There’s been a lot of talks about the comparisons between Drake Maye and his predecessor, Tom Brady, and those conversations have only intensified since the sophomore sensation was able to secure a spot for himself at Super Bowl LX. Some believe that it’s simply too early to make such a comparison, while others continue to highlight that Maye’s career has followed the exact same trajectory as Brady’s throughout his first two years in the league.
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Instead of defaulting to the talking heads across sports television and social media, however, perhaps it’s best to consult the man who’s helped to manage the New England Patriots’ offense for the better part of the last two decades, Mike McDaniels. “They both love football, there’s no doubt about it,” he noted during his latest interview with the NFL on NBC.
“Winning is important to them, and I don’t know that I’ve been around two guys that are better human beings. They treated everybody the same in the building. Their teammates love them, they want to play for them. Those things are all very, very similar.”
Unfortunately for those who were hoping to hear more, that’s about where the comparisons seem to end for McDaniels. According to the Patriots offensive coordinator, his current quarterback is about as “physically” different as one could be from Brady, who he found to be much more cerebral than outright athletic.
“Tom knew that he had to win with his mind,” McDaniels suggested. “His preparation, his accuracy, all of those things were really his greatest traits.”
In the eyes of the 49-year-old coordinator, Maye has a “physical gift” and can also “do things with his legs” that Brady never could. Of course, that’s not intended to be a dig at the seven-time Super Bowl champion, but rather a testament to the thrills that he has experienced while working with and developing the UNC product.
“A big part of this evolution for [Maye] has just been understanding where he was at when we got here and starting at his place and trying to build from there. I think there’s so much growth to go, but he’s really allowed the pace to quicken as we’ve gone on because of his ability to think and process and then do a lot of things on the field. We’re certainly not running the exact same things, but the system in general is the same and really he deserves all of the credit for that.”
Simply put, he may not be the next iteration of Brady, but he doesn’t have to be. Maye is attempting to create his own legacy here, so even if he is being guided by some of the same folks that helped to shepherd the greatest quarterback in NFL history, he still has all of the inherent tools that are needed to become the next big thing while also doing so in his own unique way.
