Flavin Media

Drake Maye on if he was surprised the quarterback change was made this week:

“That's the thing about this league, you never know when your number is gonna get called… The biggest thing is it’s a winning league, we’re sitting here 1-4, and the guys around here want to win.” pic.twitter.com/DmlQixQJ3F

— Casey Baker (@_CaseyBaker) October 9, 2024

Drake Maye is officially starting vs. the Houston Texans, and some sort of excitement is now in the air. There are a couple of things to monitor for his potential rise or decline…

• Arm motion + decision-making
• Pre-snap reading
• Mental composure

Drake Maye, although able to throw from a variety of angles, has a longer windup to get the ball out — and that needs to be accounted for when making throwing decisions. Especially when throwing short and intermediate, he needs to have a clear picture of when to get the ball out against a specific coverage.

This ties into the pre-snap reading, as Maye will need to know when the defense will “send the house,” so to speak. With a longer windup, it would be ideal to get the ball out ASAP against all-out pressure.

After an era with Mac Jones, how can mental composure not be on the list? Drake Maye has some tendencies of his own, but he seems to have a bit of a southern, happy-go-lucky twist to him as well. Not that this dictates a player and his future, but he needs to stay emotionally composed through a season that will have many teaching moments along the way.

One thing’s for sure: All eyes across New England are going to be on this upcoming game vs. Houston. What does Drake Maye have in store for us?