Patriots new OC - Alex Van Pelt

[Pape]

I love this choice! Tons of experience, a west coast system, former QB, longtime QB coach, and got a ton of offense out of a revolving door of QBs last year including the corpse of Joe Flacco. Worked with Aaron Rodgers during his prime as his QB coach. There’s a lot to like here. Don’t know why people are so damn whiny. If they hired some 32 year old with no experience that would’ve been wrong too.

the news is kind of shocking... apparently interviewed today, got hired... I had heard nothing about him even being considered up to this point...

the NESN article did mention that his time in Green Bay overlapped with Eliot Wolfs tenure there... I think that familiarity helped he land the job... on the flip side, its an example of the difference between a rookie head coach and a veteran head coach, who has had the time to develop connections and friendships that can be exploited early on in the hiring process...

I'm not disappointed in the hiring... I just don't know anything about him...

 

[JohnJH]

Never even heard rumor that they had interviewed him prior to this announcement.

Was this a "Severe desperation because no one else really wanted the position hire"?

 

[signbabybrady]

Lol

He's called more plays the last two seasons than Van Pelt

 

[Ross12]

Did you see what he was doing over there in Cleveland before flaco showed up?

Yeah. Watson was looking solid right before he got hurt.

 

[SVN]

We are just another team ....for now...

 

[Pape]

and very unlikely to leave for a HC gig which is an underrated thing.

great point... if it works, it provides consistency, which is a good thing

 

[upstater1]

Not sure I understand the hatred for this move.

-west coast offense will be much more QB and WR friendly.
-Extensive QB experience to develop a young guy. Players like him too.

This is a much better hire than Caley, who has never coached quarterbacks and mostly would run McDaniels system.

It would all sound great if people weren't regularly firing the guy.

 

[venecol]

d%#*!@t, we hired Alex Jones.

Yea, so much for Mayo just sees color. Jerry Springer & Alex Jones.

 

[Tunescribe]

Not blown away by this hire but am OK with it at first blush, just glad he's not a first-timer. Potential BIG pluses with Van Pelt: (1) he has experience calling plays, (2) has worked with/developed quarterbacks, (3) reportedly is considered a "unifying influence" among fellow assistant coaches and (4) has been around the league long enough to develop contacts for filling out his offensive staff. For the latter I hope he gets ample leeway.

 

[festy1986]

Yeah. Watson was looking solid right before he got hurt.

Uh

 

[signbabybrady]

Lol

I mean really that's the best you got. He's not Matty P.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

Now I want to see any name besides Troy Brown next to WR coach. No one has gotten less out of talent.

Keep him as returner coach or whatever.

 

[Love The Drake]

God I hope not.

I don’t know

It would all sound great if people weren't regularly firing the guy.

most teams fire coaches regularly and the coordinators are always the first scapegoats

 

[Zuma]

 

[JohnJH]

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Personally, I'd lean more towards crying.

 

[UGAPatsfan]

Uh

Watson’s role needs massaging to really maximize his bottom line.

 

[PatsfanTN]

I don't even have any words.

I'm glad we fired Bill Belichick for this new regime.

Just amazing

BB can’t even get a job right now, why prolong the rebuild by keeping him here? You wanted to sit through another year like we just had? We were trending in the wrong direction.
change is hard, but I’m intrigued to see what happens.

 

[Pape]

Was this a "Severe desperation because no one else really wanted the position hire"?

I dont think that is entirely true John... But there is that element to consider, which is one of many... Look at it this way - Mayo is a relatively new coach... sure he was a player for years, but he hasn't been around all that long as a coach... he doesn't have a network of friends and acquaintances he can use as a resource in the hiring process... Wolf knows Van Pelt... thats a resource that I think was exploited here, to get a veteran coach to take a job where the offense is in shambles...

 

[Joey007]

I think when people said they wanted experience they were hoping for someone who maybe had been a HC before or who had at least been calling plays the last few years. But I guess when you hire a HC who never was a coordinator this is par for the course.

Eh, but then sometimes you get the ego that comes with it. (See McDaniels, BOB) Mayo doesn’t need that right now.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

It's sort of hard to decipher what was going on in Cleveland. On the plus side, they had four quarterbacks and finished with an 11-6 record, that's good. But he was fired and they wanted a shake up, presumably to get more out of Watson. But to me the bigger question is what kind of offensive coordinator doesn't call the plays? What the hell is he doing if he's not calling the plays. So I have no idea

I have to assume (hope) he’s involved in coming up with the game plan, coming up with plays, breaking down film, etc. but the actual game day selection of those plays was left to Stefanski. Similar to how Mayo did that on the defensive side but Steve Belichick actuwlly called the plays. But I have to proof that’s the case in this instance.