The New England Patriots made a bundle of major overhauls to their coaching staff to kick off the offseason, one of those moves being the decision to bring back former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to his previous role as he effectively became the new leader and play-caller for the unit.
Of course, you can’t talk about the Patriots’ offense without mentioning quarterback Drake Maye. New England’s budding superstar was undoubtedly a huge selling point for any coach like McDaniels interested in joining the new regime.
The next NFL season is still months away, but McDaniels has already managed to get some early exposure to his future franchise quarterback.
The Patriots’ offensive coordinator sounded off on a few first impressions of Maye during his opening press conference with the team, making it clear his interactions have been nothing but positive.
“I haven’t had a chance to do football with him yet. That’ll come; we’ll have plenty of time here coming up here next week. But, I’m smitten by the young man, just in terms of his personality,” McDaniels said. “We’ve had an opportunity to have some time that has nothing to do with football with one another, which I think has been great; very beneficial and productive just to get to know him, who he is, what he’s all about, what he cares about.”
It’s been a slow get-to-know-you process for McDaniels and Maye, but before getting down to the details and specifics of their season to come, the two have established a bit of off-the-field chemistry with one another.
Clearly, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator loves what he sees.
However, while the ramp-up to the on-field action and showcases for Maye has been slow-burning, he and his new offensive coordinator will have an opportunity to get working together as early as next week, and McDaniels is pumped to get rolling.
“Next week and beyond will be super fun for me to really get to know him from a football perspective,” McDaniels said. “Start teaching our terminology, language, and seeing how he learns best and how he acclimates. But, I couldn’t be more excited about the young man that we have.”
If McDaniels’ initial feelings on Maye are a sign of things to come with the Patriots’ offense, it could mean big things for the young quarterback’s growth, and inevitably the progression of the unit as a whole.
Time will tell if the two can make significant headway in their first season together, but based on the early exposure, signs are pointing in the right direction.