PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE

PRESS CONFERENCE

July 31, 2025

DM: Another day at the office. What's going on, y'all doing alright?

Q: Drake, through Day 8 now of camp, just how are you feeling about your own performance and your progression?

DM: Yeah, I think just keep going. I think just keep working, keep building chemistry. There's throws that I wish I had back, missed some touchdowns two practices ago in the red zone. That's what you're out here for. I think I harp myself on trying to make those throws and make the easy ones. But that's what it's about, timing and the guys up front are battling their butts off. It's a little better against the defense. We were able to run the football on them a little bit and they're not just playing the pass. So, I think we're coming together, gelling nicely. And I think just keep on — we've got a good look with our defense. They have some good players over there. So, we're getting some great work and we've just got to keep building into joint practices and keep it going.

Q: Do you feel an upward progression for yourself right now?

DM: I mean, that's what you hope. I think I'm trying to come from this offense, kind of take the next steps as we go. And I think the real test will be when the games come and when we get in these joint practices. So, I'm looking forward, and I'm proud of the work we've done and I feel good. I feel it's a good spot. But I think there's still a lot of work left.

Q: You know how in baseball you're not supposed to talk about it when a pitcher has a no-hitter? Does the same thing apply if a guy has gone through six practices of training camp and hasn't thrown a pick?

DM: I think it's one of those things where I'm trying to take care of the football, and maybe they could have had a few here and there. I think Pep (Jabrill Peppers) maybe should have had one in the first practice. I joked with him about it. But yeah, I think that's a goal of ours to secure the football. And I think not trying to, like I said, yeah, throw off the perfect game or no-hitter, but I think that's part of it. I'm not scared to throw it. I'm still not gun shy, so.

Q: That's what's interesting to watch is you're still throwing it into tight areas. It's not checkdown after checkdown. Do you feel as if you're an equal opportunity quarterback at this point because you're still getting to learn a lot of these players too?

DM: Oh, 100%. I think it's easy to throw the checkdown, or it's not realistic moving the football and getting big kind of chunk plays, which are the plays you want in games when you're not throwing the ball down the field and throwing it into tight windows. I think I did a little bit of that in the spring, trying to throw it in some tighter windows. I think I just threw a little more interceptions, but that's what you're out here for. You try to feel, hey, can this work or can this work against these guys at this level? So, I try to use it as that and once we're closer to football time, start playing some real, hey, "take care of the football" mindset.

Q: Josh Dobbs was saying the other day that Josh McDaniels is trying to take advantage of the quarterbacks, all of your athleticism. Do you see a change in philosophy in terms of how much they may or may not want you to run the football?

DM: Yeah, I mean, I think it's an even balance of gaining an extra hat. You having the quarterback be able to run the football, you get an extra number. You make it 11-on-11 instead of 10-on-11. So, I think it's always useful and I think at the end of the day, I'll make some plays kind of off schedule anyway. But mixing in the quarterback run game is something I'm open to, and I think it's always tough when a defense has to cover that and keep that in mind.

Q: Josh [McDaniels] was open to that, right?

DM: I think whatever they put me up to, I'm up for it. So, I think they do a good job and Coach (Josh McDaniels) has won some Super Bowls coaching the offense, so I'm kind of prepared for whatever.

Q: Mike [Vrabel] had mentioned yesterday when talking about the quarterback runs, I get that these young players are fearless, but he has to learn how to protect himself. Is that, are they hammering that point home to you? Like, "hey, we need you for 17 [games]."

DM: Yeah, I think that's important. I think I faced that in college. That was my first year. I was really kind of running around and doing some stuff I probably shouldn't have out there with pads on. So, I think just taking care of my body and being smart, but also knowing when it's third down, when it's near the end zone, like, I'm 6'5 and 230 pounds, go get something.

Q: Drake, I'm curious, with the offensive line, how are you seeing that come together throughout these first weeks or so of training camp?

DM: I think those guys are battling. I think they're battling. We're using different cadences. We're using different pros. We're changing Mike points. Like, they're really getting a good grasp of it. I'm proud of those guys up front. We got a "next man up" mentality. Some guys are getting banged up and some guys are fighting through injuries. So, just part of the position. They don't get enough love ever. And I think the coaching staff and what the offensive linemen are doing, I think they will be doing throughout the whole season. It's going to be impressive.

Q: Josh, working with him, where do you feel like he's been able to help develop you the most, especially going through these first couple of days of full padded practice?

DM: Yeah, just playing the position. It's tough to coach the position, let alone play it. I think the big thing is having somebody in that room who wants to challenge you, wants to coach me hard. Are you're talking McDaniels or Dobbs?

Q: Coach [McDaniels].

DM: Coach, yeah, I was talking about coach anyway. But yeah, Dobbs has been great in the room as well. But coach, yeah, I think he's done it at a high level. He's been a head coach who's seen a lot of different stuff. Who's seen the kind of evolution of the game of football in the past 20 years, coaching it. So, I think he's got a lot of experience. And I think I'm just trying to ask some questions and pick his brain and try to soak up everything I can.

Q: In the spring, you talked a lot about added expectations and being a leader. Do you feel like the arrow is still pointing in the right direction here this week of camp?

DM: It's hard to put expectations on it. But I think I like where we're at. We're practicing hard. We're coming out here in these walkthroughs and focusing on details. I think there's going to be times where there's days out here where we didn't feel like we had as good a practice as we wanted. But right now, I feel like we got a good head of steam going. I think we're going to have a scrimmage tomorrow, which will be fun, splitting up the team. So, I'm looking forward to that. And I think it's really, you find out you're going have a chance every week to go out there and prove yourself. A lot of these games come down to one score, so this is what the details and the little things are about.

Q: How much have you been working with, specifically, Stefon Diggs? Seems like already you guys have a nice rapport, especially down in the red zone. What does he do specifically well that you like to see as far as getting open and scoring?

DM: I think it's just his mindset, just attacking the football. A guy like that, with his stature, who's caught a lot of touchdowns in this league and made a lot of big plays, he wants to go get the football. And he tells me all the time, "if the ball's in the air, it's going to be mine." So, I think it's comforting hearing that from those guys. I think that's kind of starting to become something in the receiver room, that's the mindset. When the ball's in the air, go get it. So, I think it's comfortable hearing that. And it's comfortable, a guy who's also gone out there and proved it.

Q: When he makes a comment like that, do you already have the confidence in him that when you throw the ball up there, he's going to be able to catch it? How do you build that connection that you know if you're going to send that, he's got it?

DM: It comes with me making a good throw as well. So, just trying to do my part and let those guys — they get paid a lot of money too. So, let those guys make their plays, and just comes off the feeding off each other, of letting them do their part and doing mine.

Q: One of the things about Stef (Stefon Diggs) is that he doesn't tell you what you want to hear. He tells you what you need to hear. Have you had that kind of experience?

DM: Oh yeah, that's huge. I think that's kind of what we're trying to build around here. I think it starts with the head coach telling you what you need to hear, instead of what you want to hear. That's a good start to where we want to go. And I think there's times where you need to love somebody up a little extra. But I think it comes down from the head coach and it's kind of top down.

Q: It seems like there has been a couple issues with center-quarterback exchange. What do you think is causing those and do you think you guys have fixed it at this point?

DM: Yeah, I think it's camp, it's 95 degrees out here. But at the same time, you can't put the ball on the ground. Some of it's a little pre-snap, be on the same page. I think other than that, it's my part to get down there and get the ball. So, it's not a big issue. I think it's something that these guys have figured out. They got a tough job. They got a, not talking football, but they got a big 350-pound guy and they're moving right and they're snapping it with the same hand and then coming up to block them. It's a tough part on them and it's just feeling stuff like that. That's pretty cool, seeing how that stuff works out and how much that stuff changes.

Q: How is the pre-snap stuff going, just setting the protections and all that stuff that's on your plate?

DM: Yeah, it helps that I did it in college, kind of sent the line. Me and my center, we kind of sent the line where we wanted and changed it and a little bit of that. There was a little bit of that last year of getting the protection right. But I think it's starting to come along. I think it's nice knowing it's my job to send those guys to the right spot and get them on the same page and get all those guys, all 11 of us. It starts with me, kind of right out of the huddle of getting the guys in the right spot and getting the play started and starting with a good huddle. So, I feel like I'm a good spot and I think those guys are doing a good job of listening to me and if it's a look that we need to change it, they've done a great job. So, thank you guys.