Patriots Daily: New England’s Offensive Staff Speaks

The New England Patriots play their final preseason game tomorrow night against the Washington Commanders. That means their Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals is only 15 days from today. Based on what the team has shown in camp, the offensive unit remains a work in progress. New England doesn’t know who will be available, who will start, or who can produce for an offense that struggled mightily in 2023.

Some of the offensive coaching staff spoke to the media this past week. They shared some insights on the group’s progress. A few of the notable soundbites:

Alex Van Pelt, Offensive Coordinator

Van Pelt will be under scrutiny to make sure this season is not another one lacking production for New England’s offense. He leads an entirely new staff on that side of the ball. The personnel has many new faces as well. But Van Pelt believes there has been improvement throughout training camp.

“I think we made big strides offensively,” said Van Pelt about the preseason improvements. “There’s a lot of new teaching, a lot of, obviously, the system’s new, the verbiage is new. Some of the techniques we’re teaching are new, and now you’re really starting to see it pay off.”

The OC did not outright dispute head coach Jerod Mayo’s claim that there was still an open competition for the starting quarterback spot. He did, however, sound less convincing that a rookie quarterback was the best way to go, despite heaping praise on Drake Maye’s work ethic and recent performance.

“That’s the hardest position in sports is a quarterback,” stated Van Pelt. “And especially for a rookie guy coming in and not seeing all the defenses that they’re going to see in the NFL, it’s tough. It’s hard to transition in and it takes a little bit of time. So, I think we’re gonna be as patient as we can with that process.”

The prediction remains here that Jacoby Brissett will be the New England Patriots Week 1 starter, regardless of how things play out against the Commanders.

T.C. McCartney, Quarterbacks Coach

Understandably, the bulk of questions for McCartney were about Drake Maye. The QB coach is impressed with the improvements already seen from Maye, as well as the rookie’s intellect and work ethic. He referred to Maye as both “sharp” and “a sponge.” McCartney echoed Mayo’s sentiment that the best way for players to improve is by playing.

“The quarterback meetings are very valuable,” said McCartney. “The best way to get better at football is to play football. But there’s always things you can do. The tape we watch, the meeting we have. But at the end of the day, until you see it at full speed it’s different.”

But once again, the words spoken about Jacoby Brissett indicate that the veteran remains the choice to run the offense.

“We have nine years of tape, we know what Jacoby (Brissett) is,” said McCartney. “We know what to expect from him. And he’s just fine-tuning his game. He’s been getting better and better each year.”

Taylor Embree, Running Backs Coach

While some are looking forward to the start of the regular season, Embree is looking forward to Sunday.

“I still get real excited for all these preseason games,” Embree said. “So, we got one more preseason game left and then they understand we got a big task ahead of us this year.”

Last season, New England kept only two running backs on their initial 53-man roster. The two backs locked into spots this season are Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson. Embree did not touch base on whether the Patriots might keep more than two this season or his impressions of other backs in camp. However, the coach sounded enthusiastic about the unit as a whole. The group includes Kevin Harris, JaMycal Hasty, Terrell Jennings, and Deshaun Fenwick.

“It’s a group that comes out, they work hard, they’re tough, they’re eager to learn,” said Embree. “I think they’re excited. They understand the running game is going to be a big part of what we do. And I think they’re taking pride in that. So, it’s been a good camp.”

Tyler Hughes, Wide Receivers Coach

Hughes spent three seasons as an offensive assistant for the New England Patriots (2020-2022) before coaching in college with the Washington Huskies last year. Rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk played under Hughes there. Hughes praised both Polk and K.J. Osborn for their versatility in playing various roles in the offense. He also praised Tyquan Thornton’s improvement, as the third-year wideout makes a push for a major role in 2024.

“The big thing I’m happy with Tyquan is hit route running,” said Hughes. “As we all know, he’s a fast guy. But his intermediate route running, short route running, to go along with the speed is really, really positive.”

Rookie Javon Baker received a lot of buzz heading into training camp but appears to be stuck behind others on the depth chart. His drop against the Eagles on a beautifully thrown ball by Drake Maye didn’t help. But his position coach remains positive.

I am SO disappointed Javon Baker didn't come down with this. What a gorgeous throw by Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/LTQw0sGRfO

— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) August 16, 2024

“I think he’s caught the football fine, honestly, throughout the duration of camp,” Hughes said of Baker. “But I think as a young player, for me, what I’m trying to always do is just keep kind of adding and building to their tool kit, so to speak, and not make one play or one practice or anything like that be too influential overall, and just try to just let them just kind of move steadily forward.”

Scott Peters, Offensive Line Coach

Peters praised Mike Onwenu, New England’s most valuable and versatile offensive lineman.

“I think Mike (Onwenu) is a rare talent. Has kind of the capability to play both (guard and tackle),” said Peters. “I think he’s got excellent feet, he’s got a lot of power, and he’s got good length.”

But Peters would not tip the team’s hand about where Onwenu would be lining up for the New England Patriots this season.

“We’re certainly looking at him (Onwenu) at both and trying to train him both so he’s prepared to play either.”

Also in Saturday’s Patriots Daily:

Patriots Fact of the Day

Alex Van Pelt has yet to coach his first non-preseason game as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator. The franchise records for an OC belong to Josh McDaniels for seasons (13), regular season wins (154), postseason wins (18), and AFC Championships (5). He is tied with Charlie Weis for most Super Bowl titles (3).

Post of the Day

Today’s post comes from Boorish Sports as New England Patriots fans browse the waiver wire:

Patriots fans every time a below average tackle gets cut. pic.twitter.com/DitxgMzePy

— Boorish (@Boorish_Sports) August 23, 2024

Patriots 90-Man Roster Spotlight: Marco Wilson Has a Fresh Start – The 25-year-old cornerback was a rookie starter for the Cardinals in 2021. He was waived in late December of 2023. The Patriots claimed Wilson, who now has new life in New England.

Christian Gonzalez Tabbed as Potential Pro Bowler in 2024– NFL.com chose one player from each franchise who could be a first-time Pro Bowl selection this season. Gonzalez was the Patriots’ representative. Which other AFC cornerbacks does he need to surpass, and which New England teammates should be in the conversation as well?

NFL Coverage

Tom Brady Leaves Open Spot on His Top Five NFL QBs (Patriots Football Now) – The GOAT of NFL quarterbacks was asked about the current top five quarterbacks in the league. Patrick Mahomes was an easy choice for number one. Brady named three others before leaving the door open for the final spot.

Cowboys All-Pro CB Bland (Foot) Out 6-8 Weeks (ESPN) – DaRon Bland was one of the NFL’s breakout stars in 2023. He intercepted nine passes and returned five for touchdowns. But he’ll begin the 2024 inactive for up to two months after a foot injury.

Why Replacing a Franchise NFL QB is Nearly Impossible (Yardbarker) – The Green Bay Packers have successfully pulled this off twice with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love. The New England Patriots are still looking for the Tom Brady replacement. Read what makes a transition so difficult.

Boston Bruins

Boston Hockey Now – See how the Boston Bruins benefitted from a Montreal Canadiens trade. Christopher Hurley looks at the unique fraternity new Bruins center Elias Lindholm is joining in Boston. And Mick Colageo looks at how current and former Bruins would fare against each other in fantasy hockey. All that and more on BHN.

PFN+

Subscribe here or on Boston Hockey Now to get a subscription to both sites. Subscribers get bonus coverage such as NFL Draft scouting reports and weekly NFL Power Rankings. It also provides a completely ad-free experience on the sites.

Use code KELLEY10 and get $10 off a yearly subscription. New England Patriots and Boston Bruins coverage with zero ads and bonus content for less than 8¢ a day!