New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has had a solid start to his NFL career—and coaches around the league are starting to notice.
Not only did Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay call Maye a "stud" after their win versus New England last Sunday, but Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel had a bevy of nice things to say about the rookie ahead of their matchup this weekend:
“I saw a true quarterback who has the ability to gain the confidence of his teammates and lead and orchestrate an offense," McDaniel said at his weekly press conference on Wednesday. "A guy who can make plays in a multitude of ways. The Patriots are kind of feeling that right now where he’s a guy that can see down the field, can play fearlessly in the pocket, and make everything throw—with the arm strength to do it. [He's] also a very good athlete that has some juice and can make plays off-schedule. I think that's been a huge bonus to their offense as of late. [They] had some explosive plays whether he threw it outside the pocket or he scrambled outside the pocket.
“He’s a guy that you expect to continue to get better," he continued. "It’s always impressive when rookie quarterbacks make plays at the NFL level, just because there’s a lot coming at them. They just learned the foreign language like a handful of months ago and are doing it in live-action with guys that are trying to inflict pain on you.
"I think it’s a credit to him and his preparation, and their coaching staff, as well.”
Throughout his first six games as the Patriots starter, Maye has thrown nine touchdowns to six interceptions while completing 66.8% of his throws. Last weekend versus the Rams, he threw for a career-high 282 yards on a 75% completion percentage.
Though New England is 3-8 on the 2024 season, the team has seemingly figured out the quarterback position—the most important piece to building an NFL franchise.
The Patriots' Week 12 game against the 4-6 Dolphins kicks off at 1 p.m. ET from Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mike McDaniel Gushes Over Drake Maye Ahead of Dolphins' Matchup vs. Patriots.
