Van Pelt has worked closely with Maye since he was drafted.
Ask either head coach Jerod Mayo or Drake Maye how important offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has been to the rookie quarterback and they’ll both begin there answer the same: “He’s been huge.”
In the following months after drafting Maye with the third overall pick, the New England Patriots stuck to a development plan to get their rookie ready for action.
That eventually led to Maye making his first career start in Week 6 after spending the beginning of the season observing veteran Jacoby Brissett from the sideline. In his five games since behind center, Maye has been impressive beyond the physical talent he showcased at North Carolina.
According to Mayo, Van Pelt is the one who deserves primary credit for the rookie’s development.
“There’s no one in this organization that deserves more credit as far as what Drake has been able to do on the football field than Alex Van Pelt,” Mayo said Wednesday. “When we interviewed Alex — I would say when we interviewed all of the coaches that were here — one of the prerequisites or requirements was a guy who’s level-headed, and a guy who believes in working together, and a guy who doesn’t get too high or get too low. That’s Alex, and I appreciate that.”
After hiring Van Pelt back in February, Mayo alluded to the coordinator’s people person skills in addition to his football knowledge. That has made him a strong fit with Maye early on in their football relationship.
“He’s been huge. I think he’s just a confidence booster for a quarterback. You love playing for an offensive coordinator like AVP,” Maye said Wednesday. “He’s positive, and also at the same time will coach you hard. He’s done it; he’s played quarterback in this league and at a high level. So, he knows what needs to be done and the task. He knows it’s a tall task as well, which is pretty — him and T.C. [McCartney] both kind of know the quarterback minds, and coach [Ben] McAdoo.
“Those three all know what it’s like, how hard it is to play quarterback in this league. They give a lot of leeway, but at the same time know what needs to be done.”
Since Maye has taken over, Van Pelt’s offense has started to take steps in the right direction. The unit as a whole is averaging more points per game largely due to Maye’s ability to generate explosive plays and mitigate pressure.
That hasn’t stopped the public criticism that Van Pelt, who is calling plays for the first time in over a decade, has faced in his first season as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. His work with Maye, however, should not be glossed over, while the rest of the offense has enjoyed working with the former QB.
“He’s been tremendous,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “I love his scheme, I love his game-planning. I love his football mind, too, just how he sees things. It’s been a lot of fun growing in this scheme, growing in this system. I really enjoy it.”