Patriots defensive coach reveals why he told Drake Maye he hated him

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is still settling into life in the NFL as a rookie, and he is giving defensive coaches the right kind of headaches in the process.

Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino has seen flashes of the quarterback’s incredible potential firsthand.

On one particular play, Maye stuck a pass in tight coverage, which prompted Pellegrino to jokingly tell the young quarterback, “I hate you.”

“He’s progressing and makes some great throws in practice against us,” Pellegrino said, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “I remember one specifically that I went in the next day and was like, ‘I hate you. That was a great throw.’ He’s doing a good job so far. He stuck one in between tight coverage on a new call that we had a couple of weeks ago. It was like, ‘I really wish he didn’t make that throw, but you did.'”

Maye made his NFL debut last Thursday night against the New York Jets.

He went 4-of-8 passing on the evening for 22 yards. It all ties into how he has been progressing both on and off the field.

The potential is definitely there for Maye. He could be given an opportunity sooner rather than later with the Patriots’ passing game struggling. Jacoby Brissett is still the starting quarterback for now, but it’s clear that Maye has the ability and talent to compete at an NFL level.