Alex Van Pelt On Baker Mayfield: "He's All In"
Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was on a conference call Wednesday and given his experience with the quarterback position, much of the conversation focused on Baker Mayfield.
Whether it's responding to criticism about not being as invested, as prepared he needed, his desire to be great or a combination, Baker Mayfield has gone above and beyond in terms of what he's being asked to do as the starting quarterback according to Van Pelt. Mayfield touched on this in his conference call previously, but he's in wide receiver meetings as well as running back meetings.
There's value in mastering the offense, understanding it from every position's point of view and what coaches are teaching. It helps him to be a quarterback. That willingness to buy in is also a mark of leadership. His teammates see him in these meetings, putting in the time, which also forces them to be attentive, to be at their best so that he trusts them.
Van Pelt also discussed more on the footwork changes he's implementing. Previously, he mentioned changing his footwork from shotgun in terms of which foot was up because of how it translates in the West Coast Offense. Under center, Van Pelt is also tweaking his foot work, but this is more about efficiency and personal preference as opposed to necessarily fitting a particular system.
Lastly, he was asked about the workout Mayfield held in Austin. They didn't tape them, so he didn't get to see anything from there. He did explain the value of these type of workouts, even if they aren't supervised. The route tree is pretty universal and timing is a matter of reps and chemistry that doesn't require a coach to be watching over their shoulder, particularly at this level.
