TRANSCRIPT: Drake Maye’s Press Conference 7/31
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Here’s what Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had to say during his press conference with the media on Thursday, July 31, 2025:
On how he’s feeling about his own performance and progression:
“Yeah, I think just keep going. I think just keep working, keep building chemistry. There’s throws that I wish I had back. Missed some touchdowns, you know, two practices ago in the red zone. There’s just … that’s what you’re out here for. You know, I think you… I hurt myself on trying to make those throws and make the easy ones, but that’s what it’s out here. Timing. And the guys up front are battling their butts off. It’s a little better against the defense. We were able to run the football on them a little bit, and they’re not just playing the pass. So I think we’re coming together, you know, gelling nicely and I think, you know, just keep on. You’ve got a good look with our defense. They have some good players over there, so we’re getting some great work, and we just got to keep building into the joint practices and keep it going.
On if he feels an upward progession for himself right now:
“I mean, that’s what you hope. I think, you know, I’m trying to get comfortable in this offense, kind of take the next steps as we go. And I think, you know, the real test will be when the games come and when we get in these joint practices. So I’m looking forward. You know, I’m proud of, you know, the work we’ve done, and I feel good. I feel in a good spot, but, you know, I think it’s still a lot of work left. ”
On if he knows how in baseball you’re not supposed to talk to a pitcher about a no-hitter:
“Yeah. Oh, yeah.”
On if the same thing applies if a guy has gone through six practices of training camp and hasn’t thrown an interception:
“You know, I think it’s one of those things where I’m trying to take care of the football, and maybe they could have had a few here and there. I think Pep should have had one on the first, you know, practice. I joked with him about it, but yeah, I think that’s a goal of ours to take care of the football. And I think, you know, not trying to, like I said, yeah, throw off the perfect game or no-hitter, but I think that’s part of it. Not scared to throw it. I’m still not gun-shy.”
On the fact it’s interesting that he’s not afraid to throw it into tight areas, it’s not checkdown after checkdown, and if he feels like he’s an equal opportunity quarterback because he’s still getting to know a lot of these players too:
“Oh, 100%. I think it’s, you know, it’s easy to throw the check down or, you know, it’s not realistic. Moving the football and getting big kind of chunk plays, which are the plays you want in games when you’re not throwing the ball down the field and throwing in tight windows. And I think I did a little bit of that in the spring, trying to throw in some tighter windows and, you know, I think just, you know, threw a little more interceptions. But that’s what you’re out here for. You know, you try to kind of feel, ‘Hey, can this work’ or ‘Can this work against these guys at this level?’ So I try to use it as that and kind of once as we’re closer to football time, start playing some real, ‘Hey, take care of the football’ mindset.”
On the fact Josh Dobbs talked the other day about Josh McDaniels trying to take advantage of the quarterbacks’ athleticism and if he sees any change in philosophy in terms of how much they want him to run the ball:
“Yeah, I mean, I think it’s an even balance of, you know, gain extra hat. Having a quarterback being able to run the football, he gets an extra number. You know, you make it 11 on 11 instead of 10 on 11. So I think it’s always a, you know, it’s a useful [thing]. And I think at the end of the day, I’ll make some plays kind of off schedule anyway. But mixing in the quarterback run game, it’s something I’m open to. And I think it’s always tough when a defense has to cover that and keep that in mind.”
On if Josh McDaniels is open to that:
“I think whatever they put me up to, I’m up for it. So I think it’s, you know, that they do a good job and coaches, you know, won some Super Bowls, you know, coaching the offense. So I’m kind of prepared for whatever.”
On the fact Mike Vrabel mentioned when talking about the quarterbacks like, ‘I get you, these young palyers are fearless, but they have to learn how to protect themselves,’ and if he’s hammering that point home to him:
“Yeah, I think that’s important. I think I faced that in college. My first year, I was really kind of running around and, you know, doing some stuff I probably shouldn’t have out there with pads on. So I think just taking care of my body and being smart, but also, you know, knowing when it’s third down, when it’s, you know, near the end zone, like I’m 6’5” and 230 pounds. Go, go get something.”
On with the offensive line and how he’s seeing that come together after the first week:
“I think those guys are battling. I think they’re battling. We’re using different cadences, we’re using different pros, we’re changing mic points. Like they’re really getting a good grasp of it. I’m proud of those guys up front. We got next man up mentality. Some guys are getting banged up, and some guys are fighting through injuries. So just part of the position. They don’t get enough love ever. And I think, you know, the coaching staff and what the offensive linemen doing, you know, I think they will be doing throughout the whole season, it’s going to be impressive.”
On where he feels Josh McDaniels has been able to develop him the most:
“Yeah, just. Just playing the position, you know, it’s tough to coach the position, let alone play it. I think it’s, you know, the big thing is having somebody in that room who, you know, wants to challenge you, wants to coach me hard…”
“You talking McDaniels, or Dobbs?”
Coach [McDaniels]
“Yeah, Dobbs has been great in the room as well. But coach, yeah, I think, who’s done it at a high level, who’s been a head coach, who’s seen a lot of different stuff, who’s seen the kind of evolution of the game of football in the past 20 years coaching it. So I think he’s got a lot of experience, and I think I’m just trying to, you know, ask some questions and pick his brain and try to, you know, soak up everything I can.”
On the fact back in the spring he talked about the added expections and of being a leader, and if he feels the arrow is still pointed in the right direction at this stage of camp:
“You know, it’s hard to put expectations on it, but I think, you know, I like where we’re at. I think we’re practicing hard. We’re coming out here in these walkthroughs and focusing, and details, and I think there’s going to be times where, you know, there’s days out here we didn’t feel like we had as good practice as we wanted. But right now I feel like we got a good head of steam going. I think we’re going to have a scrimmage tomorrow, which will be fun, splitting up the team. So I think, looking forward to that. And I think, you find out you’re going to have a chance every week to go out there and prove yourself, and a lot of these games come down to one score, so that’s what the details and the little things are about.”
On how much he’s been working specifically with Stefon Diggs and the fact it seems they already have a good rapport, especially down in the red zone, as well as what he does specifically well:
“I think it’s just his mindset, just attacking the football. You know, a guy like that, you know, with his stature, who’s, you know, caught a lot of touchdowns in this league and made a lot of big plays, he wants to go get the football. He tells me all the time, just ‘If the ball’s in the air, it’s going to be mine.’ So I think it’s comforting hearing that from those guys, and I think that’s kind of starting to become something in the receiver room that’s the mindset. You know, when the ball’s in the air, go get it. So I think it’s comfortable hearing that, and it’s comfortable a guy who’s also gone out there and proved it.”
On when he makes a comment like that if he already has the confidence in him that when he throws the ball up there, he’s going to be able to catch it, and how does he build that connection:
“Yeah, I mean, it comes with me making a good throw as well. So that’s just trying to do my part and let those guys, you know, they get paid a lot of money too. So let those guys make their plays and just kind of comes off the feeding off each other of letting them do their part and kind of doing mine.”
On the fact Diggs doesn’t tell you what you want to hear, he tells you what you need to hear and if he’s had that kind of experience:
“Yeah. I think that’s huge. I think that’s kind of what we’re trying to build around here. I think it starts with the head coach of telling you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear. I think that’s a good start to where we want to go. And I think, you know, there’s times where you need to love somebody up a little extra, but I think it comes down from the head coach, and it’s kind of, you know, top down.”
On the fact there have been a couple of issues with the center, quarterback exchange and what he thinks is causing those issues and if he thinks they have it fixed at this point:
“Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, sometimes it gets. It’s fall camp, it’s 95 degrees out here, you know, but at the same time you can’t put the ball on the ground. Some of it’s a little pre snap, you know, being on the same page. And I think other than that, it’s my part to get on there and get the ball. So it’s not a big issue and I think it’s something that these guys have figured down. They got a tough job, they got, not talking football, but they got a big 350 pound guy and they’re moving right and they’re snapping it with the same hand and then coming up to block them. It’s a tough part on them and it’s just feeling stuff like that. That’s pretty cool. Seeing how that stuff works out and how much that stuff changes.”
On how the pre-snap stuff is going, setting the protections and all the stuff going on:
“It helps I did in college, you know, kind of sent the line, me and my center, we kind of sent the line where we wanted and changed it and a little bit of that. And there’s a little bit of that last year of getting the protection right. But I think it’s starting to come along. I think it’s nice knowing, you know, it’s my job to send those guys to the right spot and get them on the same page and get all those guys, all 11 of us, it starts with me, kind of right out the huddle of getting the guys in the right spot and getting the play started and starting with a good huddle. So I feel I’m in a good spot, and I think those guys are doing a good job of, you know, listening to me. And if it’s a look that we need to change it they’ve done a great job, so thank you, guys.”
(Editor’s Note: This transcript is done via the available footage and is subject to typos. If you spot something, please take a moment to let me know in the comments below.)
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