Patriots News 2-4, Thoughts On Van Pelt, Senior Bowl
(PHOTO: Phil Masturzo / USA TODAY NETWORK) 🕑 Read Time: 8 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
(PHOTO: Phil Masturzo / USA TODAY NETWORK) 🕑 Read Time: 8 minutes
New England Patriots > Patriots Blog
(PHOTO: Phil Masturzo / USA TODAY NETWORK) Good morning, and happy Sunday morning. Unfortunately, there isn’t any football this week as we await the Super Bowl next Sunday with the Niners and Chiefs.
The Patriots officially announced all three coordinators that have been hired: Defense, Demarcus Covington; Special Teams, Jeremy Springer; and Offense, Alex Van Pelt.
The Van Pelt hire was quite a surprise, as he wasn’t a name that was even being rumored to be in the mix for the position. But it was reported that the Patriots flew him in on Wednesday night for an interview, brought him back on Thursday for a second interview, and hired him.
He definitely flew under the radar, as he was the 12th and final coach interviewed for the OC position. So, the team had definitely cast a wide net in search of a new coordinator.
Unlike the other hires, Van Pelt is an older coach. This season will mark his 29th season of NFL experience as a player (10 years as QB for the Bills) and coach. A former QB himself, he’s worked as a QB coach and OC. He worked with the current Patriots director of scouting, Eliot Wolf from 2014-2017 in Green Bay. So, that factor may have swayed the team toward his direction.
Van Pelt worked with some very successful QBs in the league. These QBs included but were not limited to Ryan Fitzpatrick (2009), Aaron Rodgers (2014-17), Andy Dalton (2018-19), Baker Mayfield (2020-21), Jacoby Brissett (2022), Deshaun Watson (2022-23), and Joe Flacco (2023).
It was a surprise when Cleveland fired him recently. He had been the Browns’ OC for the past four years. 2023 was marked by a rash of injuries, especially at the quarterback position. The Browns used five different quarterbacks, yet they still finished tenth in scoring in the NFL.
This fact, with so many QBs used and the loss of Nick Chubb early in the season, showed that he could still adapt the offense and make them a very good scoring offense. The Browns won 11 games and made the playoffs.
Van Pelt will reportedly have a large say in hiring his own offensive staff, something Bill O’Brien didn’t have a year ago. And arguably his most important hire will be the next offensive line coach. The Patriots were also reportedly interested in Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Andy Dickerson.
But Van Pelt’s assistant offensive line coach in Cleveland, Scott Peters, may come with him to Foxboro. The Patriots are also reportedly trying to lure former Giants HC Ben McAdoo to Foxboro in an “assistant head coach type of role,” according to Bert Breer of The MMQB.
So, what will the Patriots’ offense look like under Van Pelt? The Browns were a run-heavy team that featured the zone-blocking schemes that are staples of the Shanahan/McVay system. This approach opens up play-action passing and misdirection, something that the Patriots have tried (and failed at) in the past. Perhaps now, this will work for them.
One interesting aspect of his offenses in Cleveland was that they relied heavily on the tight end position. Of course, having David Njoku on the roster may have contributed to that. Currently, the Patriots don’t have any TEs signed for 2024. Expect that to change quickly.
While Van Pelt isn’t the name we were expecting, being the elder statesman of Jerod Mayo’s staff, he’ll be expected to be a sounding board for Mayo. He will also be expected to coach and mentor the (expected) young QB they will have via the upcoming NFL Draft. But first, he must fill out his staff.
Bill Belichick: I found it very interesting that the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders decided to go for defensive head coaches as their next head coach, hiring Raheem Morris and Dan Quinn, respectively, and eschewing Bill Belichick.
If you want a defensive guru to lead your team out of the depths, who better than Belichick? While Morris and Quinn are fine defensive coaches, neither can hold a candle to Belichick. While the age factor is certainly a factor in this, one has to wonder if one or both of those coaches flame out again before Belichick does retire from coaching. I think it is a clear case of teams, especially Atlanta (who interviewed him twice) of overthinking things.
Tom Brady: The Patriots’ great was competing in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am Golf Tournament, and Brady wished he had a mulligan for one of his tee shots. Brady took a mighty swing and nearly missed the ball entirely, topping the ball that went only a scant few feet.
Brady met Josh Allen’s dad, and he told the elder Allen that he thinks the world of his son. Allen and his golfing partner, professional golfer Keith Mitchell, finished tied for sixth at -14, while Brady and former PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradly finished tied for 20th at -12.
Allen was good-naturedly crowing about his first victory over Brady. “I think, if I’m not mistaken, it’s the first time I’ve beaten him in anything. It feels pretty good,” Allen said.
“I wish it would have come on the football field. I didn’t beat him in football. We played that Match a couple of years ago… I didn’t get him then, so. We got him today; it feels pretty good.”
Matt Groh: Groh was at the Senior Bowl this week, along with Senior Personnel Advisor Patrick Stewart, College Scouting Director Camren Williams, and 11 scouts to take in the players competing for NFL jobs this spring.
Patriots.com analyst Evan Lazar spoke with Groh and Williams about the collaborative process involved in scouting the Senior Bowl. “It’s been great,” Groh said.
“This is what we’ve always done here is get together as a group and talk things out. So, not a whole lot has changed on our end. I’m looking forward to having the staff be a part of the evaluation process as we go through free agency and the draft.”
“We’re always looking at the skill set and evaluating what kind of scheme a player will fit best in. We’re trying to identify the players that’ll fit in each different scheme and go from there,” Groh added.
Patriots 4th & 2 Podcast: This week, we discussed the latest news from Foxboro in our PatsFans.com podcast.
Derek Havens and I discussed the search for the new Offensive Coordinator, which didn’t mention Van Pelt, as it was the day before he was hired. We also discussed the two conference championship games. We’ll give our Super Bowl predictions on next week’s show.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t in is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed the game with how teams used the tight end position…this will be on our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
Area 51 News: Which Senior Bowl Players Could Interest The Patriots —
The Patriots have the third pick in the NFL Draft, and most people have them taking a QB at #3. However, NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry has them trading a third-round pick to Chicago for QB Justin Fields and then picking up a stud WR and LT in his latest mock draft. But of the QBs in Mobile, I can’t see New England taking any of them at #3.
The player most fans, media, and draft pundits mark to New England is indeed a QB, but wasn’t at the Senior Bowl. Jayden Daniels can do it all. He passed for 3,812 yards and 40 TDs while rushing for 1,134 yards with 10 more TDs and averaging a gaudy 8.4 yards per carry for LSU.
The team has major needs at WR, LT, TE, and RB (3rd down). And here are a few names to ponder. We’ll have many more when our draft coverage gets into full swing.
The wide receiver class is deep in 2024, and some really intriguing prospects could be of interest to New England.
Roman Wilson, Michigan: Wilson was really impressive in Mobile all week. While not the biggest receiver, Wilson has really impressive moves, and his route running is pretty advanced for a rookie. He made some highlight catches during the practices.
Malachai Corley, Western Kentucky: Corley’s highlight tape from college shows some incredible burst. He’s not tall, but is built and flashes speed, physicality, and the ability to make sharp cuts.
The offensive tackles at the Senior Bowl also boasted some good prospects. But the week clearly belonged to Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma. Guyton has tremendous size at 6’7 “, 335, and moves very well for a big man. He shined in pass protection in space. He had such a good week that he probably won’t be anywhere near the Patriots unless they follow the Phil Perry-mapped-out strategy.
Patrick Paul, Houston: Patrick Paul, like Tyler Guyton, has all the tools to thrive at the next level. He is a tremendous athlete in space, with great length and play strength, but needs some work on his rough edges. He would be a great player for a guy like OL coach Andy Dickerson to work with.
I wasn’t too enamored with what I was able to see from the tight ends during the week. However, one guy I really liked the tape from wasn’t a traditional “Y” tight end but more of a “Move” type TE.
Jaheim Bell, Florida State: Bell is smaller for the position (6’2 “, 244) and isn’t a good blocker, but he can be explosive in the open field. He has above-average speed in the open field and possesses excellent YAC ability.
Theo Johnson, TE, Penn State: Johnson has really good size at 6’6, 257, and moved really well down in Mobile. He may have been the best TE during the week.
As I said earlier, the Patriots need a third-down back who can be a threat receiving the ball out of the backfield. And one really improved his draft stock.
Dylan Laube, UNH: Talk about an impressive guy. My buddy from Locked On Patriots, Mike D’Abate, raved about this guy before the week started.
Laube is a well-built RB who possesses tremendous speed. He was clocked at 20.59 mph at practice this week. He’s a good blocker and a tremendous receiver out of the backfield. He even took reps at WR this week. He shows good burst and vision when running the ball.
Some defensive players who stood out and could be on the Patriots’ radar include:
Chris Bradwell, Edge, Alabama: Bradwell showed up early in the week with some strong physical play. Alabama players are always very good at the fundamentals, and Bradwell is no exception. He showed strong physicality and aggression at the point of attack. While Laiatu Latu from UCLA was dominant, he’ll be gone before NE picks.
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo: Mitchell has good size for the position at 6’1, 195, and he showed that his game tape is not because of facing lesser competition. He entered the week in the Top 20 of Daniel Jeremiah’s players, and his performance confirmed that. Speed, aggressiveness, and great ball skills make him a very attractive prospect.
Chau Smith-Wade, CB, Washington State: Smith-Wade notched two interceptions during the game, one of which was a tremendous highlight reel pick and returned nearly to the house. He was named the National Team’s player of the game.
Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri: Robinson tips the scales at 6’5, 286, and was one of the best defenders during the week. He was unblockable at times and showed the quick twitch ability, flexibility and aggressiveness. He may be a Round 1 player.
Conference Championship Weekend Picks:
Last Week 1—1
2023 Season 178—94
2022 Season: 178—92—2
2021 Season: 183—88—1
2020 Season: 169—86—1
2019 Season: 162—93—1
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“Jerod was a great leader, a great captain, a great friend,” said Brady. “I think he had a tremendous amount of success in football, and then had success in other parts of his life, retired, and then him coming back into coaching; I think it’s great for the NFL and certainly great for the Patriots. He’s got a great understanding of how things need to be done. I think Jerod does an incredible job relating to everybody in the locker room, all the coaches and I think he’ll do a great job.
Tom Brady on the Pat McAfee show talking about Jerod Mayo and how he feels Mayo will fare as the new head coach of the Patriots.
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“Talent sets the floor; Character sets the ceiling.” Bill Belichick
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on Stitcher and Streamyard as Russ Goldman, Derek Havens, and myself from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis.
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