Patriots

“I think of it as a marathon over a sprint.”

Alex Van Pelt preached patience on Tuesday when asked about when Drake Maye will be given the keys to New England’s offense. 

“I think of it as a marathon over a sprint,” Van Pelt acknowledged. “You just don’t go out and run a marathon — you have to train properly for a marathon. It’s the same with a quarterback. 

“There’s a process and we follow that process. We trust that process. And then you can’t just stick a guy out there and expect him to be successful without the proper training. So it is a process. We’re making moves in the right direction.”

Maye did just that during New England’s latest organized team activity (OTA) on Tuesday when it comes to moving forward — or rather, upwards, on New England’s depth chart.  

After slotting in third behind fellow QBs Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe so far during team drills over the last few weeks, Maye leapfrogged Zappe and was second in the pecking order to snaps during Tuesday’s practice in the fields behind Gillette Stadium. 

And even though he was knocked for a pair of picks in a slow day for New England’s offense, Maye has been pleased with the upward trajectory that he’s been on since he first arrived in Foxborough less than two months ago. 

“It’s been awesome,” Maye said. “First time in the NFL. First practice. First practice. First time being on a team. First reps playing in an NFL practice, so I’m just trying to soak it all in. Trying to learn as much as I can.”

With training camp still over a month away, the Patriots aren’t necessarily focused on a QB competition at this juncture. Rather, New England’s rookie minicamp and OTAs serve as critical windows for the team to tweak mechanics and install their playbook. 

Maye acknowledged that New England’s playbook is rather dense, with Van Pelt admitting that a few play calls stretch between 12 and 14 words. But even with the deluge of information that Maye has been tasked with absorbing, he feels he’s on the right track at this stage of the NFL calendar. 

“Further ahead, just all of the terminology. All of the motions, all of the different formations. I think I’m getting a pretty good gist of it. I’m still a work in progress, getting the new installs in every day. But I feel like I’m a smart kid. Trying to pick that up pretty fast,” Maye said. “And then kind of still working on commanding a huddle, spitting the plays out. 

“It’s easy getting them and knowing what I’m going to do, but telling those guys and being in the huddle and motioning different guys, using my cadence. Just playing quarterback, playing the position. Not as much making throws and stuff. Also, I think footwork is a big thing. We’ve hashed on that. (Quarterbacks coach) TC (McCartney) and those guys and Coach Van Pelt. I think it’s a work in progress, and I feel pretty good about it.”

Van Pelt has stressed the importance of a left-foot-forward stance for New England’s quarterbacks — even if it requires Maye to undo plenty of muscle memory in the process. So far, Maye has already made significant strides in adjusting to these revamped mechanics. 

“I’d say probably just the ability to pick up the footwork changes,” Van Pelt said of the top surprise so far with Maye and his development. “That’s a big change for a guy to come in and completely change the footwork, but he did it right away. … Our system, it’s all based on timing and rhythm in the pass game. 

“And I think the left foot forward has always given this offense the best chance to play on time and in rhythm.”

New England envisions Maye as its franchise fixture at quarterback, with his strong arm and sturdy frame making a compelling case as to why the Patriots selected the UNC product with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

But Van Pelt and the Patriots are not planning on accelerating Maye’s timeline beyond what he’s able to show during reps this preseason. 

“I think you have to take that as it comes,” Van Pelt said of when Maye could realistically start games for New England. “Really, I think it’ll be a combination of a couple of things. When those decisions are made, they’ll be made together as a group … But when that time comes, we’ll see. But there is no timetable. Jacoby, again, is our starter and he’s playing excellent football for us in the spring. And Drake is coming on.”

New England has the luxury of not needing to throw Maye into NFL action until he’s ready. But the 21-year-old QB is hoping to force the Patriots’ hand with a strong showing in the coming months. 

“I think it’s a battle. Me and Jacoby and Bailey. We’re battling,” Maye said of his current workload. “They’re mixing up who goes with who each day. It’s not necessarily, ‘Hey, you’re going first. You’re going second.’ Jacoby is getting first and from there, it’s playing it by ear. Obviously, it matters how you do when you’re in there.”