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It's a short week. The Patriots are dealing with a litany of injuries. But they're making no excuses ahead of Thursday's matchup with the Jets at Gillette Stadium, with head coach Mike Vrabel calling the next few days an "all-hands-on-deck" stretch for his squad. The compressed week also means we're opening our Mailbag a day early, and there's plenty to get to in this edition, from the narrative around Drake Maye to some bigger-picture assessments of the 8-2 Patriots. Let's dive right in. Editor's Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity. MORE PATRIOTS COVERAGE How fine of a line is it between constructive criticism and nitpicking on Drake Maye’s performances this year? I feel like he’s always going to have this seesaw from people between the two after each game. - @kylemarsden441 That's just the nature of the beast, Kyle. You can quibble with how he scrambles, whether or not he protects himself well enough, or if he's a tad too aggressive in just how much he trusts his arm strength. But the traits that lead to those criticisms are the same traits that often lead to jaw-dropping plays. I will say, I don't feel as though much of Maye's game has been nitpicked this year. Certainly there was plenty to point to after the Vegas and Pittsburgh games when it came to his ability to protect the football. But, for the most part, he has to be among the most widely-praised quarterbacks in football. He's the front-runner for MVP. The nitpickers should be scarce. Even when he's not at his best, he's remarkably good for stretches. Take Sunday's win in Tampa, for example. He was dynamite on a number of throws. Maye's third-and-long bomb to Mack Hollins was dropped in the bucket. His earlier third-down throw to Hollins where he had to swim past a defender -- with two hands on the football -- was impressive. He beat the blitz with a dart to Kyle Williams that maximized his yards after the catch and resulted in a 72-yard touchdown. He had a big play to DeMario Douglas and another touchdown throw to Stefon Diggs on fourth down to beat Bucs blitz attempts. It feels as though those Maye passes are garnering the most attention right now, and rightfully so. As the Patriots are winning, their quarterback's ability to make plays both inside and outside of the pocket have been one of the primary drivers for their success. There is the occasional lapse, however, and those plays deserve mention as well. This past week it was a fourth-quarter pick in the end zone that wiped three points off the board. He also had some early-game throws that appeared to miss their mark thanks in part to the rain at Raymond James Stadium, and he finished with an uncharacteristic completion percentage of just a shade over 50. Those aren't nitpicks so much as they are assessments of what's actually happening on the field. In some ways, one of the most remarkable elements of Maye's season to date is that, at the end of some games, it's not all that hard to find an easily-correctable mistake or two. In other words, as well as he's playing, it's realistic to expect that as he matures and develops a better understanding of how to approach certain situations -- whether it's during a red-zone moment or a choice between breaking the pocket and hanging in -- he'll be even better. Enjoy the ride. He's on a special run, and it looks like it's going to continue as long as he's able to stay healthy. Hi Phil! You know how I love me some tight ends… They have seemed a little quieter these last couple of games. Is it just a “spreading the ball around” situation, or should I be concerned? - @clazzyclare I thought they might be a little more involved this past weekend, Clare. The Bucs were one of the worst teams in the NFL at defending the middle of the field, and Maye typically has no issue ripping passes between the numbers to his big-bodied targets. There are times when teams have done a good job of disguising their safety responsibilities against the Patriots, which has perhaps led to some hesitancy on Maye's end. There was his pick against the Falcons, you'll remember, where it looked like he and Hunter Henry saw the Atlanta coverage differently, and it led to a wayward throw. I wouldn't be too concerned -- although Austin Hooper did pop up on the injury report with a concussion on Monday -- because Maye trusts the players he has at that position, and he'll lean on them moving forward in critical moments. Hi Phil! What would you describe the strengths and weaknesses of the team right now? And how would you fix the weaknesses? - @puumalainen The Patriots' strengths and weaknesses are relatively easily identified, Setti. On the positive end of the spectrum? They are among the most explosive offensive attacks in football thanks in large part to a quarterback who is a walking, talking, passing "strength." Defensively, they remain -- as they've been all year -- excellent against the run, allowing a league-best average of 79.2 rush yards per game. Their most obvious weakness, in my opinion, is their inability to run the football consistently. TreVeyon Henderson's home-run hitters on Sunday were a massive boon for the Patriots offense, but 12 of his carries went for just 23 yards, continuing a trend where the Patriots have difficulty grinding out yards on the ground. Of course, the rookie's 55- and 69-yard touchdown runs bumped his team's overall efficiency when handing off, but they remain one of the worst in the league when rushing, averaging 4.1 yards per rush (22nd in the NFL), -0.09 EPA per rush (25th), and posting a 37.0 percent success rate when running (29th). The Patriots have been fortunate in that they've been able to trot out the same offensive line consistently throughout the season, but greater connectivity at the line of scrimmage might help limit some of the stuffed runs they've experienced in recent weeks. They also could get a little more out of their backs, who have been one of the worst yards-after-contact groups in the NFL (2.69 average, 28th). That might be remedied if the line and tight ends in the offensive huddle ensure that the first defenders to contact their teammates in the backfield are the lightest tacklers on the field, the defensive backs. But blockers have done a fairly good job of keeping Patriots backs clean, providing an average of 1.45 yards before contact per carry. On Drake Maye's interception, I remember him making that same throw and completing it in the past a few times. Do we just have to live with sometimes it doesn’t work and we hope it does? - @Patsfan19838268 That's typically where I land when considering that throw, Patsfan. And I think Maye feels similarly, telling reporters after the game that he wouldn't change his decision at that moment. As he explained, had he thrown that pass a little wider -- where only his receiver could catch it -- the result might've been different. We've seen throws similar to that one -- remember, he hit multiple throws running toward the sideline to tightly-covered targets in Buffalo earlier this season -- which likely helped give him the confidence that he could make it work again in Tampa. I understand the critiques of his decision, and it sounded as though Mike Vrabel would've liked to see him make a different choice because it wiped valuable points off the board. But, as Vrabel said after the win when asked about his aggressive coaching style, you can't win without pushing something into the middle of the table. I consider Maye's style of quarterbacking to be similar. You're going to have to take the good with the bad. His mindset can lead to both, though there's been much more of one than the other this season. Who are notable upcoming free agents on the Patriots' roster? Any players unlikely to return for next season? - @LereimTrygve Some key names to keep in mind, Trygve: Austin Hooper, Jaylin Hawkins, Jack Gibbens, Khyiris Tonga and K'Lavon Chaisson are all set to hit free agency in the offseason. All have played key roles in the success of this year's team, and it would come as very little surprise if the team made moves to keep them all around beyond this season. Hawkins has been a starter from Day 1, and he made a game-saving play on fourth down in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Gibbens led the team in tackles in Tampa and has been a staple both defensively and on the kicking team. Tonga has been one of the season's biggest surprises, dominating matchups in the trenches -- particularly against the run -- and also chipping in offensively as a fullback. (Tonga led the way with a get-off-the-tracks-when-the-train's-coming-through block on safety Antoine Winfield to help spring TreVeyon Henderson for his second touchdown against the Bucs.) Chaisson has been the team's best and most consistent edge rusher. Other free-agents-to-be include cornerback Alex Austin, fullback Jack Westover and reserve quarterback Tommy DeVito. Twice this season (vs. the Steelers and Bucs), Drake Maye threw a bad interception in the end zone right after a hard hit. Coincidence? (Yes, worried about the hits he is taking.) - @CelticsPride86 Hard to definitively link those when Maye wasn't officially assessed for a concussion after either one, but I think you're right to be concerned about the number of shots Maye has taken this season. Goes without saying that the Patriots will only go as far as he can take them. What's their path to improving the goal-to-go situations? Even when Rhamondre Stevenson is healthy, they've struggled mightily when trying to punch it in inside the 5-yard line. - @JacobFrank4 The path seems to be to put the ball in Maye's hands and let him target his most trusted pass-catchers. Over the couple of the last few weeks, that has meant giving Stefon Diggs an opportunity on a quick-hitter. Perhaps more of those on early downs could make those low red zone trips a little less hairy. Can we get a big TreVeyon Henderson TD off a wheel route this season? - @proudblackmatt That was one of the team's most explosive concepts over the course of the summer. My guess is they'll get to it at some point, and it'll lead to an explosive play. Which players could be lured out of retirement to provide some depth at RB and cornerback? Have you seen Stephon Gilmore flirting with the Patriots on his X? - @BrayallPatrick Don't expect Stephon Gilmore to be back in Foxboro any time soon, Pat. Yes, I saw the tweet. And yes, I reached out to him soon after. Just know he's enjoyed watching them from afar. He has a lot of respect for Christian Gonzalez and the way he plays the position. What’s the view on Craig Woodson? Not much talk about him (outside of this weeks 3 down hit), which seems to indicate no blown coverages and quick adaption to a tough position—should he get more love? - @michael_labbee I think that's a fair assessment, Michael. To be on the field for over 90 percent of the snaps, as a rookie, and to not be the reason for any catastrophic lapses? Impressive. "I think he's comfortable," Vrabel said this week. "I think he's been available, which is really important. Finding some ball production, breaking passes up. They made a really good play on him yesterday in the end zone, which was -- I was asking, 'Hey, did he look back? Did he go with the wrong hand?' Guys upstairs are like, 'No, he didn't look back. It was a perfect ball and it beat him in the end zone.' "But I think you see him becoming more comfortable, willing to trigger and tackling in this league, so critical on the back end to eliminate those big plays in the running game or short passes. They've done a good job of that." Hello Phil, any good tackle prospects in the draft on in free agency for the offseason? I think they’ll need to look at replacing Morgan Moses soon. - @EthanMurra45721 We've been tracking all kinds of tackle prospects on Next Pats this season, Ethan. Every week we do a "Who's Next?!" segment and discuss potential draftees. The tackles so far have included Alabama's Kadyn Procter, Utah's Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, Miami's Francis Mauigoa and Northwestern's Caleb Tiernan. Will the Patriots go 15-2? - @bcchuck22 I don't think they'll run the table, Chuck. But! I could certainly seem them winning this week and the next two. That would put them at 11 wins with four to play, two more wins than I had predicted prior to the start of the season. That made me a proponent of taking the "over" for the Patriots this season, and yet I was still way too low. What a run they're on. Goes to show how impactful Maye's leap has been, how much Vrabel's hire has meant, and how significant the other rookie and free-agent additions have proven to be. Should the lack of playoff experience with this young roster be a concern? Can Milton Williams and Carlton Davis be leaders sharing their playoff experience? - @TheMotleyOne We'll see, Motley One. In some ways, maybe their relative dearth of Super Bowl winners -- Milton Williams and Carlton Davis are the ones who have rings -- makes them hungry for success late in the season. It's not all about experience at that time of year, though that can help. It seems to be more about health, homefield advantage, and making the right decisions in critical moments. Don't necessarily need to have been there before in order to check those boxes.
