The Patriots‘ starting quarterback lost a fumble at the end of his opening drive, a third-down pass play he tried to extend past its expiration date. Maye was about to take a sack when he cocked his right arm to throw and the ball slipped behind him. Despite that pressure, allowed by rookie offensive linemen Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, coach Mike Vrabel put the fumble squarely on his quarterback.<\/b>
\nPatriots quarterback Drake Maye thought he was about to take the field for his first drive of the season Friday night, then had to stop.
His rookie teammate, TreVeyon Henderson, returned the opening kickoff of the Pats\u2019 preseason opener 100 yards for a touchdown in just 12 seconds. That sparked an eventual 48-18 win for the Pats, but the extra time it gave Maye didn\u2019t settle him down any.
The Patriots\u2019 starting quarterback lost a fumble at the end of his opening drive, a third-down pass play he tried to extend past its expiration date. Maye was about to take a sack when he cocked his right arm to throw and the ball slipped behind him. Despite that pressure, allowed by rookie offensive linemen Will Campbell and Jared Wilson, coach Mike Vrabel put the fumble squarely on his quarterback.
\u201cThat\u2019s a bad decision,\u201d Vrabel said after Friday\u2019s win. \u201cI think we\u2019re gonna need better from him, and I think he knows that, and that\u2019s obvious.\u201d
Maye, in his own post-game press conference, agreed.
\u201cThat\u2019s what coach is talking about. I\u2019ve got to do my part of protecting the football,\u201d he said.
Maye said he was playing off instinct, just six snaps into his first live game action since last January\u2019s season finale. He lasted only one series that day, and has since participated in practices where he can\u2019t get hit. Faced with the prospect of a negative play, Maye tried to escape instead of throwing the ball away, which is what Vrabel would have preferred.
\u201cWe just have to be able to find a way to get rid of the football. Or take a sack and punt and play defense,\u201d Vrabel said.
Last season, Maye had 10 interceptions and nine fumbles over 13 game appearances. The second-year signal caller is expected to make a leap this season under Vrabel and new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has introduced designed quarterback runs that last year\u2019s coaching staff was reluctant to implement for Maye. His only runs Friday, when he played just two series, were scrambles, but Maye\u2019s mobility figures to be a factor all season long \u2014 provided he protects the football.
\u201cWe were able to kind of convert and score running the football. Drake scrambled, right?\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cAgain, I\u2019m all for him using his ability to run when it\u2019s there. You saw him slide. You saw him be able to run in the end zone. Maybe just kind of how the game unfolded early.\u201d<\/p>\n