FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — With the offensive line still in transition and the development of the franchise’s rookie quarterback dominating most of the headlines, much of the attention has been focused on New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt all summer.
Van Pelt discussed the state of the offense on Thursday before the last warm-up game.
Most of the questions revolved around Drake Maye, the quarterback who was selected number 3 in the draft in April.
How is he progressing? Does he still have a chance to unseat the experienced Jacoby Brissett and start the season opener against Cincinnati on September 8?
“He’s making progress every day,” Van Pelt said of Maye.
“That’s the most important thing. There’s no going back. He takes what he learned in the last training and applies it to the next one. He really gives it his all.”
Van Pelt, who is entering his 20th NFL season as a coach and his first with the Patriots, noted that Maye has been impressive in recent weeks. Maye was on the field for just six snaps in the preseason opener before his workload increased to two quarters in the second preseason game. He responded well to the increase in game reps, leading New England to two of his three scoring drives in a 14-13 loss to Philadelphia.
“That was the plan from the beginning,” Van Pelt said when asked to defend the Patriots’ decision to limit Mayes’ playing time in the first preseason game.
“Quarterback is the hardest position in the sport, especially for a rookie. It takes a little time and we’re going to be as patient as possible in this process.”
Maye is one of four quarterbacks on the current roster. He, along with projected starters Jacoby Brissett and Joe Milton and Bailey Zappe, are expected to play in Sunday’s final preseason game against Washington.
Brissett’s experience was the deciding factor in his competition with Maye. Brissett is entering his ninth season in the NFL and previously worked with Van Pelt during the one season he spent with the Cleveland Browns in 2022.
Brissett hasn’t been particularly impressive in his first two exhibition games, failing to complete a pass in the season opener and throwing an interception between two three-and-outs against the Eagles last week.
Van Pelt noted that Brissett’s defense was due to the receiver running the wrong route.
“He’s a solid guy and a solid leader,” Van Pelt said of Brissett. “He works hard and was great with Drake.”
Whether it’s Brissett, Maye or anyone else, their performance is meaningless if they aren’t protected by the offensive line.
This unit has been in the spotlight for its repeated difficulties in joint training against Philadelphia, and Van Pelt pointed to the ongoing search for answers.
“That’s a work in progress too,” Van Pelt said of the O-line. “You’ll see different lineups. Every practice, you’ll see guys switch sides and go from guard to tackle or right tackle to left tackle. We’re trying to find the five best guys. Maybe not the five best players, but the five best guys working together as a unit.”
Although Van Pelt held the title of offensive coordinator in his previous stints with the Browns and Buffalo Bills, this season will mark the first time in his coaching career that he will have the final say in game day play.
Head coach Jerod Mayo has repeatedly made great efforts to appoint Van Pelt as the head coach of New England’s offense.
“Experience is key. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’ve seen a lot of problems and difficulties and solved a lot of them,” Van Pelt said. “To be able to stand in front of the group and lead them as our offense is something special and different. I haven’t had this opportunity in a long time.”
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