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“We've seen some great plays and some great quarterback play. But right now, I'm seeing too much focus on one guy and going and creating.”
According to statistics, Derek Meyer is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL this season. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puska)
Kurt Warner likes some of what he's seen from Drake Maye so far this season. However, he's not ready to say that the young Patriots star has evolved into one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
The Hall of Fame quarterback explained that Meyer relied too heavily on his improvisational skills to say he had taken the next step as a quarterback.
“I thought Drake played great,” Warner said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “But right now, some of it is more like backyard football than solid, consistent quarterback play.
“We've seen some great plays and some great quarterback play. But right now, I'm seeing too much focus on one guy and going and creating.”
Warner noted that Med made two specific plays in the win over the Bills that he thought were both “great” but also a little too backyard football-y. The first was a 32-yard pass from Stefon Diggs on the sideline in the third quarter. The other was Meyer climbing out of a sack and throwing to Diggs for a 12-yard gain with just over two minutes left in the game.
While Warner acknowledged that these were Meyer's great works, he did not believe that they would sustain long-term success.
“It's a hard world to live in,” Warner said of the plays. “To be a great quarterback in this league, you have to be able to stay in the pocket when the situation calls for it and then create and be that special playmaker.
“They were lucky that Buffalo played as bad as they did in that game,” Warner added.
Of course, one could argue with Warner's assessment of Meyer that many of the other top quarterbacks in the league have used improv to achieve success. But Warner believes other quarterbacks, such as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, have shown enough pocket passing ability to be considered among the league's elite.
“I've seen other people do more,” Warner said. “I've seen those guys win MVPs. I've seen them do it consistently over 17 games.”
Statistically speaking, Meyer has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season. He ranks fifth in passing yards (1,261), fifth in yards per attempt (8.2), sixth in passer rating (107.8) and second in pass completion percentage (73.9). Among advance metrics, Meyer ranks fifth overall in expected grade (45.38), and Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 10th-best quarterback among players who have started at least three games this season.
In terms of offensive ability, Meyer is one of the best quarterbacks in the league this season. He completed 84.9 percent of his passes in the pocket, ranking third among starting quarterbacks, and ranked 11th in the league with 7.2 yards per pocket attempt, according to PFF.
Still, Warner wants to see more than a five-game sample size before promoting Meyer to quarterback.
“I want to see more of Drake,” Warner said. “He's playing really well this year. I just want to see a little more consistency before I crown him.”
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