SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Concerns about Drake Maye's shoulder can be moved down to DEFCON 5, after the New England Patriots quarterback and coaching staff all downplayed the injury.
During Super Bowl XL Opening Night, in which he was engulfed by a throng of media, Maye said he felt good after Monday's throwing session.
"I feel good. I'll be just fine," Maye said. "I threw a good bit. I threw as much as I would at a normal practice. 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."
Maye was listed as questionable on the Patriots' Super Bowl Bye Week Injury report after limited participation with the shoulder injury and missing Friday due to an illness.
The message on Monday was that Maye was fine physically ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Seattle Seahawks' No. 1 defense. The two weeks between games helped things settle for the MVP candidate.
"I turned a corner landing on the flight (to San Francisco on Sunday)," he said. "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."
Assuming things don't turn dramatically sideways, Maye (23 years, 162 days old) will be the second-youngest QB to start a Super Bowl, trailing only Hall of Famer Dan Marino (23 years, 113 days) in 1984 (Lost SB XIX vs SF).
With a win, Maye would become the youngest starting QB to ever hoist the Lombardi Trophy, surpassing Ben Roethlisberger, who won Super Bowl XL (also against the Seahawks) at 23 years and 340 days old.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel reiterated that Maye looked good on Monday.
"We had a good third-down day," he said. "I thought that the ball came out good. I thought it was a crisp practice for Drake and for everybody else."
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was asked if he expected any limitations with Maye's shoulder entering Sunday's contest.
"Nope," McDaniels confidently stated, per the Boston Globe.
If the player, coach and play-caller have zero worries about the shoulder impacting Sunday's performance, we can put that one to rest ahead of the biggest game of the year.
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