Patriots’ Drake Maye Defends Alex Van Pelt Amid Public Criticism

The New England Patriots are struggling to make things happen offensively despite relying on quarterback Drake Maye’s talents.

Maye has shown flashes of what the Patriots’ offense can be; however, the play-calling is not always up to par with his skills, and there is a lack of offensive weapons surrounding him.

Despite criticism surrounding Alex Van Pelt, Maye said he tries to “stay away from the bad media” surrounding the team and defended the Patriots offensive coordinator during his weekly appearance on WEEI’s afternoon show.

“I try to stay away from … things like some bad media, and people saying some not-so-nice things is more common when our record’s not too great,” Maye told WEEI. “But I think, AVP, what he’s done for me this year and what he’s done for my development has been huge for me.”

Maye continued: “And I credit AVP and T.C. (McCartney) and the quarterback room for helping me prepare every week. And still, take every week, even with our record, every week like it’s a big one for us. And I really respect that and appreciate (them). They’ve really taken a chance on me, along with the rest of the franchise.”

The rookie signal-caller completed 19-of-23 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception against the Cardinals. He also rushed for 14 yards across four carries and scored a touchdown on the ground. While he is not perfect, Maye has progressed in each of his nine starts.

“So a lot of things to look forward to. I’ve been a big fan of AVP and how he’s handled my approach,” Maye said. “… Shoot, this is only our eighth or ninth game together. So we’re still figuring, kind of, each other out, and, kind of, how he’s calling it, and how much input he wants me to, kind of, help him with. So it’s been nice trying to find that, and I think we’re not far from it.”

Van Pelt and Maye will have their work cut out for them in Week 16 when the Patriots travel to Buffalo to face the 11-3 Bills.