2 weeks Ago By Andrew Callahan
FOXBORO — Welcome to the Friday Five! Each week during the NFL regular season, I will drop five Patriots-related thoughts on Friday to recap the week that was in Foxboro and look ahead to kickoff. Ready, set, football. No person on a football team tends to catch more flak than an offensive play-caller.
Alex Van Pelt is no exception. The Patriots’ first-year offensive coordinator deserves plenty of the arrows slung in his direction, including ones I’ve shot myself. He’s admitted to his play-calling mistakes, and even shared they’ve haunted him weeks later.
But Van Pelt’s most important job this season was not to do outwit the Bears or Jets or the Dolphins or Bills. It was to develop Drake Maye. Nothing this season has gone as well for the Patriots as Maye’s development.
He is a different quarterback than he was this summer, let alone six months ago. Talented as he is, every scouting report noted Maye’s messy footwork at the top of his drop and sporadic accuracy or short throws; his tendency to play hero ball; his complete lack of experience playing under center. How often have you seen those issues crop up these last four weeks? Hardly at all.
Maye started training camp as the Patriots’ clear No. 2 quarterback, when Jacoby Brissett out-played him through the first three weeks of practice. Brissett had a higher completion percentage, fewer interceptions and better command of the playbook.
But thanks to Maye’s hard work and a steady diet of timeless drill work and coaching, he’s taken off and taken command of the offense. “I think my first and second-down decision-making has been big,” Maye said this week. “I think whether it’s run checks or one-high (defense), two-high stuff, different things that we’re getting in and out of plays, I’ve been proud of the way that I feel like I’ve done well.
” Credit goes to Van Pelt, a former NFL quarterback who arrived in New England with a reputation for developing pro passers. Regardless of his play-calling hits and misses, he’s lived up to his reputation so far. So Maye is improving.
What about Jerod Mayo? Asked Wednesday where he’s grown as a head coach through nine games, Mayo said this: “I would say just, for myself personally, it’s just the communication and going through situational football during the games. Those are things that you have to continue to experience. Look, and once again, everyone may not like the decision, but at the same time, someone has to make it, and that’s me.
” One area to watch: fourth-down decision-making. Through nine weeks, Mayo ranks among the most conservative in-game coaches in the NFL. With wins and losses taking a back seat to development the rest of the season, could that change? One of the strongest contrasts between the Patriots and Bears on Sunday will be turnovers.
The Bears defense averages 1.9 takeaways per game, more than double the Patriots, who rank in the bottom 10 of the league. Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington explained Thursday how the Pats try to force fumbles every week by targeting certain players who hold the ball too loosely.
“So we look at who’s holding the ball in an incorrect way; who’s holding the ball away from their body. Or it might be the quarterback, who has the ball on every single play. If scrambling the pocket, he doesn’t have it close to his chest, he has it swinging it out or down and (attacking) things like that,” Covington said.
The Patriots only have four interceptions, including three in the end zone. By Covington’s ensuing comments, it sounds like the Pats will try to keep more eyes on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in zone coverage to try and jump passes. “It’s (an) opportunity for us to have vision on the quarterback, break (on the ball); things that we can do to get a good break when we have vision on the quarterback and then, and then the ball carriers.
Securing a tackle, (the) next guy going in, punching out the ball. So just seeking those opportunities, by the way they hold it, and then knowing who the go-to guys are,” he said. Williams leads the Bears in fumbles with four.
Running back D’Andre Swift has one. Knock on wood. Patriots rookie Dell Pettus is one of five safeties to play at least 150 defensive snaps this season and not miss a single tackle, according to Pro Football Focus.
He joins Houston’s Jimmie Ward, Minnesota’s Josh Metellus, Bears safety Elijah Hicks and Saints youngster Jordan Howden. Pettus has seen his playing time increase, with veteran Jabrill Peppers landing on the commissioner’s exempt list and Kyle Dugger missing time with an ankle injury. Pettus has played in all nine games and made one start.
With Dugger trending toward another missed game Sunday, the undrafted safety could see more snaps in Chicago. He explained his approach to tackling on Thursday. “It’s something that I definitely tried to perfect in college,” Pettus said.
“Just when it comes to knowing where your help is, knowing how to take the shot. It’s definitely something I take a lot of pride in.” How did Pettus perfect tackling? “Making sure that your near foot is up, striking with good pad level, wrapping up,” he said.
“Just good fundamentals.” Last year at the University of Washington, Patriots receiver Ja’Lynn Polk and Bears wideout Rome Odunze used to complete almost daily in practice. Each day, they fought to see who could catch more passes, more touchdowns and run for more yards.
Occasionally, they’d play rock, paper, scissors to see who could be the first read on certain plays. Both finished with more than 1,000 yards during a magical season that ended in the national championship game. Later, Polk and Odunze became top-40 picks last April, when Odunze got drafted ninth overall, and the Pats selected Polk early in the second round.
Sunday will mark the first time the two have reunited since college. Polk says they maintain a close bond and text regularly, though they’ve gone silent this week. After playing together for so long, it’s time to go head-to-head.
“What we picked from each other, it was our mindset,” Polk said. “Just having a certain mentality when we stepped out there on the field and playing for each other.”.
