Drake Maye has known Caleb Williams since they were teenagers at the same camps. On Tuesday, two days before the New England Patriots play at Chicago, he was asked if there is anything in Williams’ game he would like to borrow. He said he is not sure he could do it.
“I don’t know if I could do some of the things he can do,” Maye said. “He’s special in the way he can move and kind of escape and evade pressure. And he’s got, you know, crazy arm talent, and it’s fun to watch. I don’t know if I’m that flexible to try some of those things.”
“The right play instead of the big play”
New England has won three straight and is 4-2. In Sunday’s 26-19 win over the New York Jets, Maye completed 18 of 32 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions and no sacks. A reporter noted he has 10 touchdown passes and one interception over the last three games. Maye said the difference is that he stopped forcing it.
“I kind of mentioned earlier in the season of wanting to make plays so bad, and really just kind of letting the game come to you,” he said. “You want to make kind of the right play instead of kind of the big play, and I’ve tried to really own that and get us in the right plays and try to protect the football.” Early in the season, he said, the offense was moving the ball but hurting itself, and he “couldn’t get, like I said, out of my own way.”
The clean game came with a patched-up line. Matt Pryor, Walter Rouse and Caleb Lomu all had to step in late, and Maye said not taking a sack may have been a first for him. He took the blame for the near misses. “Mostly it’s on me for holding the football,” he said. “And sometimes they get mad. I run out of bounds at a negative one or no gain, and them guys are getting mad at me.” He also liked the closing drive, when the backups ran the ball to try to bleed the clock. “We were out of guys,” he said. “Who knows, some of us are playing out there tackle next.”
Backing A.J. Brown
A.J. Brown, back from an ankle injury in his first game in five weeks, was targeted 10 times against the Jets and caught three passes for 27 yards. Maye defended him. “Last week is what it is,” Maye said. “I wish I had some throws back, targeted his way, and I think it’s part of this league. You want to make a play so bad, you want to have plays back, and there’s plays that I want back every week.”
Brown, who was limited at practice on Tuesday with the ankle, said in the locker room that he was getting open and just did not finish. “I just didn’t make the play,” he said. “I’m not really going backwards because it’s over with now. I watched the film, I put it in bed, and I’m looking forward.”
Brown also said he apologized to Romeo Doubs, who went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury he suffered on his 42-yard touchdown catch. “I picked him up. I didn’t know he was hurt,” Brown said. “He was celebrating on the ground, and when I picked him up, he started to, you know, scream a little bit. It’s tough to lose a guy like that.”
Byard: Williams “might be the most dangerous” with his legs
Safety Kevin Byard III played the last two seasons with Williams in Chicago, and he went further than his quarterback. “Personally, I think he might be the most dangerous quarterback with his legs in the league right now,” Byard said. “This guy’s one of the toughest, if not the toughest quarterback to bring down in the pocket. The first guy, more often than not, is not going to bring him down.”
Byard said Williams has grown since the early knock on him. “He was always big play hunting. He wanted to get the home run shot every time,” he said. “You look at the Falcons game, he was 30 for 36. He’s taking the check downs, he’s going through his progressions.” He credited Williams’ second year in Johnson’s offense, and he said he knows Thursday will bring surprises. “Being Thursday night, he’s going to have some stuff up his sleeve,” Byard said of Johnson. “It’s a prime time game. He’s going to want to show off his expertise.”
He said inside knowledge only goes so far on a short week. Knowing the personnel and “what they like to do” can help, “but at the end of the day, you know, the game still got to be played,” Byard said. “A lot of it is going to be go out there and line up and play ball.” Byard also had praise for Williams beyond the tools. “He’s a competitor. He wants to win. He wants to be one of the greatest quarterbacks to play this game,” he said. “I’m a huge fan of him, honestly.”
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez said the plan for Williams is about what happens after the first read. “You’ve got to play the second play. There’s a whole other play after the first play,” he said. “That’s one of his best talents, is extending plays.”
The players’ rep
Maye also confirmed that his teammates voted him the Patriots’ player representative this year. “It’s an honor to represent this team, represent the Patriots,” he said. He added that head coach Mike Vrabel was once the player rep in New England.
The Patriots play the 4-2 Bears at Soldier Field on Thursday, October 22, at 8:15 p.m. ET (3:15 a.m. Friday in Cairo).
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