The culture Mike Vrabel built as the head coach in Tennessee was based on physicality and winning the line of scrimmage. That's part of how the Titans came within a game of the Super Bowl in 2019, and Vrabel is bringing that same style to the Patriots this season.
That appears to be just fine with second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
Even in today's pass-happy, up-and-down-the-field NFL, you still have to be able to control the trenches. That's something the Patriots could not do last season, especially on offense, and the result was Maye often throwing under pressure.
In New England's preseason win over Washington on Friday, Maye often had clean pockets and showcased his ability to run. Gameplans are vanilla on both sides of the ball in August, and Josh McDaniels was clearly not asking Maye to do too much in terms of throwing the ball down the field. But the physicality the Patriots showed up front will be key to their second-year quarterback's growth.
“Watching ‘em kinda set the tone early up front... You see guys talking trash… That’s what you want around the locker room," Maye said after the game. "You want those guys, and it’s easy for me to get excited playing with guys like that beside me.”
The Patriots' new approach could turn Drake Maye into a superstar quarterback
Oftentimes in Tennessee, Ryan Tannehill would look like the second coming of Terry Bradshaw thanks to Vrabel's approach to the game. One could argue that Maye has more upside than Tannehill, so the sky is the limit for New England's signal-caller.
The Patriots rushed for 153 yards on Friday, with the rebuilt offensive line opening solid creases for the running backs to breeze through. The NFL is a pass-first league, for the most part anyway, in this day and age, so the throwback approach is a little refreshing to see.
It's also going to prove helpful to Maye. A mobile quarterback with a strong arm like him is built to succeed in a play-action style of offense, and if the Patriots can continue to be physical and run the ball well, Maye is going to get happier, and his stats are going to get better.
The Patriots still have a few more weeks of training camp and two preseason games to continue to get better, but if Friday is an indication of the type of team they're becoming, a happy Maye could mean a happy fan base - and wins.