The Patriots are, once again, rolling.
Following their 32-13 win over the Browns on Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, New England is 6-2 to begin the 2025 season. They currently sit in first place in the AFC East, have won five games in a row, and—just like old times—are doing so behind what looks to be a franchise quarterback.
Through eight games, second-year signal caller Drake Maye has looked every bit of an MVP candidate. He currently leads the NFL in completion percentage (75.2%) and passer rating (118.7) among qualified quarterbacks, has thrown for 2,026 yards and 15 touchdowns to just three interceptions, and has the Patriots scoring 26.6 points per game—the seventh-highest in the league.
While it's certainly still early, Maye's performance throughout the first half of the '25 campaign has New England fans both plenty hopeful for the future and, for better or for worse, reminiscing about the days with quarterback Tom Brady at the helm.
During an interview with former Patriots tight end-turned-Fox NFL analyst Rob Gronkowski this past week, Maye spoke about the pressure that comes with trying to be the GOAT's successor in New England—and how he handles the challenge.
"Just trying to be myself," said Maye. "Don't try to be, 'the Greatest of All Time.' I think the biggest thing is, I just respect it. Respect what he did for the game. Watching the old tape is one of my favorite things to do. Do a little Gronk pass, or hitting the seam down the middle. I was sitting there watching the Hall of Fame speech last year, [with Brady] talking about, 'No shortcuts.' Just trying to pull what I can from him and appreciate his greatness."
A pretty honest—and humble—answer from the 23-year-old rocking the league the way Brady once did at that age.
While we're on the topic, Gronkowski also took it upon himself to FaceTime Brady mid-interview and return the chirp the quarterback delivered his way earlier this month.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm actually with my new favorite quarterback of the New England Patriots," he said, referring to Brady's tongue-in-cheek comments about Hunter Henry being the greatest Pats tight end of all-time. " ... I want you to say hello to my new favorite quarterback."
The three then shared a laugh before the GOAT signed off with a well-wish to the Patriots' new franchise quarterback.
"I might have made a decent career myself if I could do some of the things that kid could do," Brady said before hanging up. "... Later Drake, keep it up my man."
New England will be back at home again this coming Sunday as they welcome the Falcons to Gillette Stadium for a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Drake Maye Gave an Honest Answer on Handling the Pressure of Succeeding Tom Brady.