Welcome to the Friday Five!

Each week during the NFL regular season, I will drop five Patriots-related thoughts on Friday to recap the week that was in Foxboro and look ahead to kickoff.

Ready, set, football.

1. Mayo giving Patriots early edge

It’s well-known the Patriots often finish training camp practices by running up a hill behind their outdoor fields for extra conditioning.

That hill has never been more famous, after Jacoby Brissett referenced it in the huddle just before the Pats closed out Cincinnati last weekend.

“Everybody in the huddle was saying, ‘Let’s take them to the hill,’ because we knew we were in that much better shape than they were,” Brissett said Wednesday. “And I think it paid off.”

Bingo.

After an arduous summer, including extensive running on start certain days and more padded practices than any of Bill Belichick’s last five training camps, the Pats are fit for upsets like last Sunday’s. Conditioning factors more significantly in September games, since most NFL teams now take a lax approach to training camp and the preseason in the name of load management before a long season. Mayo, who rested running back Rhamondre Stevenson and center David Andrews for parts of Wednesday’s practice, appears to have found the right balance.

“I thought Jerod’s done a good job trying to get guys in shape,” Andrews told the Herald. “Then ultimately, I thought guys did a good job buying into that throughout camp, and it continues throughout the year.”

Callahan: Why the Patriots defense is not a Bill Belichick defense anymore

Stevenson and Andrews spent some of their downtime Wednesday running sprints on an opposite field, a reflection of the buy-in Mayo has cultivated around the team’s conditioning.

“Early on, you feel (a difference) because no one’s played a full game,” Andrews said. “Even guys that played a lot in preseason, that’s what — maybe half a game? So the mental, physical, emotional, all that goes into the game, and you’re just not used to it. And you can’t simulate it. You can’t go out there and play everybody in the preseason and things like that, but we try to do the best we can.”

So far, so good.

2. Secret weapon for Seattle

New Patriots wide receivers Tyler Hughes returned to New England this offseason after spending three of the past four years in Foxboro.

Wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes speaks to the media as the Patriots take practice at Gillette on Aug. 22. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

The one season he flew the nest he landed at the University of Washington as an analyst under ex-Huskies assistant and new Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. On Thursday, Hughes shared some of his intel on Grubb, whose offense averaged 36 points per game last year and paved the path to a national title appearance. That offense creates headaches for defenses with its use of constant pre-snap shifts and motions, and the fact there’s one game of tape on Grubb’s attack in the NFL.

Oh, and the fact his system is unlike any other in the league.

“It’s not a historical offense,” Pats cornerback Jonathan Jones said Wednesday. “It’s not about this person, that coach, it’s kind of like their own thing. They’ve pulled things from places and other teams. It’s not an ’80s Shanahan offense or West Coast.”

Jones cited the Dolphins as one team Grubb’s offense has copied. To Jones’ point, the Seahawks used pre-snap motion on 80% of their offensive snaps last week versus Denver, the fifth-highest mark in the league. Miami ranked fourth, but first in motion at the snap, another metric where Seattle ranked top-10.

“They do a lot of different things as far as building formations with shifts and motions. So they’re not showing it initially, then they quickly move into it,” said Patriots safety Kyle Dugger. “They do a good job of not showing you what they’re going to be in. They want to run the ball, and get the ball downfield. That’s what I see overall.”

Dugger said Hughes shared details about Grubb’s mindset and core offensive philosophies with a few defenders on Thursday; how he wants to ideally call a game.

“It’s definitely helpful,” Dugger said.

Hughes downplayed his impact Thursday.

Safety Kyle Dugger runs through a drill during Patriots training camp. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

“I think throughout the league, a lot of guys know each other week to week, so, you’re always asking a former player, ‘Hey, what did you see when you were playing for this coach or that coach or whatever?’ I mean, so there’s always that it’s part of it. But again, our defense coaches certainly have, you know, worked on the game plan that I’m sure they’ll feel good about,” Hughes said.

Patriots second-round rookie receiver Ja’Lynn Polk also played under Grubb last year at Washington.

3. Van Pelt’s play-calling fix

Upon reviewing the tape of last weekend’s season-opening win at Cincinnati, Pats offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt had plenty of feedback for his players.

He also had a few notes for himself.

“You know, without getting into the specifics, there were some more things that I’d like to have had on the call sheet that I did not have in this game,” Van Pelt said. “Just felt like there were some times where I would’ve done something differently but if I didn’t have it on the sheet.”

Sunday was the first game Van Pelt had called in almost four years, since filling in for Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski during the COVID-affected 2020 season. Before that, the 54-year-old hadn’t called plays since 2009, when he took his first offensive coordinator job in Buffalo. Van Pelt said he plans to have a bigger call sheet for Sunday’s game versus Seattle.

NFL Notes: Drew Bledsoe dishes on Patriots’ offensive coordinator, former backup Alex Van Pelt

4. Prop Bet of the Week: Patriots-Seahawks under 38.5 points

(Disclaimer: I do not bet on NFL football, and if you gamble, please do so responsibly.)

The Patriots and Seahawks want to play the same game Sunday: run at an above-average rate and play good defense.

That lends itself to a shorter game with fewer possessions and fewer points. The Bengals learned the hard way last week, possessing the ball just eight times, while the Pats ran up more than 34 minutes of time of possession. In Seattle, the Seahawks posted the fifth-lowest pass rate on neutral downs during their win over Denver.

Defensively, both teams should find advantages up front, which could also curb the other’s deep passing game. Bank on more punts and fewer points Sunday.

Prop Bet of the Week season record: 0-1

5. Remember this

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Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt isn’t committed to run-first offense

In my interview with Patriots personnel czar Eliot Wolf last week, Wolf said: “I would expect this year, we will be getting younger as the year goes along … I think everyone (knows) we’re trying to win now, obviously. But there is an eye for the future, and developing this core of players that we maybe haven’t had the last couple years.”

To expedite that development, the Patriots are giving rookie Drake Maye more starting snaps than most backups get in practice. According to CBS sideline reporter Evan Washburn, Maye took 30% of the snaps last week.

“I think the biggest thing is every moment (Maye) has the chance to learn,” Van Pelt said Thursday, “whether it’s in the meeting room, the practice field running the scout team, on the sideline, pregame game meetings and just understanding the process. … He’s a sponge and he sits there taking it all in.”

And don’t forget about the other rookies. Hughes said Thursday that fourth-round receiver Javon Baker, a healthy scratch last Sunday, is a player who will play later this year. Whether the Patriots surprise or not this season, the kids are coming.