New Patriot coach Jerod Mayo hired former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to run the post-Belichick offense in New England. Meeting with reporters, Mayo was asked what he liked about Van Pelt.
“I’m not exactly sure and I don’t want to get into what happened at Cleveland, but all the people that I talk to, they speak very highly of AVP,” Mayo told reporters. “Obviously, he understands the X’s and O’s of the game, but also developing talent. Really, he is a relationship guy, which I fundamentally believe is very important. Before you really get into X’s and O’s with the guys on the field, they’ve got to know that you care about them. One thing about AVP, which you guys will see here shortly, he is a people person, but also has an extensive knowledge of football.”
What does Mayo expect from the Van Pelt offense?
“I’m expecting, first and foremost, a tough team,” Mayo said. “I think after that, it really gets into smart players. You don’t have to be a genius, but you have to be smart enough, and really, explosive players and guys that really play for one another. We want to check our egos. Even from a coaching staff, I say it’s an ego-free zone. Once we get the coaches on that same page, we hope that the players will follow suit and go out there and play for one another.”
Mayo also addressed Van Pelt’s approach to NFL offense.
“The one thing I would say about AVP is that he can make the same concept look a bunch of different ways,” Mayo said. “That’s always hard for us on the defensive side of the ball. Really, it depends on the players that we have and the flexibility that he has as far as scheme is concerned. He’s been cross-trained on multiple teams, and I think that experience and that philosophy is going to do us well in the future.”
Van Pelt, an eighth-round pick out of Pitt in 1993, has coached with the Bills, Buccaneers, Packers, Bengals, and Browns. He was fired by the Browns after the 2023 season, even though Cleveland made it to the playoffs while starting five different quarterbacks.
2024-02-22 01:15:24
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