FOXBORO, Mass. — Matthew Stafford dislikes how rookie quarterbacks like Drake Maye are harshly judged on a weekly basis.
“It’s a journey for all these guys,” Stafford said in the visiting locker room Sunday after he led the Los Angeles Rams to a 28-22 win over the New England Patriots.
“I feel like everybody’s favorite thing in the media right now is go week to week on a rookie, and tell you if he’s great or if he’s broken or whatever,” Stafford said. “I got a hard time with that, to be honest with you. Because people would have given up on me a long time ago if they would have seen me play as a rookie.”
It should serve as valuable insight for Patriots fans as Maye continues through his highs and lows. He’s not a finished product and has a long journey ahead.
Ironically, Stafford’s sentiments came after Maye played arguably his best game yet. The third overall pick completed 75% of his passes (30-for-40) for 282 yards with two touchdowns and one game-ending interception Sunday. He did that despite being pressured 15 times, per Pro Football Focus.
Maye has been compared to Stafford given his eye-popping arm talent as well as his physical and mental makeup. The Patriots quarterback also was drafted into a similar situation as Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Lions in 2009. Detroit lost all 16 games the previous season.
Stafford went 2-8 in 10 starts as a rookie. He threw 13 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. The Georgia product also was sacked 24 times before his season was cut short due to a knee injury. Stafford had a first-time head coach in Jim Schwartz and a poor supporting cast (excluding Calvin Johnson).
Stafford’s mindset is rooted from that experience.
“I think we should start giving these guys a little bit of grace, a little bit of time to grow, and enjoying watching them when they got great talent, right?” Stafford said. “Like, these guys are gonna make great plays. He (Maye) made some great ones today. Enjoy that instead of going the other way.”
This isn’t to say Patriots fans should want Maye’s career to play out exactly like Stafford’s, of course.
Despite Stafford’s individual highlights, the Lions finished with a .500 record or better in four of his 12 seasons. He played just three playoff games and lost all three of them. Stafford needed to go elsewhere in order to reach his full potential, and not every team has a head coach like LA’s Sean McVay.
But his career should serve as a lesson for the Patriots organization.
Stafford lauded Maye for having “all the talent in the world” and a “bright future.” But those same things surely were said about Stafford when entered Detroit. It was only one part of the equation. The coaching and roster around talented quarterbacks are equally important.
“That makes a difference,” Stafford said. “You look around the league, it’s a player-driven league. We’ve got great coaches in this locker room, there are great coaches across this league. You got to get out there on the grass and bring it to life. It’s always important to have solid players around you.”
That’s the next step for the Patriots.
Hopefully, Maye doesn’t have to go elsewhere to reach his full potential.
