Super Bowl LIX is here, and the New England Patriots are back in the NFL’s championship game. The last Patriots dynasty certainly gave neutrals and non-Pats fans fatigue, because it got very repetitive to see the same AFC champion every season. Now the Pats are back in the big game with a totally new cast. New head coach, new roster, and a new franchise quarterback, Drake Maye. And he is good; very good!
The second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye was second team All-Pro this season, as he led the NFL in passer rating and completion percentage. And he’s drawn a lot of praise, from all corners, including Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski.
“The guy throws a beautiful deep ball,” Gronkowski said in an exclusive with RG.org. “When I interviewed him for a sit-down interview with Fox earlier this year, he threw me a pass, and it was a beautiful pass. It was about a 30-yard bomb down the field.
“I really wasn’t running full speed like that, but just the way he can place the ball and just how soft it is when it hits your hands, that’s his trait that he brings to the table, that can threaten defenses like no other.”
The quarterback of the last Patriots dynasty, Tom Brady, was the unquestioned face of the National Football League for the longest time.
After his time was done, Patrick Mahomes stepped right into that role. With the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty done, who is next?
Well, if Drake Maye can win some Super Bowls, it will be him. And he already has a great “nickname” or sorts. Check out this embedded video below. It’s of actor/comedian Keegan-Michael Key, as he went on the Rich Eisen show, and broke out his ‘Key & Peele’ Mr. Garvey substitute teacher character for NFL player roll call.
Drake Maye, or D-Rackay Mahye, comes up around the 1:55 mark. Happy Super Bowl Sunday everybody.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.