After days of focus on implementation, red-zone offense and the run game, Drake Maye has discovered A.J. Brown at New England Patriots training camp, and the kid likes what he sees.
Brown presents challenges to Maye and mega-rewards – more than any weapon he’s had in his brief, two-season pro career.
Locked in on his studies
There is no complacency from the quarterback. In fact, he’s going to school on the three-time Pro Bowler.
“(Just) trying to get a feel for what he’s seeing, what I’m seeing, what he’s kind of feeling out there when he’s running routes in coverage,” said Maye as he works through the summer kinks with the former Titan/Eagle.
“We’ve had some great competition, him and (Christian Gonzalez) are going back and forth and going at it, so it’s good for us to talk and pull up some old things that he’s run and how he’d like to run them and what he’d like to do in the routes, and different looks, just trying to feel the connectivity building. I feel that’s the biggest thing with a player like him and a lot of players that we have.”
(Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A different vibe this summer
There is certainly a feeling-out process, one that is more convoluted than last summer with Diggs. That’s interesting because Diggs was clearly on the mend from his ACL surgery at the time.
“It’s my job to try to get them the ball when they want and when they feel like they’re open. (Brown) is just trying to build a relationship with me and him. I think you just see it get better every day, and I think that’s the best thing about training camp,” Maye said. “It’s what you use it for. I’m blessed to play with a player like him, and looking forward to getting him the rock and see him do his thing.”
Getting Romeo involved, too
Maye spread the ball out on Friday, more than he has in previous sessions – with the other impact newcomer on the offense, free-agent pickup Romeo Doubs getting more attention than he has been.
But it’s clear that establishing Brown is priority one.
“When you see the ball in his hands, you see what he can do,” Maye said.
