“We had [Maye] mic’d up, and he says a lot more in the huddle than I thought he would,” Vrabel told SiriusXM NFL Radio this week. “Because I don’t hear him say a whole lot. But he’s improved on that. I think that the guys need to hear the quarterback in this league. You want to hear the quarterback tell you that it’s going to be OK. Or that, ‘Hey, we’ve got to pick our [expletive] up.’
“There are certain things that quarterbacks have to say in their own way and how they want to say it. We talk about having a demeanor off the field, having a demeanor in the meeting room, but then, having a demeanor with the players on the field. So that when he says something in a manner, it gets their attention.”
Maye, who will turn 24 Aug. 30, spent much of his first two seasons deferring to veterans such as Morgan Moses and Hunter Henry. Now, after guiding the Patriots to the Super Bowl and finishing runner-up for NFL MVP, Maye is becoming more accustomed to asserting his status as a quarterback and a leader.
“I think you just try to get more comfortable,” Maye said Wednesday. “I think you get more comfortable, naturally, as it goes on.”
Vrabel has continued to empower Maye. The coach and quarterback spoke earlier this year about giving Maye more latitude when it comes to on-field decisions. That has led to a more confident and decisive start to camp for the quarterback. Even when things go awry — such as a sluggish start to 11-on-11 work Tuesday — Maye is cognizant that, while it’s a team game, his older teammates will be looking to him for a boost.
“We try to avoid that as best I can,” said Maye of Tuesday’s slow start, in which he completed only one of his first five passes out of the gate. “I can maybe do a better job of starting us off faster.
“You’ve got to respond — that’s the NFL. That’s life. We realize that it’s self-inflicted, so we’ve got to take care of our stuff on offense. Be in the right spot. It takes all 11 of us.”
Maye acknowledged Wednesday he’s continued to grow more comfortable in his new role.
“I think it’s something that’s good to go back and forth,” he said of the changing nature of his relationship with some teammates. “I think we’re pushing each other. They push me to be more engaging and more vocal, and I think I’m pushing them to practice better and little things like that, and just trying to have the best back-and-forth communication that we can.”
To that end, Maye’s competitive spirit has often manifested itself on the field in the form of good-natured trash talk. A number of defensive players have said Maye is the biggest trash-talker on the roster.
“Definitely Drake, man. It’s not even close,” said linebacker Robert Spillane.
“I really respect Spillane’s knowledge for the game,” Maye said with a smile when told of Spillane’s comments.
“I think [Spillane] loves talking, and he loves seven-on-seven’s and trying to pick me off. And I think he’s a great player in this league,” he added. “I think all our [defensive] guys got a little stuff in them. I think that’s what you need in defense. You like hearing those guys, and you’ve got to try to be nice to them. But at the same time, you’ve got to have a little talk back.”
Ultimately, Maye knows talk is cheap. Good leadership from a quarterback is often manifested in wins. If a more talkative Maye leads to more victories, he’s ready to embrace the role.
“I appreciate my chances to be in there, and I’m not taking for granted my responsibility for this team, the power, and the natural respect you get for playing my position,” he said. “I think I’m just trying to use that to the best of its ability, and I’m trying to elevate the guys around me.”
In depth conversations with former NFL doctor, David Chao
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.
