QB Maye 'starting to find a stride' in new offense

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- On 1 red-zone play precocious successful Patriots mandatory minicamp signifier Monday, backmost Drake Maye fired a walk to rookie moving backmost TreVeyon Henderson astatine the goal-line for a touchdown, which led to a rousing cheer from the offense.

Soon after, Maye summed up his viewpoint connected wherever things basal arsenic outpouring practices travel to an extremity this week, portion helium continues to larn coordinator Josh McDaniels' offense.

"I deliberation we're catching the stride; I deliberation I'm starting to find a stride," Maye said. "I'm bummed retired we're astir to leave, but it's fun."

The Patriots person 1 much signifier Tuesday earlier an extended break. Maye has a peculiar juncture to look guardant to, with plans to wed longtime woman Ann Michael Hudson connected June 21. After that, helium said he'll crook his attraction to getting acceptable for the commencement of grooming campy successful mid-to-late July.

Maye's maturation arsenic helium enters his 2nd NFL season, and besides from the commencement of outpouring practices successful precocious April, has been a hot-button taxable successful New England. His imaginable was cited by first-year caput manager Mike Vrabel arsenic 1 of the appealing parts of the job.

In the archetypal voluntary organized squad enactment unfastened to reporters 4 weeks ago, Maye threw 4 interceptions, though 1 mightiness person been nullified by a antiaircraft penalty. He's looked sharper since, seldom turning the shot over.

"You tin instrumentality that with a atom of salt, but astatine the aforesaid time, you don't privation to crook the shot implicit and get successful atrocious habits," helium said. "I consciousness similar I've done a bully occupation of trying to support the shot successful our hands, and that's 1 of our cardinal focuses."

Maye shared that focusing connected "taking what's open, taking the archetypal thing" has been an important accommodation for him, due to the fact that "when you thin to hold for the large one, holding the ball, sometimes it's not open."

"It's bully for america to instal plays, get a consciousness for what I like. Coach McDaniels has been awesome astir asking what I similar and what helium expects from maine connected definite plays," helium said. "So it's been bully to beryllium capable to get that extracurricular and connected the field."

Meanwhile, Vrabel said connected the Bill O'Brien Podcast" that he's worked with Maye connected "leadership and command; his intelligence approach, competitory stamina to play this presumption and knowing however hard it is successful the league to triumph and play the backmost presumption well."

Asked earlier Monday's signifier connected Maye's improvement arsenic a leader, Vrabel said: "I deliberation it's a unsocial presumption being 22 truthful I deliberation determination is simply a batch of country to grow. I deliberation there's a batch of earthy enactment qualities. I person to promote him, and to enactment him successful those positions to bash that."

One illustration of however Vrabel has done truthful came astatine the extremity of Monday's signifier erstwhile helium aligned the discourtesy crossed the goal-line, enactment Maye successful the middle, and had Maye telephone retired the cadence and simulate a drawback number that gave each subordinate the cue connected erstwhile to tally successive 30-yard sprints. If a subordinate near early, Vrabel added a sprint.

Maye's dependable boomed crossed the field. He said aft signifier that his biggest interest successful that concern was helping teammates with the cadence truthful they wouldn't leap offsides.

Of his dependable increasing louder successful his 2nd season, Maye said: "It's an accidental for maine to instrumentality a jump. From past twelvemonth being a rookie, trying to travel successful present and gain my stripes done hard work. This twelvemonth is the aforesaid attack -- you got caller guys successful here, caller staff, support connected getting to cognize everybody, amusement my enactment ethic.

"From there, arsenic the play comes around, effort to instrumentality the adjacent measurement successful enactment and starring the discourtesy and hopefully starring this shot team."