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Warner on Maye: Too much backyard football?

Warner on Maye: Too much backyard football?
It’s fascinating to watch a young player like Drake Maye develop in the NFL, isn’t it? There’s so much raw talent on display, and you can see the flashes of brilliance that make you sit up and take notice. Recently, Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner shared some thoughts on Maye’s game, and it’s sparked quite a conversation. Warner, a legendary quarterback himself, observed that while Maye is playing some good football, there’s a bit too much of what he called "backyard football" in his approach. He highlighted a couple of big plays Maye made against the Bills – a deep pass to Stefon Diggs and a scramble to avoid a sack for another completion – as examples of this improvisational style.

Warner’s concern, as he explained on The Rich Eisen Show, is that to truly become an elite quarterback, a player needs to be able to consistently operate from within the pocket when needed, before resorting to creating magic off-script. He believes that while guys like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson also rely on improvisation, they’ve proven they can also win from the pocket, and have the MVP accolades to show for it. It makes you wonder, though, how much of this off-platform play is by design, and how much is out of necessity for a young quarterback still finding his footing.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels offered a different perspective. He suggested that when these off-script plays work, players are simply making plays, sometimes because the initial design wasn't enough, or the defense adjusted. McDaniels doesn’t seem overly worried, emphasizing that the goal is for these improvisations to either avoid a negative outcome or extend a drive. It’s clear they’re trying to build an offense that leverages Maye’s mobility, mixing traditional concepts with principles designed to take advantage of his skillset. Maye himself is focused on ball placement and timely delivery, and has shown improvement, particularly in protecting the football in recent games.

It’s still early in Maye’s career, and looking at his stats, he’s certainly putting up impressive numbers for a rookie. But will this "backyard football" tendency become a sustainable strength, or will it need to be tempered for long-term success, as Kurt Warner suggests? Only time, and perhaps a larger sample size, will tell if Maye can truly evolve into the consistent, pocket-commanding playmaker Warner envisions.

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