Remember when everybody was ready to sound the alarm on Drake Maye and the New England Patriots?
Yeah, that feels like a long time ago.
Just three weeks into the season, the Patriots quarterback was taking some serious heat. Six interceptions, the most in the NFL at the time, had fans wondering whether New England was watching another promising young quarterback head down the wrong road.
And after what happened with Mac Jones, you could hardly blame Patriots fans for being a little nervous.
But two weeks can change an awful lot in the NFL.
Maye has suddenly found his rhythm, the Patriots are winning football games, and now Tom Brady has something to say about all that early-season panic.
And wouldn’t you know it? The greatest quarterback in franchise history has heard this story before.
Tom Brady Weighs In on Drake Maye’s Early Season Struggles
During his latest weekly power rankings, Brady addressed Maye’s turnaround and the criticism that came with New England’s rocky start.
“Yeah, a tale as old as time in New England,” Brady said. “I’ve heard it before. I was there when it happened. The sky is falling in September and the Pats are dead in the water … until they aren’t.”
Sound familiar, Patriots fans?
Brady knows better than just about anybody how quickly the conversation can change in New England.
And right now, that conversation surrounding Maye looks considerably different than it did a couple of weeks ago.
The young quarterback followed up a victory over Buffalo with an impressive performance against the Las Vegas Raiders, throwing four touchdown passes and rushing for another in a 45-17 blowout.
That’s five touchdowns accounted for by a quarterback who was supposedly heading in the wrong direction just a few weeks earlier.
Not exactly the picture of a player falling apart.
“Drake, he responded so great,” Brady said. “There was a first real slump early in the season, but he’s throwing the ball with confidence now and the whole team is feeding off of it.”
And Brady wasn’t finished talking about his former team.
Patriots Offense Finds Its Rhythm Despite Missing Key Receivers
The Patriots accomplished something else against Las Vegas that should look familiar to longtime New England fans.
They found a way to move the football without having all their usual weapons available.
With A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins sidelined, Maye spread the ball around to nine different receivers and still helped New England put 45 points on the scoreboard.
During Brady’s playing days, that ability to produce regardless of who was catching passes became something of a Patriots trademark.
But Brady explained that building chemistry with receivers doesn’t happen overnight.
“To me, it’s all about time on task,” Brady said. “There’s only so much you can do in the offseason now. You’re limited in training camp. A lot of those real-time reps need to start adding up, that’s how you incorporate new guys into the scheme, into the system.”
He added that those game-day repetitions help quarterbacks develop trust with their receivers, especially when mistakes become learning opportunities.
Brady Revisits the Infamous Tuck Rule Game Against the Raiders
Of course, Brady had another reason to be paying attention to Sunday’s matchup.
The former Patriots quarterback is now a minority owner of the Raiders, making New England’s convincing victory over Las Vegas an interesting one for the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
Brady wasn’t at the game, which featured a halftime celebration honoring New England’s 2001 championship team.
But he did manage to work in a little humor about one of the most controversial moments in Patriots history.
“You know what?” Brady joked. “I’m starting to think it wasn’t a forward pass, and that I actually fumbled in the snow 25 years ago. Somebody get me on the stand, I’m ready to testify.”
Yes, even a quarter-century later, the Tuck Rule Game still gets people talking.
But Brady’s biggest statement had nothing to do with that famous playoff matchup.
It was about where the Patriots stand right now.
Tom Brady Delivers Strong Message About the Patriots’ Future
Brady placed New England at No. 7 in his latest power rankings, ahead of the Seattle Seahawks and just behind the Baltimore Ravens.
That’s quite a vote of confidence for a team that had people questioning its quarterback just a few weeks ago.
And Brady closed his assessment with a message that Patriots fans might want to remember the next time things get a little uncomfortable.
“I think Aaron Rodgers said it best all those years ago,” Brady said. “Relax, everyone. This is a damn good football team.”
There you have it.
The man who helped build the Patriots dynasty isn’t ready to crown Maye the next great New England quarterback.
But he’s certainly not buying the panic anymore, either.
And after watching Maye account for five touchdowns against the Raiders, it’s getting harder to argue with him.
