The Patriots are turning to a familiar face to run the offense under head coach Mike Vrabel, hiring Josh McDaniels as their offensive coordinator.

For McDaniels, this is his third stint as New England's offensive coordinator. After successfully directing the sixth-ranked scoring offense in Mac Jones's rookie season, McDaniels was the Raiders head coach for 25 games. Following his departure from Las Vegas, the veteran coordinator took the year off from coaching but stayed busy by visiting NFL and college programs such as USC (Lincoln Riley) and Ohio State (Chip Kelly) while waiting for his next job in the NFL. As someone who spent 18 seasons and won six Super Bowls on former coach Bill Belichick's staff in New England, McDaniels kept his home in the Foxborough area.

McDaniels will now return to coach second-year QB Drake Maye and install an offensive system with a successful track record. When you have a young quarterback paired with a defensive-minded head coach, the offensive coordinator is crucial, as Coach Vrabel will lean on McDaniels to call offensive plays and develop Maye moving forward.

The ideal pairing for Maye was giving him a seasoned coach who isn't learning key elements to coordinating an offense on the fly. That was the risk the Patriots would've run by hiring a first-time OC who hadn't called plays previously or didn't have experience coaching quarterbacks. With a second-year QB, you want an offensive coordinator who's a master at his craft and knows what it looks like when things are done right. Now, the question is how McDaniels will build his scheme around Maye.

The longtime offensive coordinator is a highly versatile schemer who is excellent at attacking opponents' tendencies. McDaniels was a pioneer in the formation and up-tempo revolutions. He's also known for being excellent at designing sound pass protections, marrying a downhill gap run scheme with play-action passes, and is great at play sequencing and building in complementary designs to protect his staple concepts. McDaniels runs a schematically sound system. Not just a collection of plays.

That said, there's a lot mentally put on the players in McDaniels's offense. Former players would refer to learning the Patriots playbook as "calculus" due to its route optionality and the mental load on the quarterback. There's also a conversation about updating some aspects of his scheme, like using more motion and adding spread elements like run-pass options to modernize the system. Hopefully, McDaniels's recent college tour can help make his offense more user-friendly. According to reports, McDaniels went to different college and pro teams this past season to update his scheme.

From this perspective, it'll be interesting to see how McDaniels gradually adds things to Maye's plate as the pairing grows. The Pats OC typically gives the controls to the quarterback at the line of scrimmage before the snap, with the QB responsible for making line calls, checks, and audibles. However, McDaniels has compared his approach with quarterbacks to climbing a mountain, slowly adding responsibilities to the quarterback's plate rather than tossing a young QB into the deep end.

Furthermore, McDaniels has never had a quarterback where everything is on the menu from a schematic point of view. Having prime Tom Brady wasn't a bad thing. However, Brady wasn't a threat to run or move the pocket. The same was true for Jones and Derek Carr, and by the time McDaniels had Cam Newton, Newton was no longer at the peak of his powers, especially as a passer. With Maye, nothing is off-limits.

As we get into the film, you'll see that McDaniels has shown the ability to incorporate these popular schemes in the modern game in the past. Now, it's just a matter of ordering those things off the menu more than he has before because Maye allows him to do so. The two offenses we'll mostly pull from are Jones's offense as a rookie and the run elements from the Newton offense. In 2021, the Pats ranked 10th in DVOA on offense in Jones's first season and were eighth in rush DVOA the Newton year (2020). Melding those offenses together is a good starting point.

Here's an in-depth film breakdown of the McDaniels offense and how it fits QB Drake Maye.

2020 Patriots Offense/Option Schemes

Before the narrative that McDaniels doesn't know how to incorporate a dual-threat quarterback's mobility into the offense runs wild, let's debunk that myth immediately.

Although he wasn't truly Superman at this point, Newton was still an effective runner in his year in New England. Overall, the Patriots offense struggled, ranking 27th in scoring (20.4 PPG) and 23rd in DVOA. However, that was due to several factors. First, Cam wasn't a great passer at that point, and his ability to throw the ball declined as the season wore on, particularly after he had COVID. Second, the Pats outside receiver was Damiere Byrd and their No. 1 tight end was Ryan Izzo (13 catches, 199 yards). New England lost Julian Edelman for the year after six games, with Edelman retiring following the 2020 season.

McDaniels didn't have much to work with in the first year without Brady, but he shifted his offense to amplify what Newton could still do: run. With the Pats ability to adapt on offense without a real training camp, it was a great coaching performance from Belichick and McDaniels to get New England to seven wins that season in a reset year personnel-wise.

One last caveat is that Maye is a different athlete than Newton. The former league MVP was a 6-5, 250-pound battering ram who had the frame to withstand the body blows of running the ball 137 times. It's probably not wise to run the 225-pound Maye as many times as Newton. However, it's absolutely essential that the Patriots begin using Maye's athleticism as a threat to the defense to open up opportunities, like the Bills do with Josh Allen, for example. The gravity that Maye's mobility can have could pay huge dividends, starting with using it in the run game.

The option scheme the Patriots spammed with Cam was an inverted RPO power-read concept. The quarterback has three options: QB run, handoff, or pass. From a spacing standpoint, the three-receiver side pulls three defenders out of the box, with the defense matching two over three in a split-safety shell. The six-man box gives the Pats the numbers advantage on the power run, where they block down and pull the backside guard through the second level. Then, Newton is reading the unblocked edge rusher to his right. If that defender stays put, he'll run up the gut. If that defender crashes inside, he can hand it off to the back, who will easily access the edge. In this instance, it converts to a successful inside run.

New England's present-day version likely won't be inverted, meaning the back will be on the inside run while the QB holds the unblocked edge defender. That'll limit the hits on Maye when he runs the ball since it's probably not wise to have him run inside the tackles often.

The Patriots also had a version of their RPO power-read concept that paired the run-action with a backside glance (five-step slant) route. Above, the Pats are in 3x1 spacing again. This time, Newton is reading No. 27 in the box. If the Seahawks defender falls underneath the slant, the play converts to a run. However, in this case, the defender plays the run, opening the passing window for a successful pass play.

Along with having several different RPO variations, New England also had a short-yardage quarterback run package. Again, nobody is saying it's a good idea to frequently run Maye into the line of scrimmage. But the Pats were 31st in success rate in short-yardage last season. In 2020, they were fourth, largely because they were at a numbers advantage by using the quarterback as a rushing threat to be plus-one in the box.

For example, the Patriots loved this QB power-lead play in short-yardage situations. Since the quarterback is the ball carrier, former FB Jakob Johnson can be a lead-blocker. Johnson kicks out the defensive end, freeing up the tight end to the play side to block down, and the backside guard pulls as a lead-blocker for Newton, who walks into the end zone.

The Newton-led Pats were the eighth-ranked rushing attack by DVOA, averaging 146.6 rushing yards per game (third in the NFL). That season, they were a very good rushing team, running the ball efficiently by incorporating the quarterback as a designed rushing threat.

Although it might not be as prevalent as the Newton year, McDaniels can build out the option package many of us have been clamoring for since drafting Maye.

Traditional Run and Play-Action Pass Game

The Patriots could be more shotgun-centric this time around due to Maye, but it must be said that the Pats OC's early-down roots are in under-center schemes.

During his only full season in Vegas, the Raiders had the second-highest under-center rate in the NFL (46.8%), while the Pats were under center on 51.1% of their offensive plays in 2021 (third-highest in the NFL). McDaniels likes to put the QB under center, run downhill, and then incorporate under-center play-action off gap-run schemes. Typically, McDaniels's staple runs are lead ISO, power, counter, wham, and crack toss to run to the perimeter. McDaniels's offenses have always been great at running the ball, even in Vegas, where RB Josh Jacobs was the NFL's rushing king with 1,653 yards in the 2022 season.

Based on his historical tendencies, the Pats will likely bring back the fullback (!). McDaniels loves lead ISO from two-back formations, where the O-Line fans out to set up a back-on-backer matchup in the hole with the fullback leading up to the second level. It's old-school power football, and McDaniels's offenses are great at teaching these schemes.

McDaniels then influences second-level defenders out of passing lanes by mimicking gap runs while running routes into open voids between the numbers. McDaniels's play-action designs are cognizant of who is being put into conflict by the run-action. Some play-action offenses want to create single-high safety shells to attack one-on-one matchups downfield. McDaniels, on the other hand, puts the linebacker level in a blender to create catch-and-run opportunities for his receivers.

Here, you can see how the fullback action pulls the linebackers down into the line of scrimmage, creating the passing lane for Jones to throw the dig on the drift concept. Jones's throw hits Meyers in-stride, allowing him to pick up 12 yards after the catch for a 24-yard gain.

Along with using two-back formations to sequence run and play-action passes, the Patriots also have one-back staples. For instance, McDaniels is a big one-back power guy from 11-personnel. By putting lighter personnel on the field, McDaniels will spread out the defense and then run downhill, pulling the backside guard on the power scheme. This is where he'll use motion at the snap the most, too, baiting the linebackers out of gaps he's trying to attack.

McDaniels's favorite scheme to pair with run-actions that feature pullers is a dynasty-era staple: Charles Barkley. The play named after the famous NBA Hall of Famer was featured on a recent episode of Inside the NBA, with the gang reenacting the concept after Coach Belichick told Barkley that the Pats named a play after him.

Here's what "Charles Barkley" looks like on the football field. The Pats simulate the run by pulling the backside guard like it's one-back power, which gets the linebacker level to fly downhill at the line of scrimmage, thinking it's a run. The Pats then usually have the tight end run the option route. The Y tight end will run the seam if it's a split-safety coverage. If it's a single-high safety coverage, the option route converts to a crosser.

McDaniels's early-down run and play-action sequencing is where he's at his best. He's one of the best OCs at marrying run and play-action passes, with the Pats ranking eighth in yards per play-action pass attempt from 2016 to 2021 (9.0 yards). Over his last three full seasons of work, McDaniels's rush offenses have ranked eighth, ninth, and fifth in DVOA. It's his biggest strength as a play-caller.

Movement Plays

It's also worth noting that McDaniels flashed some outside zone-bootleg sequencing in Vegas and will move the pocket off crack-toss schemes.

Although this wasn't a featured part of his offense with stationary pocket passers, Maye is different. As a rookie, Maye struggled on designed rollouts/boots, mainly because the Patriots struggled to pass protect properly and space routes on those plays. Maye looks like a natural when he's on the move, so with better execution around him, the results should come while shrinking the field in half is another QB-friendly method.

Historically, McDaniels's complement to his downhill inside runs is to run crack toss schemes. He'll set up blocking angles by using tight ends from the slot to block down on the end to get the edge, allowing the play-side tackle to pull out in front of the ball carrier as a lead blocker.

Then, McDaniels will sequence boot-action plays off toss schemes. Above, you see the tight end motion into the formation like he's about to block down on the end just like the play above. However, this time, it's play-action from 12-personnel, and the stagnant tight end on the short side of the field runs a crosser for a big play.

For obvious reasons, the Patriots didn't run these plays often with Brady and Jones. But, like we said before, it's all on the menu with Maye. One would expect to see it more this time around.

Drop-Back Passing Game

Next, success in the drop-back passing game is key to having a good offense. It's great to hit the "easy" button for your quarterback with play-action and RPOs, but at the end of the day, how well you drop-back pass in obvious passing situations makes or breaks a football team.

Eventually, the game will come down to whether or not your passing offense can execute in those big moments without all the bells and whistles from the scheme. To that end, we all know McDaniels staples like HOSS Z Juke, an empty concept that features mirrored hitch-seam routes with a juke option route by No. 3 in the inside slot – the GOAT.

However, McDaniels has other core concepts as well. Mainly, he has progression-read plays where the QB can find open receivers and will utilize stacks and picks to beat man coverage. From this perspective, the Pats offense was inconsistent vs. man coverage last year because they were too reliant on isolation routes, forcing receivers to win one-on-one matchups. McDaniels will help receivers get free releases and separation.

One progression read concept that McDaniels and Jones loved in Mac's rookie season was the levels concept. The concept has a short in and deep in paired with a backside vertical route to keep the safeties honest. Above, Jones hits the concept all three ways, throwing the two dig routes against split-safety coverages before uncorking the post when the Colts defense clamps down on the levels side, leaving the vertical route one-on-one downfield.

Along with throwing in-breakers to different levels, which Maye likes to do, the McDaniels will help receivers beat man coverage by getting them off the line of scrimmage.

For instance, the Pats run two-man route combinations from stack alignments. Above, they motion WR Jakobi Meyers into the stack late, causing the defense to communicate on the fly how they will defend these routes. The vertical release from the on-the-line receiver creates space for Meyers, who has a two-way go on an option route. When the corner sets up outside, Meyers breaks into the open space for an easy completion. Short motioning into stacks, another JM staple.

Maye's arm talent allows for much more in the drop-back passing game than Jones, who wasn't as gifted to drive the ball either outside the numbers or in the deep-middle of the field. McDaniels will put the seams in play and allow Maye's anticipatory style to shine. Maye says he likes to read the field more by identifying where the space is in the coverage rather than getting too caught up in the intricacies of the defense.

Although it can be complex, the optionality of the route tree in McDaniels's passing system should fit Maye's style well once the quarterback and his receivers are on the same page. Simply put, it allows receivers to break to space in the defense rather than running routes into coverage, which is what Maye says he wants from his pass-catchers.

With the offensive coordinator returning for a third stint, the Patriots are setting up Maye for success. He now has two veteran coaches in Coach Vrabel and McDaniels, who have been there, done that, and are experienced in their roles, a far cry from a staff that featured a first-time head coach and first-year offensive play-caller in Maye's rookie season.

There was the allure of the shiny new "tight pants" offensive-minded head coach or coordinator. In fact, yours truly often swoons over the Kyle Shanahan's and Sean McVay's of the world. But McDaniels brings stability and experience. Other options, such as Vikings assistant QB coach Grant Udeniski, an up-and-coming 28-year-old who reportedly interviewed for the gig, might've had a higher ceiling. However, breaking in a first-time play-caller who has never run an offense before or developed a young quarterback in a critical second season for Maye was risky.

Plus, with any success, Udeniski or another rising offensive coach would've certainly been poached quickly to become another team's head coach, and then what for Vrabel? McDaniels brings the chops of a play-caller who has been doing this for two decades with a proven track record of developing quarterbacks while not being a flight risk.

With the Vrabel-McDaniels pairing, the Patriots have two rock-solid coaches in the most important leadership roles in the organization to build with Drake Maye for the foreseeable future.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer