METAIRIE, La. -- A few things you may not have noticed if you aren’t paying close attention to the New Orleans Saints this year:

Their offense looks as good as ever. They’re leading the NFL with 434.5 yards per game and a phenomenal third-down conversion rate of 53 percent. Their yards gained, points scored and Drew Brees' passing yardage, passer rating and touchdown pace all rank among the three best in the Brees-Sean Payton era.

The offensive coordinator’s name is Pete Carmichael Jr. You probably already knew that last one. But then again, maybe you didn’t.

Carmichael, who is calling the plays for the first time since 2012, is one of the NFL’s brilliant offensive minds, but he has always been content to operate in the shadows of Payton and Brees since they all arrived together in 2006.

Carmichael laughed Friday when asked if he’s upset with the media for not giving him enough credit or attention.

“I would say among the group here, there’s a lot of guys on our staff and a lot of players who deserve credit. This is a team thing,” Carmichael said. “And if you were to ask my wife, we’re probably more of the ‘stay at home and just kinda do our own thing’ a lot of times.”

Pete Carmichael Jr. (left) has done an "outstanding" job with the Saints offense for Sean Payton. Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports

Carmichael, 45, is indeed a low-key, behind-the-scenes type of guy.

But Brees revealed that the QBs call him “Sneaky Pete” -- because he has both a sharp football mind and a sharp sense of humor that belie his quiet personality.

“He’s an under-the-radar guy,” Brees said. “I’m not gonna call him quiet, because there’s so much he does behind the scenes. I think he’s a great coach and a great teacher. When he kind of has the floor, so to speak, and he’s doing the install or talking about a concept or working on the openers or he’s calling plays, he’s on it.

“And he’s one of those guys that has the respect of this whole locker room. I just can’t even begin to tell you the value that he provides.”

Carmichael was actually a baseball player in college, playing second base and outfield at Boston College. But then he followed in the footsteps of his father, Pete Carmichael Sr., a longtime NFL and college assistant, who passed away earlier this year.

Carmichael started his career with assistant gigs at New Hampshire and Louisiana Tech, then lower-level assistant jobs with the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers (where he first worked with Brees in the early 2000s).

It’s hard to identify Carmichael’s individual philosophy since it has been such a collaborative effort for so long between him, Payton, Brees and the rest of the offensive staff.

“It’s just kind of something that’s been built over the years and continues to grow,” Carmichael said. “We’re always gonna have our emphasis, our base, but every year we’re studying, we’re researching, seeing what other teams are doing. And we’re not afraid to steal good ideas.”

Brees and Payton both credited Carmichael for his preparation and his ability to make quick decisions on the fly in games.

“I think he’s a quick thinker, and I think that’s a plus. He’s not stammering over decisions,” Payton said. “But the challenge is, he’s got a tough job (as a play-caller) because he’s wanting to please me. And I’m always on him about, ‘Hey, I’ll chime in with calls, but I don’t want you to feel like you’re trying to think about what I’d be thinking.’

“But it works. And there’s a good flow to it. … And part of that is we’ve been together so long.”

Carmichael also called plays for the Saints for most of their record-setting 2011 season, after Payton suffered a leg injury on the sideline, and throughout the 2012 season when Payton was serving his bounty suspension.

The Saints set the NFL record for yards gained in 2011 and finished 13-3. But they went 7-9 in 2012, and Payton opted to call plays again when he came back in 2013.

Payton said the operation isn’t that much different now than when Payton called plays since they spend the whole week collaborating on the game plan along with the rest of the offensive coaching staff.

“(In the past), you’re running a play and you might say, ‘Pete, give me a thought here when we get into the red zone.’ And (now) it just might flip around,” Payton said.

Perhaps Carmichael’s low-key persona is part of the reason why he has only had a handful of head-coaching opportunities so far -- most recently an interview with the Chicago Bears in 2013. He was also under consideration for head-coaching gigs with the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders in the past.

But Carmichael also hasn’t spent much time seeking the next steppingstone. He twice turned down chances to become offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins earlier in his career and reportedly turned down OC interview opportunities with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles in 2013.

“He’s outstanding,” Payton said. “The preparation, the organization that goes into what we’re doing, the amount of time during the week and the constant thought as to trying to get our players in the best position. He communicates well on game days. He’s quick.

“And look, I’m biased because he’s been here this long. But he’s one of those under-the-radar guys, and yet extremely talented.”