Drake Maye, Stefon Diggs, and many other Patriots' players understand that to compete with and beat the NFL's elite again, they have to put in work away from Foxborough. Both guys had strong minicamps, and with training camp on the horizon, they will be counted upon to be leaders of an offense seeking improvement.
It's becoming increasingly clear that this is Maye's team, and it will likely remain so for years to come, as was evident near Charlotte recently.
Maye and backup Josh Dobbs were joined by Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Hunter Henry, Kyle Williams, Ja'Lynn Polk, Kendrick Bourne and Rhamondre Stevenson to get some throwing in. What makes this even more remarkable is that this occurred during the midst of newlywed Maye's honeymoon.
Throwing session is a sign the Patriots are taking things seriously
The Patriots' offense still has a few question marks heading into the season, even though the personnel is remarkably better than that of last season. The biggest challenge is how the newcomers will mesh with the team, including Diggs, Williams, Mack Hollins, and rookie TreVeyon Henderson, all of whom are new to the team. You also have to factor in the learning of Josh McDaniels' complex offense.
However, this shows that the work ethic in the locker room has changed significantly from last season to this season. No disrespect to Jerod Mayo, but he ran the Patriots like a country club, and we won't see that under Mike Vrabel's watch. Diggs is also putting to rest the notion of any off-the-field issues - for now anyways - and his track to being on the field in September appears to be getting faster and faster.
Great quarterbacks find a way to get together with their guys when official practices aren't in session. One that comes to mind is Joe Theismann with the 1982 Redskins, as Theismann had throwing sessions with his teammates while the NFL was in the midst of a strike. The Redskins won the Super Bowl that season.
The Patriots had a five-week break in between minicamp and training camp. While some downtime is necessary, it's also essential to use that time wisely and return to Foxborough in tip-top condition, especially when the shoulder pads go on. And Maye getting his fellow skill guys together for throwing sessions shows that he is not only this team's leader offensively, but is serious about getting things down with newcomers like Diggs before the games start for real.