Alex Van ... Go? What Patriots Should Expect From New Offensive Coordinator
It's not often you're guaranteed a legacy just minutes after you get the job. But that's the current definition ... and perhaps desperation ... of modern New England Patriots football.
Alex Van Pelt garners such a reputation in his first days as Foxboro's new offensive coordinator, as he's the one tasked with dragging the team out of a post-Tom Brady funk that has sidelined and delayed any momentum the franchise has been trying to build in the new decade.
Unlike last year's nostalgia-fueled hire of Bill O'Brien, Van Pelt is completely new to the organization, having previously spent the past four years in the same role with the Cleveland Browns. That followed a lengthy stint as the Buffalo Bills' backup quarterback and a number of coaching roles in Western New York, Tampa Bay, Green Bay, and Cincinnati.
So with a completely foreign name repping the Patriots' offense, what should New Englanders know about this hopeful stranger?
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How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?
As if his own promotion didn't do the trick, 2008 first-round pick and newly-minted head coach Jerod Mayo appears intent on making millennial Patriots feel old, or at the very least unaccomplished: new defensive boss DeMarcus Covington is 34 and the coaching staff still boasts a previous Super Bowl hero in Troy Brown.
In contrast, Van Pelt's tenured experience away from Foxborough should afford him a sense of respect and nobility, a legitimate hope that he might actually be able to make things right. Patriot purists may deride his complete independence from the so-called "Patriot Way" but continued dedication to that concept has only yielded heartbreak over the past two seasons. Playing the so-called throwback hits will only serve to work in the team's favor, especially considering how little there is to lose entering 2024.
The Quarterback Whisperer
It stands to reason that the Patriots will, at the very, very, very, very, very least, will be bringing in competition to battle incumbents Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe for the starting quarterback job. Van Pelt was a late addition to the Patriots' interviewing process but that could wind up being one of the clutchest conversations, as he has shown a unique propensity to work with game-changing throwers.
Van Pelt's career has been defined by doing the impossible with quarterbacks: he was able to win with Joe Flacco in the year 2023 as Cleveland's offensive supervisor and even won the at least some of the approval of the notoriously hard-to-please Aaron Rodgers: shortly after the Green Bay Packers ousted Van Pelt after four seasons as the team's quarterbacks boss in 2018, Rodgers publicly questioned the decision during an ESPN radio appearance.
"My quarterback coach didn't get retained," Rodgers recalled to Mike Golic and Trey Wingo. "I thought that was an interesting change, really without consulting me. There's a close connection between quarterback and quarterback coach, and that was an interesting decision."
While detractors could note that Rodgers seemed more annoyed about the direct challenge to his authority, the proof of his pessimism is in the statistical pudding: Rodgers posted some of the finest numbers of his storied career under Van Pelt's watch, including the league-leading brilliance that led his 2014 MVP campaign.
How Are Things on the West Coast?
Another reason why Van Pelt's arrival feels so refreshing is that his West Coast tendencies, not entirely alien in New England, have absorbed the knowledge and ideas carried by supposed offensive gurus at head coach, such as Kevin Stefanski and Zac Taylor.
That should be a stark departure from stubborn stagnant nature of the Patriots' offense under Belichick and Co.: such a scheme and such confidence works when a name like Brady is under center but it comes across as downright arrogance if it's not working. The variety should play in the Patriots' favor thanks to the prescience of several high football IQ projects (I.e. Demario Douglas, Rhamondre Stevenson) and a potentially well-versed quarterback on his way. If Van Pelt is able to solve the Patriots' long-standing offensive issues, it's possible his phone will be ringing with head coach offers before all's said and done.
