FOXBOROUGH – The candidates piled up.
This offseason, Jerod Mayo conducted a wide-ranging interview process to find his first offensive coordinator. Several candidates whom Mayo interviewed opted for jobs elsewhere – Zach Robinson (Atlanta), Dan Pitcher (Cincinnati), Klint Kubiak (New Orleans), and Shane Waldron (Chicago).
At one point, Mayo thought he found his playcaller but was turned down by former Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley, who stayed in Los Angeles to be promoted to be the Rams passing game coordinator. After the dust settled, Mayo interviewed candidate No. 12 – and that’s when he hired Alex Van Pelt.
Nine months later, Caley and the Rams are about to face the Patriots inside Gillette Stadium. Although the Patriots offense has had its issues, Mayo and more importantly, Drake Maye, are thrilled with their offensive coordinator.
The veteran coach has played a huge role in the development of Maye, who’s progressed quicker than many anticipated this season. As the Patriots took to win back-to-back games for the first time this fall, the team is happy with Van Pelt leading the way on offense.
“He’s been huge. I’d say that, look, there’s no one in this organization that deserves more credit, as far as what Drake’s been able to do on the football field, than Alex Van Pelt,” Mayo said. “When we interviewed Alex, I’d say when we interviewed all of the coaches that are here, one of the prerequisites or requirements was a guy who was level head and a guy who believes in working together – a guy who doesn’t get too high or get too low. That’s Alex and I appreciate that.”
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This season, it’s been difficult to evaluate Van Pelt’s offensive system due to the Patriots roster. Their biggest issue has been up front where the offensive line has resembled a game of musical chairs. Through 10 games, the offense has not started the same offensive line group in back-to-back games.
The lack of continuity has had negative impacts on pass protecting and run blocking. The offense also has issues at receiver, where no one looks like a capable No. 1 pass catcher.
Despite the laundry list of issues, hope remains in New England due to Maye. The No. 3 overall pick has developed faster than anticipated. He has a rocket arm and is a threat out of the backfield using his legs. After sitting behind Jacoby Brissett in the first five games, Maye’s development has been the biggest Patriots storyline this season.
That’s why Mayo, and other players, are appreciative of their offensive coordinator. Van Pelt has been able to get through to Maye this season and also played a big role in cleaning up some of his mechanical issues from North Carolina.
“It’s been huge. I think it’s just a confidence boost for a quarterback. You love playing for an offensive coordinator like AVP,” Maye said. “He’s positive but also at the same time, he’ll coach you hard. He’s done it – he’s played quarterback, played quarterback in this league at a high level. So, he knows what needs to be done – and he knows the tall tasks as well.”
Van Pelt was in the NFL for 11 years as a quarterback for Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Buffalo. After retiring in 2004, he soon began coaching and came to the Patriots with nearly 20 years of experience. Van Pelt, 54, coached quarterbacks for four teams (Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Green Bay, and Cleveland). He spent the past four years as the Browns offensive coordinator, where he didn’t call plays on game day.
For many in New England, this season’s been about adapting to a new West Coast system, which values a zone running scheme. This isn’t new for tight end Austin Hooper, who played for Van Pelt for two seasons (2020-2021) in Cleveland. The veteran has played for a handful of different offensive coordinators and explained why players like Van Pelt.
“I love working with him. He’s the same person every day,” Hooper said. “He’s a teacher above all else – a guy that played and has done it as a coach in this league. He understands his system and how to communicate his system to all the different position groups. The way he leads, the way he coaches, how consistent he is every day – he doesn’t ride the highs or lows of this business, just remains the same person. That’s a cool quality. Other people change depending on the results. It’s cool when you work with a guy that’s the same person every day.”
The Patriots have gone through a gambit of offensive coordinators. The last three years with Bill Belichick saw Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, and then Bill O’Brien run offensive plays. The results – after McDaniels – were disastrous. The Patriots organization needed stability in this important position.
Last weekend, Van Pelt’s offense looked better coached than the Bears with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. That’s noteworthy because their offensive coordinator, Waldron, turned down the Patriots for Chicago and was fired a day after the loss.
It’s fair to wonder if Mayo got his first choice (Caley) if things would be better or worse for Maye. After all, Van Pelt is a former NFL quarterback with experience coaching quarterbacks and as an offensive coordinator.
That’s not to say the Patriots have been a highly efficient offensive unit in 2024. They’re ranked 31st in scoring at 16.0 points per game, which is up slightly from last year (13.9). If anything, Maye covers up for mistakes from players and coaches. However, his development under this veteran offensive coordinator has been positive for the Patriots.
Van Pelt might not have been Mayo’s first choice but right now, he looks like the right one.
“He’s been tremendous,” tight end Hunter Henry said of Van Pelt. “I love his scheme. I love his game planning. I love his football mind, too. Just how he sees things. It’s been a lot of fun growing in the scheme, growing in the system. I’ve really enjoyed it.”
