Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has shown growth and improvement over the course of the first 11 practices of training camp. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo praised him in his pre-practice press conference.

“I thought Drake did a great job not only progressing on the field, but also off the field. You can already tell like he is going to put in that extra work. You know, I walked by the quarterback meeting room, he’s just in there by himself, watching film. Those are the things that you want to see. I am excited to see his growth going forward.”

Despite his growth, there is one area where Maye continues to struggle. The two minute drill.

Maye once again failed to complete a pass during today’s two minute drill, going 0-4 and looking bad. Same can be said on Friday where he also failed to conplete a pass. It is hard to believe that he would struggle in that situation considering the fact he played in the spread offense in the NFL. He should be used to the uptempo pace. 

The problem is the game is faster  in the NFL so Maye has had to get used to the speed of the game. The other issue is that he is not running the drill with the first team. He has been running it with the second team which doesn’t necessarily give him the best chance to succeed. 

Maye has also struggled throwing the ball outside of the hashes in the two minute drill,  something that has been issue for him in the past. It is contrary to what we have seen from him in team and red zone passing periods where he has impressed at times. Maye has drastically improved in those periods. 

So how do the Patriots help Maye succeed in these situations? 

Here are three ways they can help be more productive in the two minute period.

1. Run him with the one’s: Maye needs to get more reps with the first team offensive line and skill group. That would help him get more comfortable, have some success and get into a rhythm. 

2. Keep it simple: Keeping it simple with the play calling should help Maye. Do not throw too much at him. Run five or six concepts thst he is comfortable with and go with those until you can put more on his plate. 

3. Play him in as many two-minute situations as possible this pre-season: Maye should play the most snaps of any of the quarterbacks on the roster this preseason. As a result, he will have an opportunity to work on the two minute drill in a game and get more comfortable in that situation. There is no better teacher than experience. The game experience will help Maye. 

Maye has steadily improved the past two weeks. However, if he is going to start eventually, he needs to develop in this area. Running an effective two minute drill is a must