While the New England Patriots have been working on the practice fields outside of Gillette Stadium during their first training camp under head coach Jerod Mayo, the team has welcomed a number of guests to view the sessions along with the fans and media in attendance.
One guest who took in a recent camp session was former NFL MVP Matt Ryan, who is set to join "The NFL Today" crew this year.
Ryan has been getting a close-up look at the teams around the league at their camps, and he offered an evaluation of Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
"Looking at Drake today, I thought he did a good job," Ryan said (via. WBZ). "Obviously, we're not in on the meetings of what they're actually working on. But, you look at the body language, the way that they're moving around, the way they threw the football, I thought he did a nice job."
Ryan was the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft out of Boston College, so he knows what type of pressure Maye is facing these days. He also shared some advice for the rookie.
"I'd take it day by day, and that's exactly what I told him after practice," Ryan said. "I've gotten to know Drake a little bit. He's a really good guy; has a good head on his shoulders. But, it's hard, and you're gonna have days where it doesn't feel like it's going well, but you gotta keep coming back every day with the same type of attitude and the same type of intensity and see that little progression grow. Before you know it, you're gonna be comfortable, and that's what it takes. It just takes hard work day in and day out."
That's wise advice for Maye, who needs to focus on doing his best and learning the offense before he can worry about taking over as the team's starting quarterback and leading them to wins.
