By Kyle Feldscher, CNN
San Jose, California (CNN) — In a mid-December game against the Buffalo Bills, Drake Maye took the snap, turned and tossed the ball to TreVeyon Henderson.
The rookie running back for the New England Patriots ran to the right and found his way blocked, so he switched directions and made a beeline for the opposite side of the field. The middle of the field was empty and the running back out of Ohio State sprinted down field.
All he needed was one more blocker to clear the way for him to get to the end zone. And he got it – from Maye.
The young quarterback out of the University of North Carolina, the youngest son of a family of prodigies who has gone from promising rookie to MVP-candidate in his second season, was sprinting right alongside his teammate as he broke loose down the field. Maye kept veering into the on-rushing Bills defender, giving his running back a better angle and finally threw a block at about the 20-yard line.
Henderson scored, putting the Pats ahead once again in a titanic battle of AFC East powerhouses. The Bills would go on to win, but that moment stuck with Henderson.
“That speaks for itself, the type of leader he is,” Henderson said on Monday.
Maye came out of UNC expecting to be a good professional quarterback. His rookie year reflected that promise, somewhat. He completed 66% of his passes and he threw for 15 touchdowns and a couple thousand yards as the Patriots suffered a dismal 4-13 season.
This year, the script has flipped. The Patriots finished the season 14-3, Maye passed for more than 4,000 yards, 31 touchdowns and – while his playoff performances haven’t exactly been outstanding – Maye has brought his team to the cusp of yet another Patriot Super Bowl title.
The on-field play has been great. But what his teammates have noticed is the change off the field.
“The leap he’s taken this year, I think, is the leadership role,” said veteran running back Rhamondre Stevenson. “He’s a great leader. He demands the offense to do certain things. He’s looking at how we practice then he has something to say about it the next day, whether it was good practice, great practice, or, you know, a not so good one. So he’s just a vocal leader, he commands offense well.”
The learning curve
Ultimately, Drake Maye is a simple dude.
“Faith, family, football. That’s me. That’s me to a T,” he said on Monday.
There’s a sort of vibe around him that makes it seem like he was destined to be here on the Super Bowl stage. His dad played quarterback at UNC in the 1980s. Two of his brothers won national titles in college basketball. Another brother played for the Tarheels too. He exudes the kind of humble confidence that comes with being talented, but in the shadow of extremely talented brothers.
But even still, that first year in the NFL will rock any rookie’s confidence. For Maye, that tough rookie season was a learning opportunity rather than a setback.
“After a year under my belt just of playing quarterback in this league, you know how special that is, but also how much responsibility comes with that, you know, on and off the field,” he said Monday.
That’s led to that stepped-up leadership role that Stevenson talked about, from speaking up in the team facility to getting his offense together in the off-season to get to know each other and get on the same page before hitting training camp.
DeMario Douglas, one of New England’s wide receivers, said the trust Maye has developed with his receiving corps has been vital to the Patriots’ success this year.
“Everybody respects him. But before the season, he got us together, his receivers, his running backs, tight ends, made sure we were all on the same page,” Douglas told CNN Sports.
“I f