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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Karen Guregian: For best Drake Maye barometer, Patriots should circle this summer date
The second week of August. Joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings. Circle those dates on the calendar. Why? For anyone wondering the best time to get a read on Drake Maye, and if he's going to make a Year 2 leap with a new offensive coordinator and new offense, see where he's at during those joint practices. Advertisement See how he looks then. That'll be the best barometer. At least, that's the view of former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer, who played for nine different teams and had to learn nearly as many offenses along the ride. Right now, Maye is making mistakes. He's processing, thinking a little too much about the plays, and what he's supposed to be doing. That's been the prevailing opinion during the two open OTA practices thus far. And having been there and watched, I'd concur with that view. Now for some context. This is the normal course for quarterbacks early in the process. The new offense should click for Maye eventually. It did last year when he was learning Alex Van Pelt's system. Advertisement Given Hoyer's NFL resume, he has a pretty good handle on what Maye is going through at the moment, and provided some insight into the quarterback we're seeing now. From his experience, Hoyer said the goal for Maye during OTAs and the upcoming minicamp is to get all the procedural things down so he can hit the ground running in training camp in late July. 'If you're the Patriots, you want to see Drake come out of OTAs and minicamp with a decent command of the operation, calling the plays, identifying the Mike (middle linebacker), alerting the play when he needs to, all of the procedural things,' Hoyer said, 'because if he gets that down when he gets to training camp, he can focus just on the physical part of it.' That's step one in the process. Advertisement At this stage, Maye is finding his way, trying to get comfortable with the new system and terminology. Josh McDaniels is also seeing what works for his quarterback within the system, and what doesn't. 'It's one of those things where you throw everything at the wall, see what sticks, and refine it as you go along,' Hoyer said. 'To me, the thing you want him to be able to do is process from the huddle call to the line of scrimmage. And from there, be comfortable to just play. And I'm sure he'll get there.' Some fans have already started sounding the alarm bells. And to some degree, it's understandable given scribes have portrayed uneven, inconsistent performances. They've written about inaccuracy and uncertainty on the part of the quarterback. 'The one thing Drake is going through now, it's his first full offseason going in as the starting quarterback. There's a lot of new things being thrown at him,' Hoyer said. 'There's new players he's working with. And, on top of that, the defense is pretty good. Advertisement '(In a passing camp) the defense knows you're throwing the ball every single play. It's a little bit of a different mentality. There's no pads. They're not really working on the running game. 'We always said this is the hardest time of the year (for a quarterback). At what other point does the defense know you're going to predominantly throw the ball?' The Patriots have another open OTA session Monday, followed by minicamp June 9-through-11. It wouldn't be a surprise if Maye continues to struggle, but there should be signs of improvement as well. After throwing four picks the first OTA session the media viewed, he was clean during Wednesday's session. But that didn't signal all was well with the second-year quarterback. Advertisement Constantly on the move from a line that continues to struggle to protect (several starters have been non-participants), Maye had some accuracy issues. Again, it's not a problem now, but could be down the road if he can't make the necessary fixes. 'He did a lot of great things last year, but he also had a lot of rookie mistakes and a learning curve,' Hoyer said. 'He was on a team that didn't do well, and he was the one bright spot. So we highlighted his good plays, and downplayed his bad plays. 'I do think this year, we're going to have higher expectations from him all around. It's your second year. You have better coaching, better players around you, etc. And I think that process of learning ... this is so valuable to him. I would not worry about a lot of mistakes right now.' The time to panic if there's no improvement? Advertisement As stated above, the second round of joint practice session against the Vikings, if not the first against the Washington Commanders, is the pivotal juncture for Maye. 'When he gets to the week of practicing against the Vikings, that'll be a great barometer,' Hoyer said. 'You'll be able to sit there and watch multiple practices against a different defense and you'll have a really good feeling ... If he goes out and has a Mac Jones type of day against the Giants ... they should all feel really good about where he's at.' The latter reference was to Jones' rookie year. He was in a competition with veteran Cam Newton. It was after Jones' put on a clinic against the Giants during those late August joint practices, that the move was made, making Jones the starter. The biggest thing to look for now is whether Maye is making the same mistakes over and over. If he's a repeat offender, that wouldn't bode well right out of the gate. Advertisement Seeing him in consecutive practices, both in minicamp, training camp, along with the joint practices, will provide a better view of reality. 'If you over-analyze (now), you're going to really put yourself down a fox hole that may or may not have anything to do with the results of how he plays this year,' Hoyer said. 'Josh is having to install this offense to a lot of new people. There's a lot of experimenting going on. There's a lot of learning going on. 'The reality is, until you get to training camp, and the pads go on, and the offense is allowed to run the ball, and the defense isn't just sitting back and playing pass defense, it's really just glorified 7-on-7 right now.' Hoyer was funny describing the difference between Van Pelt's west coast style offense, which Maye learned last year, and the one he's trying to decipher now with McDaniels. Advertisement 'The system he was in last year was Spanish, and this system is German,' Hoyer said. 'They're not relatable at all when it comes to the terminology and what he's being asked to do. So it's going to take some time to feel comfortable with that stuff. But once it clicks, it'll really allow him to flourish.' Look for the 'click' date to come in mid-August. If not, then it's time to worry. More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
USA Today
24-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt lands new job for NFC team
Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt accepted a position with the Los Angeles Rams as a senior offensive assistant. Van Pelt was a one-and-done coach under the short-lived Jerod Mayo era in New England. He had a hand in helping develop rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who was one of the few bright spots for the team last season. Maye made the Pro Bowl in his first NFL season, and he flashed a high ceiling in an offense lacking in receiving and offensive line talent. Before joining the Patriots, Van Pelt spent four seasons with the Cleveland Browns working as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Rams have added former Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to their coaching staff: — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 24, 2025 Van Pelt landed in a great spot working under a former Super Bowl-winning head coach in Rams coach Sean McVay. However, the Rams have some major question marks of their own, particularly at the quarterback position with Matthew Stafford. Will the Rams move on or stay the course for another season with the 37-year-old quarterback?
CBS News
24-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Former Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt joins Rams as offensive assistant
FOXBORO -- Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has found a new job for the 2025 NFL season. Van Pelt will be a senior offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Rams under head coach Sean McVay, the team announced Monday. It's unclear if Van Pelt will work with veteran Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has been in trade rumors this offseason. But Ven Pelt has landed on his feet with Los Angeles after a brief -- and unsuccessful -- stint as New England's offensive coordinator. With the Rams, Van Pelt will now work with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and his offensive staff, which was announced in full on Monday. The Rams went 10-7 and beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round in 2024. But their offense took a step back during the campaign, mostly due to injuries to top wideouts Puka Nakua (limited to 11 games) and Cooper Kupp (12 games). Los Angeles ranked 15th in total offense and 20th in scoring offense last season. Alex Van Pelt with the Patriots Van Pelt got just one season as New England's OC, as the Patriots mostly cleaned house after firing head coach Jerod Mayo following the team's Week 18 win over the Buffalo Bills. New head coach MIke Vrabel replaced Van Pelt with Josh McDaniels, who is back for a third stint as Patriots offensive coordinator. Van Pelt did some solid work with quarterback Drake Maye in 2024, who praised his OC throughout his rookie campaign. But the Patriots offense was near the bottom of the league under Van Pelt, ranking 31st in total offense and 30th in scoring. Much of that had to do with the team's lackluster personnel on the offensive side of the ball, which will be a big focus for the Patriots this offseason. Prior to joining the Patriots in 2024, Van Pelt was the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns for four seasons.
USA Today
24-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rams announce 6 new coaching hires for 2025, including former Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt
The Los Angeles Rams have finalized their coaching staff for the 2025 season, just in time for the start of the NFL Scouting Combine. They announced on Monday that they've hired six new coaches to Sean McVay's staff and given one returning coach a promotion. Among the new hires is Alex Van Pelt, who was the New England Patriots' offensive coordinator in 2024 and will be a senior offensive assistant for the Rams. He joins the team for his first season in L.A. after a one-year stint in New England. He was previously the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator from 2020-2023, as well. He's known for his ability to coach quarterbacks, serving as a QBs coach with the Bills, Buccaneers, Packers, Bengals and Browns. Additionally, the Rams brought back Jimmy Lake as a senior defensive assistant. Lake left the Rams in 2024 after Raheem Morris was hired by the Falcons, going on to become Atlanta's defensive coordinator. He was fired after one season, however. The other new hires are Scott Huff as the tight ends coach, Ben Kotwica as an assistant special teams coach, Dan Shamash as a game management coordinator and assistant TEs coach and Drew Wilkins as the pass rush coordinator. Nate Scheelhaase was also promoted from offensive assistant/pass game specialist to pass game coordinator. Below is the full coaching staff for 2025 now that it's been finalized.
USA Today
08-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Fired Jerod Mayo staffer gets vote for NFL Honors award
Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt received one fifth-place vote for Assistant Coach of the Year. The vote was placed by CBS Sports' Aditi Kinkhabwala. There is a slight case to be had for Van Pelt winning the award. After all, he helped in the impressive development of rookie quarterback Drake Maye. It was a strong NFL start for the 22-year-old signal-caller in a year where he didn't start the whole season and played behind a struggling offensive line. The team also lacked standout talent at the wide receiver position. Yet, Maye still finished the year with 2,276 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The offense as a whole struggled in New England with the unit ranking 31st in total offense with an average of 291.9 yards per game. Van Pelt did his best to create a cohesive offensive unit with the pieces available to him, but it ultimately wasn't enough to turn things around or save his job with the team. After firing Jerod Mayo, the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach and brought back Josh McDaniels for a third stint as the offensive coordinator.
