Drake Maye's shoulder injury won't prevent him from playing in the Super Bowl. The better question is, how good will he be when he does?
FOXBOROUGH - The most important two words Mike Vrabel uttered Thursday with respect to the Super Bowl-bound Patriots?
“Not much.”
That was Vrabel’s response to the level of concern he felt about Drake Maye’s shoulder injury, just 10 days before squaring off with the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
With those two words, Vrabel allayed fears about his second-year quarterback. It was reassuring to hear the Patriots coach offer an encouraging outlook on Maye.
It was music to the ears of all the worry-wart Patriots fans.
But that’s not to say there still won’t be concern and panic in the ranks.
Vrabel could have been posturing, trying not to give anything away to the Seahawks, who are sure to zero in on that shoulder.
He could have been trying to put a lid on the discussion.
But even taking him at face value, it’s hard to avoid feeling a bit of angst.
While there’s little to no chance Maye won’t play in the big game, it’s more a matter of how effective he’ll be with a wounded, or slightly wounded wing.
That’s the bottom line here.
To beat the Seahawks, the Patriots need everything Maye brings to the table, especially the strength and accuracy in that throwing arm.
They need him to be as close to 100 percent as possible. They need him to bring his A-game to Santa Clara.
Along with the defense staying the course, that will give the Patriots the best chance to come away with the first championship of the Vrabel era.
Maye, who spoke later in the day, was asked if he was surprised at the level of attention his injury has generated in recent days.
“Am I surprised? No, I wouldn’t say I’m surprised,” Maye said. “It’s the right shoulder of a starting quarterback for an NFL team ... It’s pretty simple.”
Indeed, it is.
While Vrabel claimed this wasn’t the re-aggravation of an old injury, perhaps one Maye sustained in one of the previous playoff games, there’s not much debating that the quarterback’s level of performance has dipped during the post season.
Some of that is due to the impressive defenses Maye has gone against. Some of that is due to the weather, and tough conditions to throw the football.
And perhaps, some of that has to do with whatever is ailing his throwing shoulder.
With the Super Bowl on tap, Maye will do whatever it takes to assure the shoulder isn’t a problem.
“I’m going to do whatever I can to feel 100%,” Maye said Thursday. “I’m sure I’ll get, if not there, as close as you can, 99%, or do whatever I can to make sure I’m throwing and like I said, do whatever I can to help the team win.”
Ultimately, Maye has to play better in order for that to happen. He’s been dynamite as a runner (24 carries for 141 yards and 1 TD). He’s made some elite plays with his arm (4 TD passes) to help the Patriots advance.
He just needs to get the passing game going to where it was during the regular season. The Seahawks have the top scoring defense (17.2 ppg) in the league.
“We’ll have to be better. We’ll have to play one of our best games, if not our best game, against Seattle to stay balanced, to run the football, to use all our complementary passing game and not just turn it into a drop-back passing game,” Vrabel said. “That’s a tough way to live in this league, especially with the players that (the Seahawks) have, the games – they’re probably the best in the National Football League at running games up front and creating pressure."
Maye, who completed 72% of his passes during the regular season, has hit on just 43 of 77 passes (55.8%) in the three playoff games.
He’s been sacked 15 times, fumbled six times, losing three of those.
Maye hasn’t missed a game all year, and insists he’ll be fine when the bell rings, and is looking forward to the challenge.
“I’m feeling good. I’m looking forward to being ready to go,” said Maye, who continues to be limited in practice. “This is the game you dream of playing in, so I’m looking forward to getting out there and getting a chance to play in the Super Bowl.”
He’ll be there. He’ll start, bum shoulder and all, trading offensive series Sam Darnold. After that, it’s anyone’s guess how good he’ll be.
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Category: General Sports
