New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was not pleased with the play recently of starting quarterback Drake Maye.
Vrabel talked about Maye’s inconsistent play and said he cannot take the day off from leadership, especially after he makes a mistake.
“The expectation is that he’s leading this football team,” Vrabel said on WEEI’s Greg Hill Show. “That’s what the job of the head coach and the quarterback is. That’s pretty much how this thing goes. And that he can’t take days off. I mean, sometimes the performance isn’t going to be extraordinary, but the leadership and the demeanor has to be. And I think he’s learning that. I love the fact that he’s willing to learn and push and try to do those things to where he’s demanding of everybody and making sure that everybody’s on the same page.”
Vrabel was upset with Maye after a fumble he had, and he made it clear he expects Maye to clean up the mistakes and keep his head in the game.
“Sometimes we just can’t try to make plays because they turn into bad ones,” Vrabel said. “I think he’ll learn from it and understand, OK. I’m not going to be able to play Superman all the time, and I can reserve the right to punt and help this football team flip the field, go play defense and get another crack at it.”
Many NFL experts expect Maye to make a jump this year as the Patriots' starter, with some thinking they may be contenders with the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East. Maye maybe on a short leash when it comes to the Patriots.
The Pats only gave former starter Mac Jones three years before he was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, so Vrabel may be sending Maye a warning.