The New England Patriots are clearly ahead of schedule in their rebuild, proven by their participation in Super Bowl 60. Head coach Mike Vrabel's team has exceeded expectations in his first year leading the franchise, and a lot of that success stems from the massive leap quarterback Drake Maye made in Year 2.
That's why it was a major concern when Maye popped up on the Patriots' practice report as a limited participant due to an ongoing shoulder injury. Despite any concerns, the second-year QB stated that he had his mind on the Super Bowl and didn't seem to be worried about potentially missing it.
Even though it was nice to get some reassurance from Maye, Friday's report added new concerns to the Patriots QB1's outlook.
Drake Maye's Super Bowl Outlook Gets Murky with Friday's Missed Practice
On Friday, MassLive's Mark Daniels reported that Maye didn't practice on Friday. Instead, he was on the sidelines while backup quarterbacks Josh Dobbs and Tommy DeVito took first-team reps.
After practice finished, Vrabel revealed that the former No. 3 pick is also dealing with an illness on top of his shoulder injury.
"(Drake) did not practice, no, it was illness and shoulder," Vrabel said, per CBS News. "We've had a lot of guys over the last month or six weeks here with illness, so again, trying to do what's best for the player and the team and trying to take care of guys, don't spread anything. We've worked through that here for the past six weeks."
This might just be the Patriots erring on the side of caution, and Maye sounded fully confident in being available for the Super Bowl. That said, it's still a major concern, especially given that the Patriots will face the No.1 defense in the biggest game. The last thing New England needs is for Maye to feel any lingering issues, either from the illness or the shoulder problem.
Maye hasn't been efficient in the playoffs, completing only 55.8% of his passing attempts for 177.7 yards per game and an 84.0 passer rating. Conversely, he's had to endure beating after beating by facing three top-five defenses. There's a good chance that will continue if he must do plenty of heavy lifting against the Seahawks.
The Patriots have to protect Maye from himself, and sometimes, it's better to think about the big picture instead of taking unnecessary risks. Fortunately, all signs seem to point to his being healthy enough to play in Super Bowl 60, giving New England its best shot to expand a jam-packed championship collection.
Still, that won't keep Patriots fans from being concerned and monitoring Maye's health throughout the next week or so. After all, every update — either good or bad — will play a role in New England's Lombardi Trophy aspirations.