Patriots' Hall of Famer Drew Bledsoe was the best hope for a Patriots' resurgence in 1993 when he was the team's No. 1 overall pick in the 1993 draft. Bledsoe went on to have a nice career with the Pats and a couple of other teams after that. Veterans of Patriot Nation fondly remember him as a solid quarterback who led the team to a Super Bowl in 1996 and contributed to the first Super Bowl win in 2001.
Now, the Patriots' Hall of Famer is commenting on things NFL and, of course, on the Patriots and had an interesting take recently on the "Up and Adams" YouTube podcast. Bledsoe seemed a bit envious of a particular aspect of Maye's game that he did not possess, and neither did his successor, Tom Brady.
Of course, Bledsoe and Brady could do everything when it comes to throwing the rock, so it certainly isn't that. The trait he's talking about that makes quarterbacks like Maye and Washington's outstanding young QB, Jayden Daniels, difficult to defend is their running ability.
Former Patriot Drew Bledsoe appreciates Drake Maye's ability to run
Lauren Campbell of MassLive comments on Bledsoe's take on what makes Maye's dual-threat capability, and especially his ability to tuck the ball under his arm and take off. Here are some of Campbell's comments,
"Drew Bledsoe didn’t run a whole lot when he was the quarterback of the New England Patriots, so it’s a trait he enjoys watching in Drake Maye.
For Bledsoe, Maye’s run game is not only something he admittedly is a bit jealous of, he believes Maye can use it to his advantage and be a 'backbreaker' for the Patriots."
Bledsoe's comments make sense, as he was a rather lead-footed example of a pure pocket passer who was more typical back in the '90s. Brady also fit that mode. Veteran Pats' fans can only dream how good those teams of the '90s could have been had Bledsoe had that ability, as well as being able to toss a football a country mile.
Regardless, Maye's ability is an exceptional talent that can and will elevate the Patriots' offense in 2025, if ... and it's a big if, the team and its new offensive coordinator, same as the old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, can take full advantage.
Can Josh McDaniels harness Drake Maye's running ability to rack up point and wins?
Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has worked primarily with pocket passers who have little ability to run the ball in his long NFL career. Tom Brady is the prime example. Other than a quarterback sneak, it's unlikely there were many, if any, plays scripted for a quarterback run. Not to do so with Maye would be a gross mistake.
That doesn't mean that Maye should be taking off with the ball under his arm from under center or the pocket in designed plays very often. The player is far too valuable for that. In 2024, mainly due to breakdowns in protection by his leaky offensive line, he had to run for his life far too often.
Maye showed he's pretty capable not only of scrambling but running for significant yardage, as well. In 2024, he racked up 421 yards on the ground. Having been sacked 34 times in 12 games will help precipitate that. In 2025, with a much improved offensive line, some of his 500 or so yards predicted on the ground should come on scripted plays. Here's why.
It's the threat of the supremely confident Maye's superb running ability that has to be taken advantage of, not the running itself, which is risky. Yet, tactically scripted running plays necessitate that defenses not only game-plan for such, but also allocate resources to preclude being gashed for big yardage by someone as nimble as the Pats' second-year phenom. That's why he has to run.
After being dismissed by Denver as Head Coach, Josh McDaniels has supposedly learned from his hiatus. With the new offensive weapons at his disposal, and Maye's running ability, play-action and RPO can be utilized to massive effect. But it only happens if McDaniels uses it. If not, it's wasted. We'll see soon enough, and the spotlight will be on the new offensive coordinator squarely.