Former Patriots QB gives Drake Maye advice for Bills game amid Mike Vrabel rumors

A Wednesday rumor suggesting that there has been a rift between New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel amid Maye's poor play this season generated headlines and forced both Vrabel and Maye to play some verbal defense during their midweek media availabilities. 

That story briefly overshadowed the fact that Maye and the 1-2 Patriots could use a turnaround performance when they play at the rival Buffalo Bills (3-0) this coming Sunday. During a recent chat with Karen Guregian of MassLive, former Patriots quarterback and current NFL analyst Brian Hoyer offered some advice for Maye regarding the Week 4 game.

Should Drake Maye just "let it loose and play" in Buffalo?

"I do think it’s a good thing they’re playing Buffalo, and not the (winless) Tennessee Titans," Hoyer said about Maye and the Patriots. "Everyone’s counting you out. You’re done. You should be benched. So just go out there, let it loose and play." 

Some may say that Maye was a bit too loose as he committed a league-worst seven turnovers over the season's first three weeks. Three of those turnovers were costly interceptions in the fourth quarter of New England's campaign-opening loss at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 9. 

Since that time, Maye's decision-making has become a hot topic. One-time MVP and current NFL analyst Boomer Esiason argued that Vrabel should at least consider sitting Maye in favor of backup Tommy DeVito for the Buffalo game. 

Hoyer seems to believe that benching Maye wouldn't do any good regarding the overall development of the third-year pro. 

Only Drake Maye can stop himself from pressing during games

"Everybody’s telling you, 'Hey man, you’re good.' That doesn’t help," Hoyer added about Maye. "The only thing that helps right now is playing good football, as crazy as that sounds. No one is going to say something to him that’s going to make him feel better. He’s got to do it for himself, and get back the belief in himself by playing the game. It can go that quickly. But you can come back that quickly, too. It would be one thing if he wasn’t hitting some of these throws…that’s not what’s happening. He’s pressing. He’s hoping for good plays. You just have to play the game. Do whatever the defense directs you to do, and then play the next play. Right now it’s, 'God, I have to make a play, I have to get back on track,' and then you start to press. That’s clearly what’s going on."

While Hoyer may be right, one can't help but wonder how Maye's belief in himself could plummet if the Patriots get blown out by the Bills. As of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had New England as a 6.5-point road underdog against Buffalo.