SAN JOSE, Calif – File under nothing to see here.
Drake Maye’s shoulder, which has certainly been the Patriots’ most heavily scrutinized body part since that time Tom Brady ripped up his hand, no longer seems to be an issue. Not that we thought it was a five-alarm fire to begin with.
Talking at Super Bowl’s media night, Maye said he felt as though his shoulder turned the corner on the flight out to the West Coast. In what Mike Vrabel called a “bonus” practice on Monday, Maye told the massive media throng, “I threw as much today as I would in a normal practice.”
“I feel good. I’ll be just fine,” Maye said. “I felt great and looking forward to getting back out there Wednesday and Thursday for practice and Friday to get ready for a normal week of prep.
“I turned a corner landing on the flight (to San Francisco on Sunday). I felt good from the flight and throwing out there today, I think it turned the corner, and I really had no doubt being 100% for the game, this is the Super Bowl. We get two weeks to prepare for it and do whatever we got to do to get it right. I’ve got confidence and feel good.”
There are no “official” reports until Wednesday, but no one in the Pats’ camp seems remotely concerned. In other words, they feel the same way they did last week, but it certainly helped to see their quarterback spin it today and spin it well.
“I thought that ball came out good,” Vrabel said. “I thought it was a crisp practice for Drake and for everybody else.”
“He’ll be fine,” added Josh McDaniels. “He’s good. He’s in a good place.”
For a 23-year-old kid, Maye didn’t seem at all fazed by the bright lights of this night. He carried a bemused look on his face as some of the out-of-left-field questions were tossed his way, and he handled them gracefully for nearly an hour. Just for color’s sake, at various points Maye’s “media” audience included a woman wearing a tiara, a guy dressed as a dragon, and someone in a bedazzled vest that temporarily blinded me.
Maye’s “injury” wasn’t the only one that drew attention. Both Robert Spillane (ankle) and Harold Landry (knee) were put at podiums, a little odd for the latter considering he’s still currently on injured reserve. Vrabel wouldn’t get into details about either’s availability – he’s not in the prediction business – but there was
