CHESTNUT HILL – Bill O’Brien put his multi-tasking skills to good use when it came to managing important football viewing.

During the season, a typical Sunday for BC’s football coach consisted of sitting at his desk watching tape of Saturday’s Eagles game on the laptop, while the live Patriots game played on the TV to his right.

That way, O’Brien would be armed with talking points for his players from the previous night’s game, while also sneaking a few peeks at his former team.

So in between leading BC to a 7-6 record (6-1 at home), O’Brien, who had two stints as New England’s offensive coordinator, managed to keep an eye on the Patriots.

Specifically, he got a read on Drake Maye, the player local fans are hoping will develop into the NFL’s next great quarterback.

Like many, O’Brien came away impressed.

“I think one of the keys to the position, which he has, is being smart, being a good communicator, and being calm,” O’Brien said. “You have to have poise. Nothing rattles you.

“Nothing rattles Drake Maye. You can sense that, you can see that when he’s with the media, or being interviewed, or when he’s playing.”

Maye, taken with the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, spent his first year being developed under the watchful eye of Alex Van Pelt. The rookie didn’t begin the season as the starter, but took over Week 6.

While Maye didn’t win many games, he still wowed with his obvious skills.

“He’s an exciting player. You can see the talent,“ O’Brien said. ”He’s got what I call a golden arm. He can make all the throws. He can anticipate, and he can run. I think that’s a big key.”

Outside of surrounding the Patriots quarterback with a better cast, the biggest concern heading into Year 2 is how well Maye will adapt to having a different coordinator and a new system to learn.

Mike Vrabel, who was hired last month to replace Jerod Mayo, didn’t retain Van Pelt. Instead, he named Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, marking his third stint in the role.

While he has a good reputation developing young quarterbacks, there’s some trepidation about Maye having to master a different offense. The fear is he’ll be set back tossing out one offense for another, especially one as complex as the old Patriots offense.

O’Brien, who has worked with numerous quarterbacks in New England and beyond, wasn’t concerned.

Even though he referenced Tom Brady‘s belief that one of the keys to his success was being in the same system for 20 years, and having that continuity, O’Brien explained why he wasn’t worried about Maye regressing.

“I think Drake being a young player, I think it’s okay to have a change of system. Plus, you got Josh coming in there who’s a great teacher,” O’Brien said. “The problem occurs when it keeps changing.

“Now if we were talking 4 or 5 years in, and he’s going on his fourth coordinator, it would be a different answer for me. I would tell you that’s a problem. That’s what you have to avoid. But I think he’ll be fine. I don’t think that’s as big of a deal.”

When O’Brien first arrived in Foxborough, he worked under McDaniels as an offensive assistant before eventually succeeding him. He’s utilized that same offense – with a few tweaks here and there – everywhere he’s gone.

He acknowledged that mastering the language was the biggest hurdle for Maye, and his pass catchers.

“The offense is complex for a younger guy, because it’s a word offense. Words were associated with the routes,” O’Brien said. “It is complex for quarterbacks and receivers if you come from a system in college that’s all numbers and not as precise.”

Told former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel called it “wordy” O’Brien smiled, and agreed.

“Sometimes, the calls were like speeches,” he said with a laugh. “But eventually, the verbiage was trimmed. We went to a lot of one-word calls.”

As long as Maye and the receivers are on the same page, there shouldn’t be a problem. It’s just a matter of getting there.

O’Brien believes McDaniels will simplify whatever is needed with the language, and also cater the offense to what Maye does best.

Whether it’s the Patriots offense from the Brady years, or the west coast-style offense Van Pelt installed, or a mixture of both, that system will evolve with Maye going forward.

“Ultimately, the receivers and the quarterbacks need to see the same thing. That takes a lot of work, a lot of offseason work,” O’Brien said. “In this system, the quarterback is the offensive coordinator on the field, if trained properly. If he’s earned that trust of the coaches, which Drake will, he’ll be the coordinator. That’s how I see it.”

Between now and September’s season opener, that will certainly be the goal.