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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. AVP influence: There was a moment inside the Patriots’ offensive team meeting room during training camp that showed, in part, how players have rallied around first-year offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt (aka “AVP”).
Players had grown accustomed to watching film of quarterbacks who played under Van Pelt at some of his previous coaching stops, such as Aaron Rodgers (Packers) and Deshaun Watson (Browns). But on this day, the film up on the screen was a play-action fake from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it wasn’t even from the NFL.
“When he pulled it up, everyone was like, ‘Who is that?’ When they realized it was AVP, everybody started hooting and hollering,” quarterback Bailey Zappe said.
“I mean, he got everybody dirty. He had the ball in his pocket, the hand out, everybody was going after the running back. Then he spun around, keeper, hit the flat, and it was a big gain.”
The way wide receiver Tyquan Thornton remembers it, “that brought a little juice to the room.”
Van Pelt was a four-year starter at the University of Pittsburgh, where he set school records for most passing yards (11,267), completions (867) and attempts (1,503), and he still uses some of his play-action fakes and quarterback keepers, among other things, as teaching tools for his current players.
Van Pelt, 54, is arguably the most important hire that first-year head coach Jerod Mayo made on his staff. Mayo refers to him as the “head coach of the offense” and his development plan for quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, is directly linked to hopes for the Patriots’ return to excellence.
In a league that has been trending more to younger coordinators who worked under offensive innovators such as Rams head coach Sean McVay and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, the Patriots ran a counter play in tapping the experienced and affable Van Pelt, who runs a West Coast offense featuring wide-zone run concepts. Mayo said he and Van Pelt meet multiple times a day and believes their partnership is off to a promising start.
“We’re on the same page. I have nothing but complete faith in AVP and the rest of the staff. He’s just one of those steady guys. A big play, he doesn’t get too high. A bad play, he doesn’t get too low. I think you need that in your coordinators,” Mayo said. “The consistency in his attitude, I think, has definitely rubbed off on the guys.”
Part of Van Pelt’s appeal to players is that he isn’t shy at poking fun at himself, which dates to his playing days as a longtime backup for the Bills (1994 to 2003) and left a Pillsbury Dough Boy doll in his locker as an acknowledgment of not having the most chiseled physique. He earned the trust of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, who remains one of his closest friends, as well as former Patriots and Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
Now in his 20th coaching season, this is the first time he’s truly been handed the keys to a team’s offense from Day 1.
“To be able to stand in front of the group, and run it as your offense, as our offense, it’s special,” Van Pelt acknowledged in the days leading up to Sunday’s preseason finale at the Washington Commanders [NBC, 8 p.m. ET]. “It’s different. I haven’t had that opportunity in quite a while.”
Van Pelt has veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who played for him in Cleveland in 2022, as his No. 1 quarterback. Brissett has also served as a mentor to Maye, who has been working as the No. 2 quarterback throughout training camp. Mayo has yet to officially name his starter for the regular-season opener at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8, saying he would wait until after the preseason to do so.
Van Pelt served as the Browns’ offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2023, but head coach Kevin Stefanski called the plays. In 2009 with the Bills, Van Pelt was thrust into the coordinator role just days before the season opener, which he said still shapes his approach today. He was also an assistant with the Buccaneers (2010-2011), Packers (2012 to 2017) and Bengals (2018-2019) and cites the totality of that experience as “vital.”
“I’ve been doing this for a long time and seen a lot of issues, a lot of problems. Solved a lot of those as well, so I think it gives you a foundation,” he said.
Is there perhaps a chip on his shoulder that it took this long to finally be put in this position?
“No chip on my shoulder whatsoever,” he said. “I thought I brought value to the Cleveland Browns as the offensive coordinator — maybe not the playcaller, but a lot of the way we did things was based on what I believed in.
“Having the opportunity here to fully game plan; it’s very collaborative with our staff, there are guys who have their areas of expertise, and they are going to have a big say in what we do offensively [and] schematically. But it’s great to have that opportunity to stand in front of the room and be responsible, ultimately on Sundays, for playcalling.”
Van Pelt was widely credited with getting five different Browns starting quarterbacks ready to play in last season’s 11-6 campaign. The Patriots are banking on similar results with Maye, whenever that may be.
“Alex is, first and foremost, a great man,” said offensive line coach Scott Peters, who followed Van Pelt from Cleveland to New England. “He’s played the game at a high level as a quarterback. He knows the game in and out. He’s coached for a long time. He has a great rapport with the players — they trust and respect him.”
2. QB1 chatter: In reference to when Maye might be the starter, Mayo said last week in his weekly radio interview, “We’re going to stick to the [development] plan — it may not be a popular plan, but we’re doing what we think is right for the organization, not only in the near term but also in the long term.”
And while Van Pelt left open the possibility that Maye could start Week 1, he said, “There’s still a process of how you bring a rookie quarterback along; it’s important to remember that as well.”
Remarks such as those reflect why it would take a significant turn for the Patriots to name Maye the Week 1 starter over Brissett.
3. Mayo’s message: Zappe relayed that there is a quote posted on the walls inside the team facility that reads, “Don’t worry about criticism from those you would never seek advice from.”
Mayo was asked why he chose that theme to highlight to players, who perhaps might be influenced by social media.
“I could go for about 30 minutes on that question,” he said, boiling it down to this point: “I’m not going to take financial services advice from a barber [and] I’m not going to take any type of haircut advice to from a financial advisor.”
Mayo cited former players Matthew Slater (special assistant to the head coach) and Dont’a Hightower (inside linebackers coach) as those who have increased credibility with younger players because they’ve been in their position before.
4. QB breakdown: Quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney on each of the team’s four quarterbacks:
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Brissett — “We have nine years of tape. We know what Jacoby is. We know what to expect from him. He’s just fine-tuning his game. He’s a better player than he was when I had him in Cleveland [in 2022].”
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Maye — “Very calm. In control. When he comes off, he can tell me exactly what he sees, which is very important. … There’s obviously a difference when you come in your first day to knocking on the door of the season, so we were expecting him to be here. We expected him to be really good.”
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Joe Milton III — “Joe’s been tremendous. He had a much different offense, so learning our system, and maybe not getting as many reps as some other guys. But he’s doing a lot with the reps.”
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Zappe — “Bailey’s been a pro’s pro. He’s been in some tough situations here over the years. Tough situation when you go in for your first preseason game [this year] and they boo. He’s been the same guy every day and he’s had a really good camp. He’s gotten a lot better from Phase 2 [of the offseason] when I first saw him. I’ve been impressed.”
5. Depth needed: Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said he anticipates the Patriots being “aggressive” on the waiver wire with the No. 3 priority, and offensive line and run-stuffing defensive tackle are among the numerous spots that look like they could use reinforcements.
First-year Patriots defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery spent the prior nine years in Green Bay, and so if a player like 2022 seventh-round pick Jonathan Ford is waived (and healthy after leaving Saturday’s game with a calf injury) based on the depth the Packers already have in place, he’d seemingly fit the profile of what New England might be seeking; similar to late-round draft picks such as Georgia’s Zion Logue (Falcons), Northern Iowa’s Khristian Boyd (Saints) and Auburn’s Justin Rogers (Cowboys) if they are waived. Those are the types of moves that can be anticipated — nothing headline-grabbing, but additions to build much-needed depth.
6. Hill’s time? The Patriots are thin at defensive tackle after Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots, in addition to free agent signing Armon Watts not emerging. Veteran Davon Godchaux and second-year player Jeremiah Pharms Jr. are the top run-stuffers, with Daniel Ekuale and Trysten Hill (6-foot-3, 310 pounds) the top penetrators. Hill, a 2019 Cowboys second-round pick out of Central Florida who has yet to meet his draft-slot expectation, has been a sleeper of sorts in camp, showing up Thursday with a tipped-ball interception.
“We call him ‘Full Speed’ because he’s explosive. I like his energy,” Ekuale said.
7. Explosive Stevenson: Running backs coach Taylor Embree has been encouraged by what he’s seen from Rhamondre Stevenson and believes the potential for more big plays is there for him with wide-zone runs.
“Last year, they ran a lot of duo and tight-zone stuff — get bodies on bodies — and he was able to make some stuff. But I think the wide zones will open up explosives for him. We’ve already seen a few in joint practice and against our defense,” Embree said.
8. Layden on OL: Rookie right guard Layden Robinson, the fourth-round pick from Texas A&M, was elevated to the top unit the past two practices after an injury to left tackle Vederian Lowe led to a shake-up that bumped Mike Onwenu to right tackle and Chukwuma Okorafor to left tackle. Mayo referred to the new grouping as “encouraging,” with starting left guard Sidy Sow saluting Robinson’s work by saying, “Very, very strong and smart. Physically, that guy is so damn strong.”
9. They said it: “Early on, he would throw interceptions and get so down on himself. I would say now, as we exit camp, he’s done a lot better job being able to pull the nose up on the plane when it seems like it’s going down. I think that’s an important quality.” — Mayo, on Maye’s response to adversity.
10. Did You Know? Sunday’s game marks the 24th time that New England and Washington meet in the preseason. That makes Washington the third-most frequent preseason opponent for the Patriots, behind the Giants (31) and Eagles (25).
Source: www.espn.com