Morning Sports Update
“It’s pretty special that they’re reaching out to me and taking time out of their day to try to help me try to go win the big one.”
Drake Maye during “Opening Night” at the pre-Super Bowl festivities. Vera Nieuwenhuis/AP Content Services for the NFL
February 4, 2026 | 11:02 AM
3 minutes to read
Peyton Manning and Drake Maye: Before Drake Maye takes the field for the biggest game of his young NFL career, he’s clearly been intent on trying to learn from some of the best (even a former Patriots rival).
After noting in a recent SiriusXM NFL Radio interview that he’s trying to heed the advice of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — who advised him to try to “try to keep the schedule the same as much as you can” — Maye admitted that he’d spoken with none other than Peyton Manning.
“Peyton Manning reached out to me and talked about, you know, a similar thing,” Maye told co-hosts Rich Gannon and Bruce Murray. “One of the first things he said [was], ‘Keep the schedule the same. It’s going to be hard.’”
After the show hosts joked about Maye casually name-dropping a conversation with Manning, the Patriots quarterback laughed.
“It’s not too bad,” he said of being able to get advice from a two-time Super Bowl winner.
For Maye, the Super Bowl connection to Manning runs deeper in his own football story.
“It’s really full circle because I was at this game 10 years ago when Peyton won it against the Panthers,” Maye, a Panthers fan growing up, explained. “I was here. My dad brought me. So it’s a pretty cool moment to kind of get to know some of these guys that I looked up, great players and great throwers of the football.”
“It’s pretty special that they’re reaching out to me and taking time out of their day to try to help me try to go win the big one,” he added. “So it means the world.”
Manning and the Broncos defeated the Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, which (as Maye pointed out) was also played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Trivia: Who is the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He was 0-2 against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game during his career (which he played for just one team).
Scores and schedules:
The Celtics defeated the Mavericks 110-100 on Tuesday. Tonight, the Celtics face the Rockets in Houston at 8 p.m.
The Bruins are also in action tonight, playing the Panthers in Florida at 7 p.m.
Looking to the weekend, the Patriots continue to prepare for a matchup with the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
A Patriots secret weapon: John “Stretch” Streicher discussed how he goes about giving the Patriots an edge in his (many) roles working for Mike Vrabel.
Lindsey Vonn’s Olympic dream: Despite suffering a ruptured ACL in her left knee, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn said she will try to race in the downhill event when the Winter Olympics get underway this weekend.
On this day: In 1973, the Celtics defeated the 76ers 123-115 thanks to Jo Jo White’s 38 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists (Dave Cowens also delivered with 20 points and 15 rebounds). Elsewhere, the Bruins and Flyers tied 2-2.
Daily highlight: Shaedon Sharpe did indeed appear to defy gravity in this emphatic dunk for the Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
Trivia answer: Ben Roethlisberger
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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