Content Post A dead period topic - Drake Maye expectations for year 3 - Realistic and otherwise

[PatsFan2]

For Maye it's all about the O-Line.

Looking forward to seeing the groupings in camp.

He was given weapons also I really hope TE Eli Raridon is the real deal. He would be a Huge Plus for our Offense if him and Maye clicks.

 

[PatsFan2]

Our WR1 and WR2 are new to our system.

Listen to Julian Edelman on the Pats' playbook. Took him 3 years until he was comfortable in the system and 5 years to achieve a mind-meld with Brady:



Randy Moss of course thrived in year one, but Belichick said something to the effect that Moss was one of the smartest receivers he had ever coached.

The Squirrel had a tougher uphill battle because he had to learn how to play WR. Him originally being a QB: some guys don't pan out on that switch: the squirrel eventually did. That said: regarding A.J. Brown and R Doubs they should transition easily being accomplished WR's already. I mean Danny Amendola and Jabar Gaffney clicked with Brady day one in Josh's system.

 

[1960Pats]

I will be shocked to beat Seattle. Jax in September is brutal and I am no Lawrence fan, but he is better than Tua. NE beat the Phins last season in Miami, but that team was already showing cracks.

I dont see NE beating the Bills in Buffalo this year.

Yes. Everybody is counting the chickens before they're hatched like Maye is the next Pats HOFer.

After the Cinderella season last year that nobody saw coming, I expect 2026 to be a down year.

I can see the Pats beating anyone this year.

It took me a while but I see Maye as the real deal.

After losing in the SB, a down year is more probable than not.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The Squirrel had tougher uphill battle because he had to learn how to play WR. Him originally being a QB: some guys don't pan out on that switch: the squirrel eventually did. That said: regarding A.J. Brown and R Doubs they should transition easily being accomplished WR's already. I mean Danny Amendola and Jabar Gaffney clicked with Brady day one in Josh's system.

And, of course so did Welker.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Many people don't know this about Aaron Hernandez, but he picked up the playbook with ease which was why he was targeted so much early his rookie season. He was a really talented player. It's a shame:

 

[neuronet]

By all accounts aj brown is high iq wr (maybe not moss level but a student of the game and sharp as hell). Bodes well for Maye in second year under McDaniels.

 

[DarrylS]

Last year my hope was that his pedestrian '24 TD to Int ratio would get better than 15 TD's and 10 Int's.
He accomplished that goal, quite well with a 31 to 8 ratio.
Anticipate with another year in Josh's system, what looks like a more formidable line, Reggie Gilliam, more seasoned receivers and AJ Brown he will continue to improve.

 

[jdlboot14]

It is very reasonable to assume that the offense will be more dynamic with these advancements...
- Maye, Campbell, Wilson, Hendo, KW, and *Larison in their 2nd year in JMD's system
- Brown, Doubs, Gilliam, Raridon, AVT and Lomu, additions

The potential reasons for offensive stagnation...
- OL inconsistency (losing Bradbury, Moses aging or injury, if AVT can't play a full year, Wilson struggles at Center)
- WR changeover (if Brown & Doubs don't catch on fast, resorting to Pop & Boutte as #1 pair, KW doesn't develop)
- Henry gets hurt and we don't have a legit TE.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

The Squirrel had a tougher uphill battle because he had to learn how to play WR. Him originally being a QB: some guys don't pan out on that switch: the squirrel eventually did. That said: regarding A.J. Brown and R Doubs they should transition easily being accomplished WR's already. I mean Danny Amendola and Jabar Gaffney clicked with Brady day one in Josh's system.

Good point. Also the slot was a particularly complex position with Brady - the whole Hoss/Juke thing that they feasted on for years. We've not really seen that much with Maye to date for whatever reason. Partly less needed because of Maye's greater athleticism and stronger arm, partly because no Jules substitute quite yet, and partly because it requires more of a QB/WR mind meld that isn't fully developed yet.

 

[patfanken]

He was given weapons also I really hope TE Eli Raridon is the real deal. He would be a Huge Plus for our Offense if him and Maye clicks.

My expectations for Riordin are going to be moderate at best. TE is a tough position to develop in. 4-500 yds would be a spectacular first year IMO. IIRC, the Bear's rookie TE didn't do much to start the year and he was the first TE taken and didn't do most of his damage until the last 3rd of the year. It takes time for TE's to start to reach their primes. 2-3 years in most cases. Eli was a THIRD round pick. Great potential, but still not exactly a top pick. He only started one season for ND.

 

[Triumph]

I can see the Pats beating anyone this year.

It took me a while but I see Maye as the real deal.

I need to see more. I want to see Maye adjust and succeed when DCs take away his go to plays.

After losing in the SB, a down year is more probable than not.

Thats the way Im leaning.

 

[PatsFan2]

I need to see more. I want to see Maye adjust and succeed when DCs take away his go to plays.

Thats the way Im leaning.

Not with AJB - Boutte and Doubs: that's a lot of fire power they could make our TE's feast. Also Rham cleaned up his fumbles last year: Rham was a Beast in the Blocking game and a very underrated pass catcher. Our Offense Should be really good barring injuries.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

Pats receivers did really well last year based on ESPN rankings - some pretty surprising rankings here with Pats receivers in the number 1 spot in each aspect (but not overall). And Brown one of only two receivers (Pakua the other) in top 16 in each category (as noted by Reiss).

NFL Receiver Scores - ESPN Analytics

Models and data visualization from ESPN Analytics. NBA & NFL Draft, schedule analysis, receiver scores and more.

espnanalytics.com

 

[PatsFan2]

My expectations for Riordin are going to be moderate at best. TE is a tough position to develop in. 4-500 yds would be a spectacular first year IMO. IIRC, the Bear's rookie TE didn't do much to start the year and he was the first TE taken and didn't do most of his damage until the last 3rd of the year. It takes time for TE's to start to reach their primes. 2-3 years in most cases. Eli was a THIRD round pick. Great potential, but still not exactly a top pick. He only started one season for ND.

Colston Loveland is a Beast Tyler Warren too: IF Eli Raridon is half as good of them we have something.

 

[neuronet]

Pats receivers did really well last year based on ESPN rankings - some pretty surprising rankings here with Pats receivers in the number 1 spot in each aspect (but not overall). And Brown one of only two receivers (Pakua the other) in top 16 in each category (as noted by Reiss).

NFL Receiver Scores - ESPN Analytics

Models and data visualization from ESPN Analytics. NBA & NFL Draft, schedule analysis, receiver scores and more.

espnanalytics.com

I was amazed last year at how few drops our WRs had. It was pretty incredible. Was it something coached were they working with the juggs machine a lot? To block the obvious suggestion: it wasn't just Maye's accuracy -- there were balls that they had no business catching that they were coming down with: behind, overthrown, underthrown, some crazy-ass circus catches. It was really impressive. I honestly don't remember the last time our WR group had such good hands as last year. Was it Diggs giving them tips? I don't know!

Note I haven't looked at the stats, this is all just based on my eyeball machine.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

I was amazed last year at how few drops our WRs had. It was pretty incredible.

That's some argument for last year being an over-performance and pointing to a regression to the mean this year. Some of Boutte's catches in particular were mind-boggling.

 

[PatsFan2]

That's some argument for last year being an over-performance and pointing to a regression to the mean this year. Some of Boutte's catches in particular were mind-boggling.

I keep thinking "what could have been" if he didn't have that head injury. Boutte was off to a very Fast start and then the injury early in that Atlanta Falcons game. His game kinda slowed after that: I think he's very underrated by some here. I feel he could have have had a Alec Pierce type year with good health.