Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman didn’t sugarcoat it when the subject turned to Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense.
On the latest episode of the “Gronk and Jules show,” Edelman kicked things off with the same question plenty of New England fans are asking after a sluggish start: “Are we worried about Drake Maye, the Patriots, and the offense?”
The answer from both former Patriots came quickly. New England is 1-1, but the offense has been stuck in neutral.
Through two games, the Patriots are averaging 15 points per game, well below the 28.8 they put up during the regular season last year. Maye has thrown four interceptions and one touchdown pass, and he’s been sacked six times.
He still hasn’t found the form that made him second in MVP voting last year.
Gronkowski said the concern is real, even if the team did get a win.
“I’m worried,” he said. “He’s regressing a little bit over the past five or six games compared to the first 10 or 15 games last season. It’s definitely something to worry about, but the biggest thing, the biggest picture is that they got the win.”
Edelman went deeper into what he sees on the field, and his read was blunt. “Drake didn't look comfortable at all,” Edelman said.
“He looks - even on that interception, his feet aren't set. He's like drifting.
He just doesn't feel comfortable.”
That discomfort showed up in a few different places. Edelman pointed to a third-down play where Maye seemed hesitant in the pocket and said it looked like the quarterback was thinking too much before and during the snap.
“Drake still looks like he’s a little uncomfortable. There was a play when [Mike Onwenu] was getting pushed back, and it was third down, and he kind of just feels uncomfortable in there.
He should have just stepped right up, the pocket was still kind of there. It feels like he’s overthinking.
He’s overthinking before the play.”
The Patriots made major changes to the receiving group this offseason, bringing in A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs while moving on from Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte.
So far, the production hasn’t matched the moves. Diggs already has three touchdown catches in his first two games, while Brown and Doubs have yet to score.
Brown left the season opener early with a high-ankle sprain and is still recovering. Doubs, though, did give New England a lift against Pittsburgh with a career-high 96 receiving yards after a rough start in Seattle.
Edelman also noted that the offense hasn’t been helped by the ground game. TreVeyon Henderson provided the biggest spark with an explosive touchdown run, but outside of that play, New England struggled to consistently move the ball on the ground.
Henderson finished with 76 yards, and 39 of them came on that one run. Rhamondre Stevenson had only six carries after being benched for a stretch following a first-quarter fumble.
Edelman believes getting the run game moving could open things up for Maye, especially if it leads to more play-action opportunities.
“Yeah, they had a good number in the run game, like, postgame when you look at the numbers, but the run game wasn’t like going going,” Edelman said. “They had the big explosion play with TreVeyon Henderson, so I think if they get that going and they get more into those play-action passes like they did last year when they got those big explosive plays with guys wide open running across the field, that’s what they’ve got to get back to, I think.”
Even with the concerns about the offense, both Gronkowski and Edelman made a point to praise the defense after the 20-3 win over Pittsburgh. Gronkowski called it the unit carrying the team right now.
“Yes, the defense is great,” Gronkowski said. “But, you can’t win every game because of your defense.
[The offense] has to pick it up eventually. Like, for Seattle, they would have won if the offense is on point.
We’ve already established that the New England Patriots’ defense is solidified as far as us knowing that they’re very, very good.”
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