Mike Vrabel Speaks On Drake Maye Communication After Bad Turnover

New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel discussed his communication with Drake Maye after the second-year quarterback turned the ball over on the first drive of the preseason opener against the Washington Commanders. Maye was chased down by a defender, and instead of taking a sack, he attempted to make a play and fumbled the ball. New England's goal has been cutting down on the turnovers this season, and plays like the one Maye had last Friday hurt their chances of doing so. "It's clear how I communicate. I tell him what I'm thinking and what needs to be said ... Sometimes, we can't try to make plays because they become bad ones," said Vrabel, when appearing on The Greg Hill Show.

"I think he'll learn from it and understand, like, 'Okay, I'm not going to be able to play Superman all of the time, and I can reserve the right to punt and help this... Maye went 3-of-5 passing for 12 yards on two drives against the Commanders. He also strung together two carries for 16 yards and a touchdown. There were always going to be growing pains for a young quarterback in only his second season. Maye is also learning a new offense with new personnel around him. Drake Maye and the New England Patriots lit up the Washington Commanders in a 48-18 rout on Friday night.

However, head coach Mike Vrabel is making sure Maye keeps his eye on the ball in the midst of a solid performance. Maye played in the first quarter of the matchup, completing three passes after five attempts for 12 yards while making two rushes for 16 yards and a touchdown. However, he sustained a sack for 15 yards as he committed a fumble five minutes into the game, showing there is work for the Patriots to still work on. Vrabel reflected on the team's performance after the game, per Zack Cox. He was critical of Maye's fumble, expecting better from the young quarterback. “That’s a bad decision.

I think we’re going to need better from him, and I think he knows that,” Vrabel said. It's important for Mike Vrabel to hold Drake Maye accountable, setting the tone ahead of the 2025 regular season. Despite the fumble, the Patriots dominated the Commanders throughout Friday night. The New England Patriots never trailed in their 48-18 throttling of the Washington Commanders on Friday night as the home team returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back. While the fans in attendance were certainly pleased with the outcome, first-year Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel let starting quarterback Drake Maye have it over one mistake that the second-year signal caller cannot make... On the first series of the game for Maye and the New England offense, the former North Carolina Tar Heels standout held onto the ball too long while trying to make a play.

This resulted in Commanders defender Jer’Zhan Newton forcing a fumble that Washington ultimately recovered. That decision did not sit well with Vrabel for the rest of the night and he made that clear when speaking with the media, via Karen Guregian of MassLive.com. Even with blowout win, Mike Vrabel wasn't happy with Drake Maye, singling out play in particular from the preseason opener against Washington https://t.co/2IvhEaUSRN Mike Vrabel addressed Drake Maye’s fumble after the Patriots preseason opener against the Washington Commanders, and he didn’t hold back criticizing Maye. For the most part, the New England Patriots had a successful preseason opener. They controlled the game for essentially the full 60 minutes, walking away with a 48-18 win over the visiting Washington Commanders.

Yet it wasn't a great night for Drake Maye. The second-year quarterback with a world of expectations on his shoulders played just two series to start this game, and his opening drive ended in ugly fashion. Facing a third-and-7 after completing two short passes to his running back, Maye tried and failed to avoid pressure. While trying to throw the ball mid-sack, Maye fumbled, and the Commanders came away with the ball at the New England 30-yard line. Subscribe to NBC Sports Boston's podcast network to hear our Insiders bring you the latest insights on your favorite teams! Once Drake Maye was given the official start in Week 6 of the 2024 season, it was clear throughout the rest of the year that he had all the tools to be the Patriots'...

The poise he displayed as a rookie and his natural leadership skills were things that cannot be simply taught, proving the Jerod Mayo era made one good decision in an otherwise underwhelming draft. What was also apparent with the quarterback, however, was his desire to go above and beyond what was needed to overcompensate for poor offensive play, much of which did not rest solely on his... That led to too many turnovers, some inexcusable, which has remained an issue so far this season. That was evident in the Patriots' Week 3 game against the Steelers, as the offense recorded five turnovers in their losing effort in what should have been a very winnable game. Maye was responsible for one fumble and an interception, after completing a turnover-free game a week before. His resiliency is something that fans and analysts have caught wind of, and his coaches have already recognized it as well.

But that doesn't mean they want to see it all that often, which is something Mike Vrabel mentioned on Monday. During his weekly appearance on WEEI, the head coach was asked about how Maye can bounce back after a mistake fairly easily, and that is exactly what the Patriots offense needs in their next... 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. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was far from perfect during the team’s Week 1 loss against the Las Vegas Raiders. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel explained during an appearance Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” why he actually doesn’t want the second-year signal-caller to be “perfect.”

“I think that he wants to be, at times, perfect. I need to get past that. We all have to get past that. You need to be precise and not perfect. And if you make a mistake, it’s the reaction that you have to the mistake that everybody sees and then they’re like, ‘Oh, wow, that was a mistake.’ We have to clean our reactions... Our responses have to be much better.

And then getting into the flow. Because you see really good timing, precision and accuracy. And then we see some other misses,” Vrabel said, as shared on Bluesky by ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I don’t ever concern myself with that. I just want the better performance. More consistent.

And continue to grow as a leader and make sure that there is a command to what we’re doing — that this is the situation, this is the play. Those are the things that I’m focused on.” Mike Vrabel, via “The Greg Hill Show”, on QB Drake Maye when answering a question on what Vrabel sees with how important it is to Maye to win: Maye finished Sunday’s 20-13 loss 30-for-46 with 287 passing yards and one touchdown, while adding four rushing attempts for 11 yards. He also started the second half with a costly interception, however, took four sacks and committed a fumble (which the Patriots recovered) and recorded an 80.6 passer rating. During the preseason opener, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye made a bad decision by trying to force a throw while being sacked, resulting in a fumble.

Coach Mike Vrabel addressed the mistake during a post-game press conference, emphasizing the need for improvement from Maye. Despite the turnover, the Patriots did not lose points as the subsequent field goal attempt by the Commanders was missed. If Maye continues to make such mistakes in regular season games, it could negatively impact the team’s performance. Vrabel’s comments suggest that Maye needs to make better decisions to help the team succeed. #Patriots #DrakeMaye #Preseason #PatriotsFootball #MikeVrabel #PostGame #Turnover #Quarterback #NFL #BadDecision #FieldGoal #PlayoffRun #NFL #NFLNews #Sports #Football #Soccer #Mike #Vrabel #Drake #Mayes #miscue #bad #decision

The Mike Vrabel era in Foxborough couldn’t have gotten off to a much faster start. Following Thursday night’s 27-14 win over the Jets, the Patriots are riding an eight game winning streak and own the NFL’s best record at 9-2. Beyond that, Drake Maye has taken a leap forward. The second-year quarterback is playing MVP-caliber football and is being serenaded by the Gillette Stadium crowd accordingly. With a number of enticing openings in last year’s hiring cycle, Vrabel ultimately chose to coach in New England. On Amazon’s Thursday Night Football postgame show, Vrabel said his 23-year-old quarterback was a major factor in that decision.

“I came here because of the familiarity. I came here because of Drake,” Vrabel said. “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.” Sitting right next to Vrabel on the postgame panel, Maye certainly appreciated hearing that from his coach.

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