Patriots' Robert Spillane praises 'leader' Drake Maye after win over Buccaneers

Second-year quarterback Drake Maye helped the New England Patriots win their seventh consecutive game when he guided the club to an impressive 28-23 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3) that improved the Patriots to 8-2 on Sunday. 

Following that result, linebacker Robert Spillane spoke with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about what Maye has offered the Patriots beyond his stellar on-the-field contributions. 

Robert Spillane praises Drake Maye as Patriots leader

"He’s tough," Spillane said about Maye. "He’s a leader. He extends plays. He comes up huge in clutch situations on third down, and I couldn’t be more proud of him, to have him as one of my teammates. I mean, Drake’s toughness, to keep coming back at you with unwavering belief is who he is."

Maye's alleged need to improve as a leader under first-year Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was a storyline that hovered over the club throughout the offseason. Maye's teammates have made it known that they feel he warmly embraced that challenge, and he's also playing like a true franchise quarterback this fall. 

Pro Football Reference stats show that Maye entered Monday ranked fifth in the NFL among qualified players with a 72.9 adjusted QBR, sixth with a 113.9 passer rating, third with 2,555 passing yards and tied for third with 19 touchdown passes on the season. Additionally, he ended the weekend as the betting favorite to claim the Most Valuable Player Award for the season. 

Robert Spillane always believed Patriots could be this good

Some outsiders criticized the Patriots after they elected not to make an all-in move ahead of last Tuesday's trade deadline. While Spillane only signed with New England this past March, he indicated during his chat with Breer that he knew the 2025 Patriots could emerge as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. 

"...I have some level of delusion, player delusion, you might think," Spillane added. "I have an overwhelming sense of confidence in myself and in my teammates. I always have. So I thought we’d be 10–0 right now. We’re 8–2, but every week it’s a battle in the NFL, and we’re just going to continue to battle."

It sounds like Spillane will do everything possible to ensure the Patriots will be ready to battle for this coming Thursday's home game versus the lowly New York Jets (2-7). As of Monday morning, ESPN BET had New England as a 10.5-point favorite for that contest.