Starting center Garrett Bradbury even mentioned that Maye gets really into ping-pong, which the most knowledgeable Patriots fan will remember was also true of Brady during his days in New England. "His competitiveness comes out every day. Whether we're playing Ping-Pong, cards, it does not matter. Any sort of game, any sort of activity you can compete in, he's going to sign up for it."
It is a nice change of pace in New England at this point in the season to be focused on the playoffs rather than already looking ahead to free agency and the NFL Draft. But that doesn't mean it's too early to eye some of the top candidates that will inevitably be on their radar, including a wide receiver like Alec Pierce.
FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots have undergone one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history. At 14-3, they've won 10 more games than last season. Only the 1999 Colts and 2008 Dolphins made turnarounds that big from one season to the next. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye has been one of the driving forces of that success. With the regular season wrapped up, he finds himself on a short list of contenders for the NFL MVP award.
Maye was at his best when the Patriots needed him most and their chances and depth chart were slimmest. We do not say this casually, because it is the highest praise a quarterback can receive. But why deny the truth, especially since it's so darned fun to acknowledge? The performance quarterback Drake Maye put on Sunday night in front of a national television audience, rallying the Patriots from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Ravens, 28-24, was Tom Brady-level stuff.