Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Hire Coach Alex Van Pelt: Impact on Jerod Mayo, Staff: CROSSOVER BONUS EPISODE

Starting point is 00:00:00 Is AVP an MVP type hire? Well, I don't know yet, but it's looking good so far. Stick around. You're about to be locked into this special edition of the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage even on the weekend and remember

Starting point is 00:00:48 that Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms including YouTube so smash that subscribe button and don't forget to download and follow wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host Mike DeBate and I cover your New England Patriots

Starting point is 00:01:04 for Patriots Country of Fan Nation. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some social media love to Locked On Patriots, please be sure to follow

Starting point is 00:01:16 our account there as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And once again, folks, don't forget Locked On Patriots is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And today's special edition of Locked On Patriots is going to show you why all members of this great network are indeed your team every day. Because today is about getting to know the new guy, Alex Van Pelt, your new offensive coordinator here in New England.

Starting point is 00:01:42 And for as much as has been written and said about Alex in the days since his hiring, including right here on Friday, we talked about it on Locked On Patriots with our guest Steve Balistrieri. Not a lot of the insight you've been getting is from local experts, people who've covered Alex in the years leading up to his getting the job here in Foxborough. For instance, you may not know that his leaving the Cleveland Browns may have actually been more about his wanting greater control of the offense than it was with the Browns' dissatisfaction

Starting point is 00:02:10 in his job performance. Yeah, I know, folks, it doesn't exactly match the narrative you get on terrestrial radio. Big surprise, right? After all, it's a lot easier to be smirch than it is to do research. But today here on the pod, we're going to give you an inside look from our local expert right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. My good friend and colleague, Jeff Lloyd, one half of the hosting tandem of Lockdown Browns, will give his in-depth analysis on what Alex Van Pelt's hiring actually means

Starting point is 00:02:39 for the Patriots. What does it mean logistically for the play calling on the field? We all know that Kevin Stefanski was the one calling the plays in Cleveland. How will Alex Van Pelt adjust to that? Jeff will also be describing Alex's methods of working with quarterbacks, and we all know he's worked with a lot of them. Who's he going to be working with this year in New England? Mac Jones, Bailey Zaffy, or perhaps a highly touted rookie with that number three pick.

Starting point is 00:03:03 And last but certainly not least, we're going to talk about Alex Van Pelt, the man, the guy you've all been hearing about as a quote-unquote players coach, someone the players love to play for, and a great football mind. And beyond that, we all know that Alex Van Pelt's hiring is going to continue to have a ripple effect in New England, and the Patriots may be spreading the effects of that seismic shift on offense that we've all been hearing about and we expect to see in 2024. In fact, the entire coaching staff may be getting a little taste of that. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported on Saturday evening that the Patriots may be in talks, serious talks,

Starting point is 00:03:38 to bring in former New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo, not only as an assistant on the offensive staff with Alex Van Pelt, but may be playing an assistant head coach role to Gerard Mayo. Yeah, folks, be sure to stay locked into Locked On Patriots on Monday and all throughout the week as we monitor the McAdoo situation. A lot of irons in the fire. We're going to continue to stoke the flames with all of them right here on Locked On Patriots. But bottom line, folks, no matter how many consiglieres the Patriots put into the Foxborough fold, Alex Van Pelt is

Starting point is 00:04:07 ultimately going to control this offense. It's going to belong to him. And when we return, we're going to get an inside look at the Patriots' new OC from our resident expert as well as my good friend and colleague Jeff Lloyd of Locked On Browns is going to join me here in just a moment when this

Starting point is 00:04:23 special edition of Lockeddown Patriots continues. As always, a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Lockdown listeners, the only thing more important than cheering on your favorite team on game day is making sure that your game day table is well stocked. Why root for your team on an empty stomach? Order on DoorDash and save on football watch party favorites. All of your favorite restaurants,

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Starting point is 00:07:06 And as I've said before, my second favorite part of working for this great network, and folks, I say second because you know the best part is interacting with all of you everydayers out there, but I truly love the opportunity to cross the streams with my fellow colleagues, the great experts here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Crossovers is one of the things the Locked On Podcast Network does best. Others can try to imitate it, but none of them can duplicate it. It really has done at its very best right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. And today, it's my honor to welcome in one half of the hosting tandem of Locked On Browns,

Starting point is 00:07:41 my good friend Jeff Lloyd, because the Pats, of course, have a new OC in the name of Alex Van Pelt. And Jeff has covered Alex for the last four years in Cleveland. And he's going to bring you insight you can only find here on Lockdown Patriots. So without further ado, let's bring him in. He is the co-host of Lockdown Browns alongside another valued Lockdown colleague of mine, Garrett Bush. Mr. Jeff Lloyd.

Starting point is 00:08:03 Jeff, welcome to Lockdown Patriots, my friend. No problem at all. You know, obviously, you know, this time of year, a lot of upheaval, and it's really good for us here at the network that, obviously, anything that goes down, we know we have a resource with that, you know, every one of the 31 other teams for, you know, trying to give, you know, obviously our listeners, our everyday listeners, the best possible coverage that we can.

Starting point is 00:08:21 Absolutely. And, Jeff, you're the perfect guy to talk to about this. Since 2020, Alex Van Pelt had been the Browns offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Kevin Stefanski. Now, during his time in Cleveland, Van Pelt helped the Browns offense to compile some impressive numbers. The team earned 408 total points in 2020. That was the second most in team history, 396 points in 2023. That's the fifth most. So obviously there is an on-field pedigree and a reason for Patriots fans to feel excited. But

Starting point is 00:08:52 once again, you've covered Alex for the last few years. What type of coordinator is New England getting in Alex Van Pelt? And this is kind of where it gets difficult. Obviously, when you talk about the Cleveland Browns, it's, you know, it has always been Kevin Stefanski's offense and Kevin Stefanski calling the plays. So with Alex Van Pelt, you know, you certainly have questions. And look, we're going to learn more about Alex Van Pelt in his time in New England than we probably most certainly did in his time, obviously, here with the Cleveland Browns. But the players absolutely rave about him. That is one thing that you're always looking forward to. And I think the thing that comes off very impressive is also, you know, you look, he worked with Baker Mayfield.

Starting point is 00:09:29 He obviously worked with several other quarterbacks, you know, during the Mayfield regime while Mayfield was injured, you know, during his time that he was dinged up. Then, you know, you get to what was the Jacoby Brissett brief era. And Jacoby obviously looked really, really good while playing. And, you know, obviously, you know, Jacoby was one of the guys that really could get the ball vertical. It's always been an issue with this Spansky offense was consistency in the

Starting point is 00:09:52 vertical game. Jacoby Preset showed that. Deshaun Watson comes in for that last six-game stretch. And I think we all, myself included, guilty. Probably felt that Watson was going to be able to give more in that six-game stretch than he did. We maybe, you know, didn't really put into, you know, words or maybe thoughts about how long, obviously, Deshaun had been out before he came back for the second half of the 2022 season.

Starting point is 00:10:14 But 23 started, and obviously with Deshaun, things look pretty good. You get Deshaun's, you know, final moments, 14 for 14 in the second half against Baltimore, down in that game, come back in one of the tougher places in the NFL to win, get a big victory, and then it all comes crumbling down. Wednesday that week, we found out that Deshaun Watts obviously broke his shoulder. His season was over. And then we're back into Dorian Thompson-Robinson. We're back into P.J. Walker.

Starting point is 00:10:39 These guys won games. They legit won games. And now you're talking your second quarterback at the time, your third quarterback at the time. Even the Denver game, which the Browns ended up losing when Dorian Thompson Robinson left the game late in the third quarter. I still believe if Dorian Thompson Robinson had finished that game, the Browns would have been victorious that day in Denver.

Starting point is 00:11:01 Then they realized that obviously P.J. Walker just wasn't going to be enough, obviously. You go the Joe Flacco route, and it was such a magical, magical run. I mean, this is going to be one of these folklore stories of the Cleveland Browns for a long, long time to come. But then you saw there can be vertical consistency within this Cleveland Browns offense. The thing that really, really was really difficult to monitor throughout this whole year was

Starting point is 00:11:25 everyone, you know, you know, harped upon the loss of Nick Chubb. And obviously it was great. It was, you know, it was a great loss, a huge loss. But this team was going to transcend to being a team that was going to be run through Deshaun Watson. It always been Nick Chubb first for the first three years of this regime. But this was going to be the year either way it was going to become more of Deshaun Watson's team. Obviously, injury to Chubb, injury to Watson, that changed all of that.

Starting point is 00:11:51 But I think the thing you're going to most look forward to, and obviously you see where the Patriots are selecting, most likely quarterback is probably high on that list. And you have a guy who has worked with so many different quarterbacks and found a lot of success with them. So Alex Van Pelt is a versatile guy who can look at whoever his guy is and get the best out of him. You take what you did with the almost 39-year-old veteran who hadn't played in well over a calendar year, getting Deshaun Watson up to the level they got Deshaun Watson to,

Starting point is 00:12:19 having P.J. Walker win a game at home against a team that is going to play for the Super Bowl a week from today. Taking young rookie Dorian Thompson Robinson and getting him to be able to win a huge divisional game at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And it was, yes, it was a close game. But DTR won the game. He put together a late-minute drive that got the Browns the field goal to win the game. The versatility, the adaptability. I've always been one, and we have so many coaches, people that work with players in the NFL nowadays, basically never touched a football in their life.

Starting point is 00:12:51 I still, I am still pro guys who have actually played, had the experience. And Alex is one of those guys. And I think for Alex, he goes into this and now he's going to be an offensive coordinator for a guy who is a defensive background coach and for Alex this is truly the first time Alex Van Pelt it's going to get to be his offense and I think for Alex this is a challenge that he is more than ready for and I think for him and the Browns it was just a matter of it's gone as far as it's going to go and you know everybody I kind of see saw the writing on the wall. And the Browns also said, look, last year we ripped apart our defensive staff, brought in new people, brought in a bunch more players, and had real, real immediate success and sustained success

Starting point is 00:13:35 throughout the season. So obviously the Browns are thinking, let's try to do that same thing, just on the offensive side of the ball here. There was no ill will. It was just truly, you know, Alex always wanted more. And understanding the situation with the Browns, that wasn't just going to be the way it was. I mean, when you have an offensive-minded head coach,

Starting point is 00:13:54 you can be the offensive coordinator. But we still don't know if Kevin Stefanski is going to give a play calling duties to his new OC. But for Alex, this is his opportunity. This is where he gets to walk in. And this will be an Alex Van Pelt offense. Yeah, I'm so glad that you mentioned the versatility in Van Pelt's resume and the fact that this will be his offense here in New England. The work that he's done with quarterbacks obviously excites Patriots fans because barring anything unforeseen, and folks,

Starting point is 00:14:22 there are still rumors out there that the Patriots may go in a different direction. I know I've heard them too. We're going to talk about them on Monday with Murph. Don't worry. But there is still that prevailing thought process that the Patriots will go quarterback early in this draft. So Alex Van Pelt's work with quarterbacks is certainly speaking very highly of him.

Starting point is 00:14:40 But you mentioned the offense using Nick Chubb first as that first option. Let's not forget folks the browns russian game finished in the top 10 in three of the four seasons that alex van pelt was at the helm as the offensive coordinator now as jeff said when you have nick chubb that's a little bit of a help but you know when you average 5.1 yards per rush in 2021 uh the 2022 cleveland team had the second most scrimmage yards in franchise history with 6,200. Versatility and being able to call multiple areas and being able to pull upon multiple strengths

Starting point is 00:15:12 is something that I think is impressive about Alex Van Pelt. I'm looking forward to seeing it because even if New England takes a little while to get going with their quarterback game, they've got a guy like Ramondre Stevenson that can carry the load as the lead feature in the New England Patriots offense. So it's good to know that he's got that experience. Bottom line, Jeff, Alex is a seasoned coach. He's 53. He's going to be the elder statesman on Gerard Mayo's staff. And his experience in coaching a number of different areas throughout the field, throughout his resume, has definitely spoken well of him. You mentioned this is finally going to be his offense. If you can elaborate on that a little bit in terms of the type of coach

Starting point is 00:15:53 that you think he can make as either an advisor or someone that is going to be very close to Gerard Mayo in terms of the head coaching position, how much can Patriots fans expect him to take on that type of a role uh in new england in 2024 i think that's exactly probably what gerard mayo was looking for i mean you're looking for i mean i think the age difference has got to be you know almost probably what you know anywhere from like 12 13 14 15 years between gerard and alex van pelton so you know and for gerard you know and getting this opportunity as young as he is and certainly well deserving of it obviously and this is a guy you know, in getting this opportunity as young as he is and certainly well-deserving of it, obviously, and this is a guy, you know,

Starting point is 00:16:26 I know Browns fans were, hey, is there any chance he can – they were poking around to see whether or not they could get him out to come run the defense last year. And then all of a sudden, obviously, we got the, you know, confirmation that basically he was next in line whenever it was going to be time for Bill to go. And, you know, for Gerard, it's going to be so much coming at him so fast. Obviously, you know, trying to worry about all three facets of his team,

Starting point is 00:16:46 his special teams, his defense, his offense, and obviously, you know, his calling card, his defensive side of the ball. It's got to be somebody he can trust. And, you know, what are you going to do in year one? You're obviously going to want to try to get the defense up to speed. But what are you going to do offensively? You're going to try to run the ball because it's going to be a new quarterback or it's going to be a rookie quarterback.

Starting point is 00:17:04 You're not just going to go out there and say, hey, we're going to turn to the Kansas City Chiefs. You know, we're going to be a pass-first team. We're going to throw the ball because it's going to be a new quarterback or it's going to be a rookie quarterback. You're not just going to go out there and say, hey, we're going to turn to the Kansas City Chiefs. We're going to be a pass first team. We're going to throw the ball forward because you're going to end yourself up on a lot. In year one, you might end up on the wrong end of a lot of ball games, 30 to 10. No, you want to be able to run the ball on offense. You want to be able to shorten the game, give your team the best opportunity to win games, a la how the Houston Texans succeeded this year so I think that is you know where he's got this advantage where he can just trust Alex and say look this is the way I want to play this is the style I want to play this is the mold of how I want to work each 60

Starting point is 00:17:34 minutes on Sunday which means obviously running the ball and I do think you'll see some wide zone I think that'll be something that they go with because as they were talking you know with Deshaun Watson going more from the gun that usually translates more to a lot more inside zone running not so much more outside zone running so that was something we were thinking we were going to get to see this year obviously you know injuries dealt us another hand but with that obviously it leads to the rollouts it leads to the play action and then of course you know screen game and all that stuff stuff that you're going to do with a younger quarterback. Obviously, you tried to make it as simple as possible.

Starting point is 00:18:07 You're not going to put him in gun. You're not going to give him seven step drops. You're not going to want him to read the field. You want to basically marinate and grow the player into the position. And Alex has done this with several players. He's done this in more than one place, working with several quarterbacks. So it was Alex Van Pelt's time. And his name got out there.

Starting point is 00:18:28 And this was one where Browns fans were like, well, you know, we're losing the entire offensive side of the coaching staff. It's not necessarily the best thing in the world to have any side of your coaching staff together for four years. It's not usually the best sign because, you know, obviously nobody came to poach anybody away. Nobody came to try to promote. And, you know, for the Browns, and they do this very, very well, nothing gets ugly between the Browns and moving on from anybody.

Starting point is 00:18:55 It's just not the way this franchise does business now. They want everything amicable. They want people to move on. Look, if I couldn't move you on or I didn't have the spot to move you on, it doesn't mean you're bad. It doesn't mean you're not qualified. It just means it maybe necessarily didn't work out here, which obviously works out because people leave. They go to good places. Alex Van Pelt gets this opportunity. We'll get to have his hand in choosing the quarterback of which will be his offense and getting to work for a guy that's basically going to say, hey, look, that is your side of the ball.

Starting point is 00:19:28 I will do anything I can do to help you, Alex, but I'm going to handle this, and please just find me a way to get 25.5 points per week. Absolutely, and Jeff, tremendous insight when it comes to the great football mind that we hear about Alex Van Pelt and what he's going to bring to the table logistically. I think you've outlined that perfectly. And I also think that you've helped to enlighten us as to what makes him a true players coach and what makes him someone that can come in and really revamp the way this team does business on offense, especially from a quarterback standpoint. Before I let you go today, you've covered Alex for the last four years.

Starting point is 00:20:05 Are there any insightful tidbits that you can provide on Alex Van Pelt, the man that you think Patriots fans should know heading into this season? Well, for me, it's just player feedback. You hear it from offensive linemen. You hear it from wide receivers. You hear it from the running backs. Not a lot of guys gravitate and know all of their coaches. You know, normally everybody is within the room.

Starting point is 00:20:29 It's that, you know, it's that group. You know, everybody plays as one. But, you know, anybody who spoke on Alex, there was never a negative word, you know, with media personnel who were close to him. And you got came in, showed up every day. And you keep in mind some of the things that he was dealt with. Obviously, 2020 was a fantastic year for this franchise. Then 21, you know, obviously, you know, with Baker, with the injury and all of a sudden, 21 basically, you know, went up in smoke before it even started. And then you made the move for 2022. And it was like, all right, Alex, we got you this quarterback.

Starting point is 00:21:01 And at the time you thought, all right, Deshaun Watson's going to miss a month. Then all of a sudden, it was 11 games. And it was like every, you know, they always, always basically had to go back and kind of, I don't want to necessarily say start over, but if they were at step six, you know, they had to swing back to page two. And, okay, well, that was the plan, but now that's not the plan. Then you get to 2023, and obviously, you know, Deshaun starts the first three games. And all of a sudden, we're on page six again. But now we've got to go back to page three.

Starting point is 00:21:28 Okay, it's P.J. Walker. All right. Okay, good. All right. Well, you know what? Okay, TTR. Okay, then P.J. Walker. All right, Deshaun's back.

Starting point is 00:21:35 Okay, good, good. One page or two. All right, wait, now we've got to go back. Now we're back to TTR. Oh, wait, yeah, that's P.J. Walker. Oh, wait, hold on. We've got to break it. And just there's not enough given credit to understand how difficult that is

Starting point is 00:21:48 because you spend so much time between, you know, whenever your game ends Sunday, Monday night, whatever, to the time you hit the practice field on Wednesday. And keep in mind, there were times the Browns got back to the practice field on Wednesday and the plan they had made from the time the previous game ended until they got to the practice. You know what, whatever we just did for the last 48 hours is null and void. Here we go again. We're starting over on the fly now on Wednesday. So, you know, I think that is something where if he gets into a position and it can be more routine

Starting point is 00:22:17 because these NFL coaches, they love the routine. They love, you know, having everything set, set schedule. You understand that there are going to be some ins and outs, but getting him to get to have influence in the quarterback that he is going to coach to hopefully have where everything will be in more regularity for him. I think Alex should do really well, and I think he's going to impress. This quarterback is certainly going to be interesting, the route that they go here. Do they bring in somebody with a little bit of a proven record or they just commit that number three pick? A guy like Jaden Daniels, that would be interesting because that would be the most athletic guy that Alex probably has ever had to essentially work with. And saying, you know, OK, you know, it gives him a chance to broaden his horizons and, you know, go out of his zone a little bit and implement things that he's never really used before because he didn't have a quarterback with that type of ability.

Starting point is 00:23:11 But for, you know, I think for the Patriots, I think for Jared Mayo, I think this is going to work. And obviously a weird, weird just situation all around for the Patriots. I mean, you know, it's weird enough that you had a quarterback, a coach there for as long as you did. And I'm sure for a lot of people, it's really, really hard to even still fathom the fact that this is going to be a new regime. But luckily the regime is going to be run probably under the same type of leadership

Starting point is 00:23:38 that it was run previously with Gerard Mayo, obviously having been a Bill guy. Basically, same type of thing, but obviously a lot, hopefully, more flavor to it because nobody was more vanilla than Mr. Bill Belichick. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots and spending part of your weekend before we kick off the week in style right here on Monday.

Starting point is 00:24:01 Don't forget, folks, it is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday, and it is also hashtag Mailbag Monday. Don't forget, folks, it is hashtag LockedOnMurfMonday, and it is also hashtag MailbagMonday. So make sure to get your questions in. Drop them right in the comments section below if you're watching on YouTube, or be sure to tag either Murph, myself, or the LockedOnPatriots accounts on Twitter to make sure that your great questions are featured right here

Starting point is 00:24:20 on LockedOnPatriots. And once again, a tip of the cap and a big thanks to my good friend and colleague Jeff Lloyd of Locked On Browns for lending his insight, wisdom, and counsel that you can only find here on the Locked On Podcast Network, folks. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate reminding you all

Starting point is 00:24:35 to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriot.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Hire Coach Alex Van Pelt: Impact on Jerod Mayo, Staff: CROSSOVER BONUS EPISODE

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