Yes, Drake Maye has been pretty much awful since the start of last season's playoffs (maybe since at least the Wild Card game). Yes, he played a crucial role in the New England Patriots' loss in Week 1. And yes, he very clearly doesn't look like the same guy who finished as the runner-up in MVP voting last season.
He is also just 24 years old, has all the talent in the world, is in his second full NFL season (he didn't make his first start until Week 6 of his rookie year), is just adjusting to the adjustments that opposing defenses are making (which have mostly been not just good defenses; they have been some of the best defenses the game has seen in years), and is playing with a different receiving corps.
(It's also not his fault that his star wide receiver, A.J. Brown, who the rest of the offense was built around, sustained a high-ankle sprain in the season opener and is set to miss at least a month of play.)
Maye is a young quarterback who now has a full year of film out there. It would almost be an anomaly if he didn't make mistakes. He is still the guy, and Patriots fans should feel confident about that.
Drake Maye is still the Patriots' quarterback of the future
Through two games, Maye has left a lot to be desired on the field. He leads all quarterbacks with four interceptions, and he has thrown just one touchdown and recorded 386 yards.
Beyond the stats, though, the UNC alum doesn't pass the eye test either. He doesn't look nearly as comfortable or confident as he did last year, there isn't nearly as much zip on the ball, his pocket presence has been shaky, he still makes poor decisions, and he clearly hasn't found his rhythm yet.
It can't be overstated just how daunting a defensive gauntlet Maye has gone through since the start of the playoffs. Going up against the Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks (twice), and Pittsburgh Steelers all in a row would be too much for even veteran, established quarterbacks to go through. It's going to take some time for him to come back down from that and find his groove.
Maye has his flaws, but he's still a special quarterback. There was a lot of "schedule" talk last season, but you can't tell me you think the Patriots would have won the division, gone 14-3, and made the Super Bowl if they had a Bailey Zappe-type guy running the show.
The North Carolina native is a serious running threat, and he has incredible arm talent. All of his problems are fixable, and he needs the time to put it all together. He is still very young (New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is the only current starter younger than him), and he has proven he has what it takes to play winning football.
Young quarterbacks go through ups and downs all the time, and that's exactly what's going on with Maye. He is going to be fine, and he is going to prove to everyone that last year wasn't a fluke; it was just the beginning of something special.
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