Patriots quarterback Drake Maye does not pass the test in skills event at the Pro Bowl

Boston Globe

30-01-2025

Before the quarterbacks throw, a fellow Pro Bowler from their conference will answer five trivia questions to bank additional time. Each correct answer is worth 10 additional seconds. Maye was paired with former Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith, who answered four correctly.
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Maye was able to hit eight of his nine targets during his 80 seconds, missing the moving 5-pointer.
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'Golly!' Maye let out during a cold stretch.
Still, he earned praise from those watching.
'He just throws it so effortlessly,' said Peyton Manning, who is coaching the AFC team.
'That arm won't get tired,' said ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, one of the event's commentators. 'I think Drake needed to rip it a little bit more because the scaffolding got in his way a couple times.'
Maye was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Baltimore's Lamar Jackson. He is the lone Patriot representative at the festivities in Orlando, as special teamer Brenden Schooler opted out because of offseason surgery. Maye and Schooler are New England's first Pro Bowlers since 2022, when outside linebacker Matthew Judon was the team's lone selection.
'Passing the Test' was the only event Maye participated in Thursday night. Other events included 'Satisfying Catches,' 'The Big Spike,' 'Helmet Harmony,' a relay race, and dodgeball.
Maye is expected to play in the flag football game between the AFC and NFC on Sunday.
. . .
The Patriots are hiring Scott Booker to join their staff, a league source confirmed Thursday.
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Booker spent last season as Buffalo's nickel coach and senior defensive assistant. He worked with Mike Vrabel for six seasons in Tennessee, starting as a defensive assistant before becoming safeties coach. He'll likely work alongside newly hired Kevin Richardson to coach the secondary.
Before Vrabel first hired Booker in 2018, he coached for 15 years at the collegiate level with stops at Nebraska, Notre Dame, Western Kentucky, and his alma mater Kent State. During his seven-year tenure at Notre Dame, Booker served as an offensive intern, tight ends coach, and special teams coordinator.
The majority of Vrabel's former colleagues are on the defensive side of the ball, with defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, Zak Kuhr, and Clinton McMillan joining Booker. All worked for multiple seasons in Tennessee, while Kuhr also was a coaching intern during Vrabel's time as a position coach at Ohio State.
The titles for Kuhr and McMillan have yet to be announced, but their backgrounds suggest Kuhr will be working with linebackers and McMillan with the defensive line.
Milton Patterson, one of Vrabel's few defensive hires who didn't work in Tennessee, will likely help coaching linebackers.
Patterson has more than a decade of coaching experience at the collegiate level, most recently serving as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Florida A&M. The Patriots will be his first job in the NFL.
. . .
Last year's defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington landed a new job. According to ESPN, Matt LaFleur has hired Covington to serve as Green Bay's defensive line coach. Before getting promoted last season, Covington spent four seasons in that role for the Patriots.
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Nicole Yang can be reached at