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The New England Patriots appear to have found their franchise quarterback in Drake Maye, and he is certainly a deviation of what Patriots fans have become accustomed to under center.
While Tom Brady was a classic traditional pocket passer, Maye has some wheels and racked up 421 rushing yards and a couple of touchdowns while averaging a robust 7.8 yards per carry during his rookie campaign.
Prior to Brady, the Patriots had an even less athletic quarterback in Dre w Bledsoe, and during a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show, Bledsoe revealed that he is jealous of Maye's speed.
“It’s such a great weapon and something, quite honestly, I’m a little bit jealous of,” Bledsoe said. “... I’m not saying do it more, but the ability to do that really changes him."
Maye definitely utilized his athleticism quite a bit last season, and it added a new dynamic to a struggling New England offense.
Bledsoe even went as far to bring up Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes as someone Maye could potentially emulate as far as using his legs.
"You watch Pat Mahomes, it seems like every game, Pat would make one big play running the ball. Obviously, he’s mag ic throwing the ball," he added. "It always seemed like in crunch time he’d pull it down to run for that first down that was just a backbreaker. I think Drake Maye has the ability to do that.”
Maye threw for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 66.6 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 88.1 during his debut season, and he did that while having very limited weaponry at his disposal.
The Pats made sure to add some playmakers for Maye this offseason, so perhaps the 22-year-old could truly break out in 2025.
More must-reads:
- Browns have major injury concern on offense after starter exits game
- Falcons HC speaks out after offensive starter gets carted off practice field with concerning injury
- The '2024-25 NFL rushing touchdown leaders' quiz
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Cowboys' Micah Parsons seen taking bizarre action in preseason finale
Micah Parsons showed up for the Dallas Cowboys' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons in body only. The star pass-rusher showed no spirit and did not dress amid his hold-in for a contract extension. On Thursday, Parsons scrubbed the Cowboys from his social media feed. During Friday's game, he couldn't be bothered to be with his teammates on the sideline watching the whole game. Per a photo posted on X by The Athletic's Jon Machota, Parsons was seen lying down on a trainer's table during the contest. Parsons' actions come amid a turbulent week between his representation and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. In separate interviews, Jones told both Michael Irvin and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he did not plan to back down from his agreement with Parsons to work with agent David Mulugheta. During the pregame show on Friday, Jones boasted to 105.3 The Fan that defensive end is where the Cowboys have the most depth on the roster. "Frankly, our defensive ends may be the best depth, where we have the most talent of any position on the field," Jones said via Machota. "I'm excited about our depth and our numbers at pass rusher. ... I'm concerned because of having space on the roster to keep that many of our guys that have pass rushing ability." Following Friday night's game, the Cowboys' preseason is over. The situation between Jones and Parsons is not ideal for first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is tasked with trimming the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. If Parsons is traded or chooses not to play in Week 1, Schottenheimer is going to have to decide to take away depth from what Jones sees as a weaker part of the team to boost a unit that is without their best player because he won't negotiate with Mulugheta.
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Kevin O'Connell bids farewell to Harrison Phillips, gives injury updates
Kevin O'Connell opened his press conference after Friday night's preseason finale in Tennessee by discussing the difficulty of trading away Harrison Phillips, a team captain who had started every single game for Minnesota over the past three seasons. "Did want to start out just talking about Harrison Phillips for a quick second," he said. "Obviously, a tough move to make considering just how impactful he's been to the Minnesota Vikings and our organization, on and off the field. First free agent we signed when Kwesi and I got here, and he was the first one we signed for a reason. The type of man he is, the type of teammate, the type of leader. "Moves like that are not made without a lot of thought. I got a chance to spend a lot of good time with Harrison, and I also had a chance to talk to (Aaron Glenn) and (Darren Mougey) in New York about the type of player they were getting. I know he'll have the same impact there, in a new regime there. As they build their culture up, Harrison Phillips will be great for it." The Vikings clearly felt Phillips was expendable due to the additions of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, as well as the progress shown by a wave of young defensive tackles on their roster. But to deal away an impact starter so close to the start of the season comes with some risk. Phillips' departure also creates a void of leadership, although O'Connell doesn't sound too concerned on that front. "The thing that you have to understand, in the (DT) room, acquiring veteran presences like JA and Grave, they've really been immediate impact players on and off the field," he said. "Guys that have sustained it and done it at a high level for a really long time. That doesn't go into the hard decision like that, as far as the leadership goes, but you do know that we've got some ascending players on our roster, offensively and defensively, that are ready to assume that void. We've gotta make sure we're on top of that because of his impact." Injury updates O'Connell also gave some updates on a few young players who got banged up in Friday's game. OLB Tyler Batty (right knee) will be evaluated via MRI. RB Zavier Scott (right ankle) had an early 23-yard run but then left the field limping on one of his next carries. DT Elijah Williams (right hamstring) is a candidate to make the roster in the wake of the Phillips trade, but he could also potentially begin the year on IR (designated to return) if he has a hamstring strain. All three of those players have impressed over the course of training camp. Roster cutdown day is Tuesday, which will mean lots of difficult choices for the Vikings as they go from 90 players down to 53. More Vikings coverage
Report reveals how hard Warriors tried to trade for LeBron James
The Golden State Warriors have been linked to LeBron James on occasion over the last 18 months, but their interest in trying to trade for the Los Angeles Lakers star may be stronger than has been previously reported. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported this week that the Warriors would likely have some interest in James if the Lakers were ever to entertain a trade. To that end, the Warriors have called the Lakers on “multiple occasions” over the last 18 months to gauge the Lakers’ willingness to trade James. The report adds that there is a strong belief that James and Steph Curry very much enjoyed their time together as teammates during the 2024 Summer Olympics, which is one motivator for Golden State. The Lakers, of course, have not been willing to trade James, even though there were some hints of trouble between the two sides this summer. It is fair to question whether the Warriors would have the resources to pull off such a trade even if it were plausible. It is accurate that the Warriors are likely to be linked to James in any case where he is perceived to be available. Pairing him and Curry together would likely be a result of the Warriors trying to make one last run at a championship during the twilight of Curry’s career.
Big Ten's College Football Playoff expansion idea is 'absurd,' ESPN host says
Rece Davis doesn't want to see the College Football Playoff expand to two dozen or more participants. The longtime host of ESPN's "College GameDay" said on Saturday, per On3's Nick Schultz, that the Big Ten Conference's idea being floated around that could grow the CFP to 24 or 28 teams is "absurd." Davis made his comments on ESPN just before No. 17 Kansas State and No. 22 Iowa State were set to battle in the opener of the 2025 college football season from Aviva Stadium in Dublin. According to a recent report by ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Big Ten's idea is in the early stages of being discussed. This proposal would eliminate conference title games and offer a sizable number of automatic bids to the four power conferences. "I’m just going to say this flat-out: I don’t believe they’re serious about this,” Davis said on "College Football Countdown," per Schultz. "I believe this is like when you go to sell your house, and you say, 'I’m going to ask $1 million more than I’m willing to settle for.' They’re trying to get something back on the other side because on its face, this is absurd. It’s absurd, on its face. So they have to be looking for something else. That’s my guess." CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello reported on Aug. 18, citing sources, that the Big Ten's CFP expansion idea isn't off to a great start and has caught stakeholders off guard. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti recently floated the two expansion models to athletic directors in that conference, per Marcello. The Southeastern Conference, the other dominant league in college football, was later informed. Others conferences weren't told about the idea until reports leaked out, according to Marcello. A CFP executive said to CBS Sports, "We sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall." Per Thamel, in the 28-team model, the Big Ten and the SEC would each command seven automatic bids, while the ACC and the Big 12 would both get five. There would then be two auto bids for non-power-four conferences and also two at-large teams. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, there will be a 12-team CFP. The event also had 12 participants last season, with Ohio State winning, and before that, four teams. Over the past year or so, stakeholders have discussed potentially expanding the CFP to 16 participants. However, an agreement hasn't been reached due to different conferences wanting a different number of automatic bids versus at-large teams, according to Thamel.
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