Here’s what Drake Maye had to say following the Patriots’ frustrating loss to the Steelers on Sunday:
On how frustrating a day this is when you move the ball pretty well, but they just keep turning the ball over:
“Yeah, just hurting ourselves. Yeah, it’s..It hurts. You know, I think it’s one of those things that, yeah, just kept, like, it kept piling on and I think big Morgan Moses brought the team together, brought the offense together, and went back and we scored. I hit Hunt [Hunter Henry], and then, yeah, we got the ball back tied and, yeah, just I costed us.”
“So it hurts. I think it hurts. I think something to learn from shoot, it’s a long season. Defense played their butts off, and the guys in the locker room are playing hard. They’re fighting hard. So, you know, it’s tough and it stings. And, you know, just knowing we hurt ourselves and that’s what costed us.”
On specifically, what happened on the second quarter interception in the end zone right before the half:
“Yeah, you know, I had [Kayshon] Boutte. You know, I fired it in there, and I think 97 got a hand on it and just kind of took it a different route. You know, it was a good play by him, but, yeah, I think I could have gave him a different ball flight for, you know, I think in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown.”
“So, yeah, just like I said, one of those things that stings. You know, I was thinking about it, you know, all halftime. You just gotta move on.”
On the fact two plays prior to that, he got hit pretty hard, the back of his helmet slammed against the turf and if he was surprised not to get evaluated and if he had any thought of coming out, and if he was in pain and if he thought it affected the interception:
“No, you know, I wouldn’t … Shoot. I felt good. You know, I learned from last year, if you get, you know, banged up, you got to get back up quick or they’ll spot you. So, no, I felt fine and, you know, feel good now, so just, shoot, two good players that trying to get after quarterback. It happens.”
On the last play, the fourth down, there’s a timeout, and what the conversations are like on the sideline about the look he expected and then how did he see that play develop:
“Yeah, it’s expecting pressure. You’re expecting to get something out quick. You know, I think I wish I would have told those guys, you know, fourth and one, just try to, you know, catch it and get up field, you know, I wish I would have told them that in the huddle. Those little things go a long way, but yeah, nothing Pop did wrong, just he was trying to make a play. I wish…Yeah, just, you know, expecting some type of blitz. Look, I think they played some blitz trap deal, but yeah, I think that’s this league. You got the ball, tied up, and you know, I costed us and then we got the ball, you know, going down to tie to send it to overtime. And you know, that’s the NFL. So it’s. tough, but it’s a great experience.”
On what he can you say to Ramondre after this game and what can he say to him to just assure him he’s still an integral piece of this team:
“Yeah, he’s one of our best players. You know, I think there’s nothing that I think he can do that, you know, would change my view of him as a player, as a teammate. He does everything the right way. He knows just as much as we know ball security is the number one thing as a running back. He’s had a great season and was great last week, and that’s this league. One week you’re a heck of a game, and he’s on the right track this game, and you know, that happens. So I think he knows just as much as anybody else. So just pump him up, be there for him, and you know, we know we need him throughout the season.”
On the fact he’s disappointed in his fumble late, but he also had a number of scrambles off schedule that were successful and got a lot of first downs and when he thinks about how to make that last play better moving forward, what does he see as his fix, and if it’s less off schedule playmaking, holding the ball tighter, and what does he think the lesson is from today:
“Yeah, I just saw TreVeyon late and tried to do something, you know, stupid. So, yeah, really, I don’t think it’s just continue playing, you know, I think, you know, my capability to feed outside the pocket makes it tough on them. You know, they’re good front thought those guys up front block their butts off. But yeah, just be more decisive and, you know, if I take a sack to take care of the football, that’s the number one thing.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
