TRANSCRIPT: Drake Maye’s Postgame Press Conference 1/4
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Here’s what New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had to say following the Patriots’ win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
On the fact he was here last year and now 14 wins, and they’ll host the Chargers next weekend and how excited he is about what they’ve been able to accomplish both today and all season:
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve come a long way. I think it takes everybody. It took everybody in the locker room, took every coach, and I think it starts now. It’s what we wanted, one of the goals, host home playoff games, and this is what we wanted to [do]. So it’s win or go home, and the mentality. The mentality changes from that standpoint, but really, I think we just have to stay playing like us. We’ve built this identity and played to it, and I think good things happen.”
On if he has any relationship with Justin Herbert, and what does he like about him as a quarterback:
“Yeah, I haven’t. I don’t know if I’ve met Justin. I don’t think I have. I know him through people and heard great things. Obviously, I love his game. I love the way he throws the football. Throws at a really high level. He can make plays on the move, can make plays off platform. He can launch it. I think just the way he holds himself and cares about his teammates, and it’s really about the team and not about himself. I have a lot of respect for Justin and how he plays the game and plays at a really high level.”
On what he feels like his greatest accomplishments were this year, whether it’s from a statistical standpoint with the QB rating or whatever he’s been able to accomplish, and what stands out to him and what he’s most proud of:
“I think 14 wins. That’s the first thing that comes to mind. 14 wins and probably 8-0 on the road. That’s probably the biggest thing I’m most proud of. Just going on the road eight times and coming out victorious, all of them, so that was pretty cool. And from there, I think just the ability to get a lot of people involved. I think that’s one of the best things about our offense. We get a lot of people involved, a lot of people catching passes, a lot of people scoring touchdowns, a lot of guys that are making plays at different parts of the game. And I think that’s one of the toughest things about the ways to defend us. So that’s probably what I’m most proud of.”
On the fact Drake, Christian [Gonzalez] just mentioned they might not even enjoy this one tonight because obviously the playoffs are here next weekend, and what was the messaging in the locker room as far as that goes:
“Yeah, that’s what Coach Vrabel just hit on at the end. It’s a new, different ball game. It’s win or go home. And that’s what you laid it all on the line. This is what you play in the NFL for. Playoff games, playoff games at home on a home crowd. And we got a tough opponent coming in. I know they got some great players, and we obviously saw them here last year. So I think they’re a good team.”
On the fact they were up 14-0 everything looked great, then it was 14-10, and things were stumbling a little bit, and what made them able to find their rhythm again after that and score 24 straight points to end the game:
“I think it’s just staying true to us. I think on offense, it’s staying on track, getting ahead of the chains. I think the first three-and-out we had, it was three straight incompletions. I got to find a way to get the ball in people’s hands to make some plays and not have three incompletions. Then from there, we had the field goal that got blocked. Then just wanted to play true to us. That wasn’t really something that they were doing. It was just us executing, played a lot of zone tonight. Just executing versus zone, getting good spacing, and find ways to catch it and get upfield. From there, our defense made some big plays. Coming out of the half, the interception was huge, and we just didn’t stop from there.”
On how he would you describe Rhamondre Stevenson’s impact of late and now the opportunity to use him in the passing game the way they have the last few weeks, complementing what TreVeyon has been able to do:
“Yeah, he’s a tough back. He can move. He’s agile. He’s got a little jump cut, two-foot jump cut that I just love watching on film. He just makes people miss like that. He’s got great hands. He’s smart. He blocks and protection, unbelievable this year. He always tells me ‘I owe him something.’ I really do. I do owe him something. He’s done a great job.”
“Then from there, we’re trying to have backs that can do it in all three phases, running the football, catching the football, and blocking. I think him and TreVeyon have done a great job of that. Obviously, we missed AG [Antonio Gibson], but AG is another one. Having three backs that can do that. Rhamondre is just … you guys see him around here. He’s as cool as can be and calm and chill. He’s a great player in this league.”
On the fact he mentioned the 14 wins being the accomplishment that he seized on the most, and the fact this team won four games last year, and it won four the year before that, and how does that happen, and how this transformation happened so quickly:
“I think it starts from top down. I think from the Krafts to them deciding to hire Coach Vrabel, to bringing him in here, and just really just buying into what he was coaching us hard and coaching us to believe in. I think from there, it’s us players that got some new players in here, some new faces that I think that from the organization has really gelled well together. We enjoy being around these guys. I know a lot of the defensive guys well and enjoy being around them. I don’t think it’s really any ‘me, me, me.’ I think the most ‘me, me, me’ you saw this year is just getting some guys, some incentives out there tonight. That was probably the most. That’s just something that they’ve earned. I think from there, everybody pulls for each other. We’re trying to get off the sideline to pump each other up. It’s never a doubt in belief in what this team can do. It works all three phases. We have a lot of belief in each other, and we hang out and enjoy being around each other.”
On the fact Stefon Diggs hit an incentive for going over a thousand receiving yards this season, and for a guy who’s coming back from an ACL injury to now have the season he’s had, just what has his impact on this team meant and just what has he shown throughout this season to be able to reach this accomplishment:
“First off, credit to Stef for his ability to bounce back and heal up from an injury like that in such a short period of time. Really, since the time I met him, first time I met him, and I got the receivers together in the offseason and invited him thinking, ‘Okay, we’ll see. Who knows? Stef’s big time.’ If he’ll show up, and he showed up and was running routes back home in North Carolina. From that point on, I feel like, Man, looking forward to getting with him on the field and seeing him do his thing. He’s done his thing time and time again. Some games, he’s not getting the ball as much as any receiver would want to, and he’s still trying to block hard and keeps the energy up and breaking the team down and motivating me. I think he’s meant the world to me, and I appreciate every time I go out there with him and a player like him. Just don’t take that for granted. Looking forward to seeing him in playoff football.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This transcript was done based on the available footage and is subject to typographical errors. If you spot anything, please let me know in the comments below.)
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