Is Drake Maye the next Tom Brady? That’s the question posed by New England Patriots fans, Patriot haters, and game analysts over the last few weeks.
It’s a complex question that will take a lot of time to evolve. Truthfully, Maye could never be Tom Brady. It’s almost impossible. Maye and Brady’s career trajectories can’t even be examined under a microscope yet. One man’s career as a football player has ended. The other is just beginning. One man played for 23 years at the highest level; the other was in high school five years ago.
But what’s the fun in all of that kind of dismissiveness?
The point here is that the Patriots got their guy. Will it be for the next two decades? Let’s leave that question at bay for some time. Maye has to win a playoff game first.
That said, the Brady/Maye comparisons do have some validity, and today a new stat has emerged to help with them.
It’s not necessarily a stat but rather a statement that could put the league on notice. Maye, as of right now in Week 8, he looks like 2007 Tom Brady. For those who don’t remember, that’s the Tom Brady who led the Patriots to an unbeaten regular season and came very close to the perfect overall NFL season.
’07 was a career-defining year for Brady. He threw for 50 touchdowns, which at the time was the single-season record, and eight interceptions, with a 117.2 passer rating. Maye now sits at 118.7.
Yes, the Patriots have an easy schedule, and yes, teams like the Kansas City Chiefs are heating up, but even if this is a glimpse of what Pats fans are going to get for years to come, then the rest of the NFL better be aware of what’s going on in Foxborough.
Maye Has Earned This Praise Before
This isn’t the first time Maye has had a stat that earned him a Brady comparison. Just last week, he set a Patriots’ organizational record for the highest single-game completion percentage in the 31-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
There’s a demographic of people who want these comparisons to come to a halt, and there are some who can somewhat believe it, or at the very least hope for another couple of decades of an iconic quarterback at the helm of the team.
However, Drake Maye should not worry about being the next Tom Brady. He should focus on becoming the first Drake Maye.
