Here is the full transcript of New England Patriots Quarterback Drake Maye’s press conference for Thursday, August 15, 2024:
On more playing time and the McCourty twins’ statement that he needs to work on a better touchdown celebration:
“Yeah, I wasn’t really planning on doing a rushing incident. I probably should have thought of one. I usually do the finger roll in college, but I was just happy to get in the end zone. I’m happy to score. I think it’s fun to go out there. I’m glad the weather held out. Other than that, I thought the guys did a good job. I thought they fought hard up front. Just little things, I got the snap. We had a false start. Just little things that we keep preaching operationally that we need to get right and hopefully cost us some of the game.”
When asked if he was looking forward to being able to evaluate at least two quarters of the game:
“Yeah, I think it’s a great opportunity. I think it’s definitely the things I can fix. I’ve had some good things, some bad plays. Like I said, the lost snaps are unforgivable to me. Other than that, I probably feel like I’m struggling at times when I probably could be sitting there and hanging on and trying to make a throw. So there’s definitely a lot of things to learn from. It’s good to get out there. Like I said, I get some shots to learn from. But other than that, I thought the guys battled. I think we played hard. There’s a lot of things you can look at, but the one thing you can’t question is our effort, and that’s where it all starts.”
On his confidence and how it looks after tonight:
“Yeah, I think every time you go out there you kind of get more confident. First of all, you’re always nervous going out there, the first time you run out there. But other than that, I think more reps will only help me. At the end of the day, I’m just happy to be able to go out there and get some reps in and try to make the most of my opportunities.”
How this week felt compared to last week:
“I think practicing together definitely helped. I think it’s always a big help to face the team in practice before you play them, especially when you see different looks and think, ‘Hey, when they do this, you think this.’ Just some real answers to the test before we take the test. But I think some plays helped us. Sometimes you can scheme on each other outside of practice. But they’re a good football team. I think they’re a strong contender in the NFC. I think it was a good opportunity for us to learn from that and watch the tape, especially offensively, just cleaning up the little things operationally and making sure you’re running the right route and getting the snap. A lot of those things you might not notice, but they add up and can trickle down to the margin of error in this league.”
About what it was like to be on the field with five other rookies after his touchdown and what a special moment it was:
“Yeah, it’s a great moment. We always spend a lot of time here at the rookie meetings. In the spring, we were on our own. So it was definitely cool to have those guys out there. I think one of the first things I did was a chest bump, JP (Ja’Lynn Polk). It was just cool to be out there with some of the guys going through the same thing. A fun time for us. I’ll probably never forget that moment.”
On the third down conversion throw to Javon Baker:
“Yeah, I don’t want to get too defensive. They rolled out a safety and took away my options. I feel like I came back from behind and had an in-cut that I missed in practice this week that I probably could have thrown. So, like I said, just learn it in practice and try to translate it to the game.”
On the fact that it looked like he lost sight of the football after his first touchdown and whether he eventually figured out what happened to the ball:
“Yeah, my buddy Dev with the gear, shout out to the guys, they did it and stuck it on. So pretty cool deal.”
On his composure, whether it has always been a part of his game and how he thinks he has developed on his way to the NFL:
“Yeah. I think our job as quarterbacks is not to get too nervous. Try to stay cool, calm and collected over there, especially on the sideline. Sometimes I tend to throw my helmet or something. Little things like that can have a big impact on your guys and their emotions and set the tone. So I try to stay cool and calm. I probably have to be a little more excited when good things happen. My parents always get on me and say I don’t show enough emotion when good things happen. But at the same time, you can’t ride the highs and get too down on the lows. So just try to stay balanced.”
On the fact that it seems like they taught him concepts he used in college and whether he discussed them with Alex Van Pelt:
“Yeah, I think that’s the great thing about this offense, what AVP does. We do a lot of different things. We can spread it out in empty space. We can use 12 or 13 guys, run the football. So we do a lot of different things. We have goalies, we have the full program, so to speak. So I think a lot of what you know from college can be carried over, other than getting in a huddle and using a rhythm. I think that’s a good point. And we also go through kind of a list of plays that we like before we go out there. We don’t just go out there and not know what’s going on. So we have a little idea of, ‘Hey, it’s third and medium. I think that call is coming.’ That’s what I told them I like. So he does a great job of understanding our feedback from all four of us and just telling them what we like. That’s a great way for us to connect.”
(Editor’s note: This transcript is based on available footage and may contain typos. If you notice anything, please let me know in the comments below.)
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