New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo informed the team on Wednesday of his decision to name Drake Maye the starting quarterback. His offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt completely agreed.

“We all sat together and expressed our opinions and our thoughts,” Van Pelt said Thursday. “Ultimately it is (Mayo’s) decision and I agree with that decision. I am. I’m excited to see Drake play. It’s his time. I think he’s prepared. He did a great job on the practice field preparing for this moment.”

After Maye made his NFL debut late in Week 3, Van Pelt believed the rookie was still better off watching and learning from the sidelines. About a month later, Van Pelt believes now is the time for Maye to see the field, for two main reasons.

“Offensively, we’re not where we want to be production-wise, especially in the passing game. I think that’s part of what led to this decision, and also the fact that if I want to see Maye’s growth and his development in these weeks of training and what he showed on the training field, two of them put together have.”

Van Pelt now hopes Maye will add a spark to his offense, which ranks 31st in points per game and last in total pass yards per game this season.

Aside from the coordinator likely using parts of his offense to take advantage of Maye’s strengths, Mayo noted that the spark could come from Maye’s ability to make off-script plays because of his athleticism – a key part of his game at North Carolina. While the rookie said he hopes to play on time and in rhythm, finding balance will be crucial.

“I think it will come naturally to him knowing he can maybe sneak through a crease and use his legs. I think that comes naturally to these guys,” Van Pelt said. “Obviously, timing and rhythm is a big part of what we need to do based on their ability to rush the passer, but there will be opportunities for him to use his legs and hopefully gain yards and protect himself there.” also the end of this run.”

Protecting yourself will be key against a Texans defense that tops the league in pressure percentage. Van Pelt noted that the rookie went 6-for-6 in practice on Wednesday during the team’s best blitz, perhaps setting the stage for Maye to help turn the game around.

“We are close. We’re just a few plays away from 3-2 and we’re feeling much better at the moment. But the reality is that we don’t. “We are 1-4 and at this point we need to find something that gives us a chance to win on Sunday,” Van Pelt said. “We thought Drake’s development over the past first half of the season on the practice field was ready to step in and take over.”