The Mike Vrabel era in Foxborough couldn’t have gotten off to a much faster start.

Following Thursday night’s 27-14 win over the Jets, the Patriots are riding an eight game winning streak and own the NFL’s best record at 9-2. Beyond that, Drake Maye has taken a leap forward. The second-year quarterback is playing MVP-caliber football and is being serenaded by the Gillette Stadium crowd accordingly.

With a number of enticing openings in last year’s hiring cycle, Vrabel ultimately chose to coach in New England. On Amazon’s Thursday Night Football postgame show, Vrabel said his 23-year-old quarterback was a major factor in that decision.

“I came here because of the familiarity. I came here because of Drake,” Vrabel said. “I knew what he would be, and it was important for me to come here. And that’s someone I wanted to coach. And so building a program is about that. It’s about putting great people around your really good players. That’s what Drake is for us.”

Sitting right next to Vrabel on the postgame panel, Maye certainly appreciated hearing that from his coach.

“It means the world. It goes both ways,” Maye said. “I can’t thank coach enough for what he’s done, what he’s gonna do for my career, for my life. He brings it every day. He said this, and he’ll text me later tonight about something I could have done better in the game. He’s constant, he’s awesome, and we love playing for him. I love playing for him.

“He brings it every day and he cares about us. He coaches hard, but he cares about us. We love playing for him. I love playing for him. He’s coaching me on different things besides where to throw the ball. I think that’s the biggest thing about him is coaching leadership and coaching me every day. And he says something to me almost after every drive, and I just appreciate what he’s done for me and what he’s done for this football team.”