Drake Maye’s second-year leap has his teammates ready to run through a brick wall for him

By Kyle Feldscher, CNN

San Jose, California (CNN) — In a mid-December game against the Buffalo Bills, Drake Maye took the snap, turned and tossed the ball to TreVeyon Henderson.

The rookie running back for the New England Patriots ran to the right and found his way blocked, so he switched directions and made a beeline for the opposite side of the field. The middle of the field was empty and the running back out of Ohio State sprinted down field.

All he needed was one more blocker to clear the way for him to get to the end zone. And he got it – from Maye.

The young quarterback out of the University of North Carolina, the youngest son of a family of prodigies who has gone from promising rookie to MVP-candidate in his second season, was sprinting right alongside his teammate as he broke loose down the field. Maye kept veering into the on-rushing Bills defender, giving his running back a better angle and finally threw a block at about the 20-yard line.

Henderson scored, putting the Pats ahead once again in a titanic battle of AFC East powerhouses. The Bills would go on to win, but that moment stuck with Henderson.

“That speaks for itself, the type of leader he is,” Henderson said on Monday.

Maye came out of UNC expecting to be a good professional quarterback. His rookie year reflected that promise, somewhat. He completed 66% of his passes and he threw for 15 touchdowns and a couple thousand yards as the Patriots suffered a dismal 4-13 season.

This year, the script has flipped. The Patriots finished the season 14-3, Maye passed for more than 4,000 yards, 31 touchdowns and – while his playoff performances haven’t exactly been outstanding – Maye has brought his team to the cusp of yet another Patriot Super Bowl title.

The on-field play has been great. But what his teammates have noticed is the change off the field.

“The leap he’s taken this year, I think, is the leadership role,” said veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson. “He’s a great leader. He demands the offense to do certain things. He’s looking at how we practice then he has something to say about it the next day, whether it was good practice, great practice, or, you know, a not so good one. So he’s just a vocal leader, he commands offense well.”

The learning curve

Ultimately, Drake Maye is a simple dude.

“Faith, family, football. That’s me. That’s me to a T,” he said on Monday.

There’s a sort of vibe around him that makes it seem like he was destined to be here on the Super Bowl stage. His dad played quarterback at UNC in the 1980s. Two of his brothers won national titles in college basketball. Another brother played for the Tarheels too. He exudes the kind of humble confidence that comes with being talented, but in the shadow of extremely talented brothers.

But even still, that first year in the NFL will rock any rookie’s confidence. For Maye, that tough rookie season was a learning opportunity rather than a setback.

“After a year under my belt just of playing quarterback in this league, you know how special that is, but also how much responsibility comes with that, you know, on and off the field,” he said Monday.

That’s led to that stepped-up leadership role that Stevenson talked about, from speaking up in the team facility to getting his offense together in the off-season to get to know each other and get on the same page before hitting training camp.

DeMario Douglas, one of New England’s wide receivers, said the trust Maye has developed with his receiving corps has been vital to the Patriots’ success this year.

“Everybody respects him. But before the season, he got us together, his receivers, his running backs, tight ends, made sure we were all on the same page,” Douglas told CNN Sports.

“I feel like that’s another that’s a good reason why we’re here in this position … He’s been growing – on the field, off the field, spiritually and, you know, mentally, and it’s been good for us.”

Maye feels it, even beyond the success on the field. Touchdowns, wins, big plays – those are all nice. But the measure of success for the second-year quarterback is simply getting more in tune with the idiosyncrasies of NFL life.

“I hope to be playing this league a long time, but you’re not taking for granted how different the two seasons have been,” Maye said Monday. “And just learning the experience of this league and the ups and downs of it, and the ebbs and flows, and knowing not to get too high on the highs, and not to get too low on the lows.”

The second coming? Not quite

Let’s be crystal clear about something: Drake Maye is not Tom Brady.

Sure, there are comparisons to be made. Brady also took the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his second year. They’re both spoken about in reverent ways by their teammates – “That’s my guy man, I know we’ll run through a brick wall for him and he’ll do the same for us,” Douglas told CNN Sports. Maye is quite a bit more athletic than Brady was at his age – the infamous photo of the former Michigan quarterback at the 2000 NFL combine comes to mind – but they’re both dedicated to their craft at a relentless level.

But Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel played with Brady and now coaches Maye. He’s not trying to put them in the same category.

“There will never be another Tom Brady and I’m not into comparisons,” Vrabel said. “I’ve said this – a large part of why I’m here is because of Drake Maye being the quarterback here and me wanting to coach him and be a part of this organization. So, I’m excited for his growth. I’m excited for what he’s done, and I’m excited for what he’s gonna do.”

Ultimately, the man whose nickname was once Drake Maye – yes, Drake “Drake Maye” Maye – doesn’t need to be anyone but himself.

Maye says he doesn’t know where that nickname came from – “There’s no real story to it. I think it kind of caught wave on social media. And the best thing about is nobody really knows exactly what it means. I think that’s what makes it cool” – but it’s an added emphasis that he is not expected to be Brady when the legions of Pats fans are already infatuated with their young star.

It’s not the only great nickname in the family. His wife, Ann Michael Maye, has gone viral for the sweet treats she makes her husband’s offensive line and become known as “Bake Maye.”

“She’s a baller. She’s the best at it, and, you know, I love her for it,” her husband said.

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