FOXBOROUGH – A Pro Bowl pass rusher thinks there’s a ‘flaw’ in Drake Maye’s game that can be exposed.
On Wednesday, New York Giants edge rusher Brian Burns was asked about what impressed him about the Patriots quarterback. That’s when Burns, who will face off against the Patriots on Monday night, said Maye is “too poised” in the pocket and believes that’ll lead to more sacks for the Giants.
“He’s talented. Talented arm. I’m not really too sure yet about how quick he is to process everything, but I do feel like he makes the right plays at the right time,” Burns told Giants reporters. “He does seem to be poised, maybe a little bit too poised, in the pocket, but just overall, he’s been showing his talent, for sure.”
This season, Maye’s name has been in the NFL MVP conversation. He enters this week ranked No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards (3,130), first in pass completion (71%), third in passer rating (110.7), and fourth in passing touchdowns (21).
When asked about Burns’ comments, Maye said he didn’t know about them and wasn’t sure what the edge rusher meant.
“Shoot, I’m not 100% (sure) what that really means,” Maye said on Wednesday. “I try to keep my eyes down the field with feeling pressure. I think that’s part of playing the position, so just trying to make the right play.”
So what did Burns mean when he said Maye was “too poised?”
“I feel like, at times, he’s so caught up in making the right play or getting so caught up in his routes downfield, he just forgets about somewhat of who’s rushing him, if that makes sense. What I mean by poised is that he takes his time, he makes the right reads, and he tries to make the right play,” Burns said. ”It can also bite you in the butt at a certain amount of times if you’ve got edge rushers coming and you’re not really too cognizant of where they are.”
Maye has been sacked 37 times this season. That’s the third most in the NFL.
Burns leads the Giants with 13 sacks and 21 quarterback hits. The 2-time Pro Bowler is currently second in the NFL in sacks. Burns trails Myles Garrett (18 sacks), who sacked Maye five times in Week 8. He’ll try to take advantage of a Patriots offensive line that’ll be without starting left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson next Monday.
Maye said he’ll have to be aware of where Burns is at all times.
“I know he’s a great player and he’s had a great year,” Maye said of Burns. “Just try to have a feel of where he’s at. I know he’s made a lot of plays, so just keep on doing what I’m doing and avoid those guys and hit our guys downfield.”
