Recreation Changers: Inside Patriots QB Drake Maye's Bond With His Offensive Line

[ad_1] Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.) — Having simply clinched a visit to the Tremendous Bowl, Drake Maye waited for his flip to step as much as the stage at Empower Discipline at Mile Excessive in Denver. The New England Patriots quarterback completed off the Broncos within the AFC Championship Recreation in a white-out blizzard — and the snow saved coming.

Ready for his cue to talk to the gang and the TV viewers, Maye appeared stressed and, frankly, unwilling to go up on stage. You may see as a lot within the workforce’s mic’d-up video.

"Get the O-line up right here, man," Maye mentioned. "I don’t wish to be up right here if no person else is up right here."

Ask Maye about his success throwing the deep ball and he’ll credit score his offensive line for giving him the time to throw. Ask Maye about the best way the Patriots received the sport — nearly any recreation — and he’ll carry up his offensive line. Ask Maye who his greatest pals are on the workforce and he’ll in all probability listing a couple of offensive linemen.

"When your friends discover the exhausting work that we put in day-after-day — and clearly we do not get acknowledged as a lot as most positions — it is at all times a humbling expertise," deal with Morgan Moses instructed me within the Patriots' locker room after follow final week. "It is the kind of man our quarterback is. He is by no means searching for the reward. He is at all times seeking to put it on someone else.

"And that is a type of an incredible chief, understanding that he did not get right here by himself."

Each quarterback is indebted to his offensive line. When the road performs effectively, the QB will get the credit score. Maye is among the prime two candidates for the NFL MVP award this season, whereas there aren't many individuals who know Moses' identify. However when the offensive line doesn’t play effectively, the linemen get countless criticism — as we noticed final 12 months in New England.

In order that second earlier than Maye went on stage — and seemed to defer the credit score — felt important.

"That is who he's," middle Garrett Bradbury instructed me at follow. "I feel the blokes that know him know that it doesn't matter what his position is, irrespective of how well-liked he is gonna get, the person accolades he deserves — he would not play for any of that stuff. He simply needs to be one of many guys. He needs to win collectively as a workforce. … He doesn’t need the highlight, which is cool, particularly for that place."

Drake Maye leads a huddle throughout the first quarter of the AFC Championship Recreation in Denver. (Photograph by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Photographs)

Typically, a quarterback’s relationship along with his offensive line can really feel inauthentic. There’s the expectation, for instance, that each beginning QB will purchase costly Christmas presents for his linemen. In Maye’s case, he purchased saunas for his line.

"As offensive linemen, we reside in that sauna," Patriots guard Jared Wilson instructed me.

However Maye has gone above and past what quarterbacks usually do for the road. Take, for instance, final spring when the veteran Bradbury moved in with the second-year QB.

Bradbury had simply been launched by the Minnesota Vikings after six seasons, and his household had relocated to Charlotte briefly. His spouse was due in June with their second daughter. And as Bradbury famous, "It isn't low-cost to reside up right here." So, reasonably than discover a short-term lease or purchase a house, the 30-year-old Bradbury crashed with the 23-year-old Maye.

They have been aware of each other as a result of Bradbury’s brother-in-law performed baseball with Maye’s brother, Cole, at Florida. However they honestly acquired to know one another within the spring, once they spent most of their time watching basketball.

"It felt like going again to school — having a roommate," Bradbury mentioned. "He was an incredible roommate. He can sleep on command, which is fairly spectacular. He'd come house from an extended day [of OTAs or minicamp] and simply move out on the sofa."

(For what it is value, Mike Vrabel opened his house to fellow teammates when he performed for the Patriots and to fellow coaches extra not too long ago. It is one of many some ways Vrabel and Maye are alike.)

Maye celebrates with former roommate Garrett Bradbury after a landing towards the Texans within the AFC divisional spherical. (Photograph by Winslow Townson/Getty Photographs)

There are small gestures, too, which Maye in all probability doesn’t even notice he’s doing. However after the Patriots beat the Chargers within the wild-card spherical, Maye frolicked at his locker chatting with teammates, reporters and, maybe most significantly, Moses’ three sons. They instructed the QB that they've his rookie card, and it appeared fairly clear that it is one in every of their prized possessions.

If you would like a way of how essential fatherhood is to Moses, simply have a look at what he did instantly after successful the AFC Championship Recreation — he referred to as his three boys. So it was particular to see Maye spending a while with an offensive lineman's children within the locker room.

"I discuss my boys on a regular basis, so quite a lot of the blokes in right here know what my boys imply to me," Moses instructed me within the locker room. "We spend quite a lot of time away from our households to have the ability to play this recreation. Guys seen that, and when you have got someone like Drake and [lineman] Will [Campbell] that take the day out to make them really feel welcome and really feel like household, it is an incredible final result."

Maye’s bond along with his offensive line is actual. It’s part of the workforce’s DNA. And it’s actually not that large of a deal, in a method, as a result of Maye makes an effort to be tight with everybody on the workforce, from his receivers to his O-line to his protection.

However in relation to the blokes who've modified Maye’s profession trajectory, his line ranks excessive on the listing.

"I undoubtedly say culturally, for certain, there's been some change," veteran deal with Vederian Lowe mentioned when requested in regards to the distinction this season in New England. "They introduced in some nice new guys. … I feel that the mixture of all these issues — together with Coach Vrabel establishing an id for us to abide by each single day. That basically helped flip round our unit."

The road has had its ups and downs, together with the largest identify, first-round left deal with Campbell, who throughout the playoffs allowed 5 pressures towards the Chargers and 4 extra towards the Texans (together with two sacks). However he adopted that efficiency with a zero-sack, two-pressure outing on Maye’s 29 dropbacks within the AFC title recreation.

For all of the instances Maye has gone out of his method to maintain his line, it was Campbell who went over to the QB earlier than New England's game-winning drive towards the Broncos.

"I hope you know the way a lot I really like you," Campbell mentioned to Maye on the sphere.

That appears to be what issues most to Maye. Not the highlight. Not the eye. Not the awards. It is the relationships he is constructed — and the need to ship a Tremendous Bowl to his guys.

And moments after Campbell spoke to Maye, the QB did simply that. He ran for a primary down to finish the AFC Championship Recreation and provides his guys a shot on the Lombardi Trophy.