense, they do a lot, they show you a lot,” Vrabel said. “They try to put you in a blender.

By that, we mean, one play, it’s hard and then you just start thinking about the last play and then the next play becomes harder and harder until you’re just spinning in a blender. “That’s what they like to use in the quarterback room, and I didn’t see (Maye) do that (Wednesday). He wasn’t perfect by any means but he never went in the blender, so I think that’s good.” Vrabel attributed that success to Maye’s ability to not “let it be too big” and process one play at a time. Vrabel said Maye was able to lead the offense and get everybody on the same page. Yeah, the Patriots’ 20–12 win over the Vikings looks good on the scoreboard, but August is really about the clues.

And Mike Vrabel dropped a big one. Delivered with that no-nonsense edge he’s had all camp. The hint? It revolved around a certain wideout, and it felt like a little preview of how this roster might start tilting around Drake Maye in Year 2. Yeah, after Efton Chism III led the team in receiving for the second straight week, Vrabel couldn’t help but show love. “It doesn’t matter how you get here, only thing that matters is what you do when you get here.

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“I think we’re going to need better from him. I think he knows that. That’s obvious. It wasn’t there. We just have to find a way to get rid of the football or take a sack and punt and play defense.” On Wednesday, Vrabel spoke again about Maye's decision-making and leadership qualities, but this time he went with a different tone, via Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.