When Jerod Mayo decided to hire an entirely new staff filled with young or inexperienced coaches, and even some recently failed head coaches, there were many concerns about how the Patriots would fare this season. While many were looking forward to what a former player turned head coach would bring to the team after Bill Belichick, the staff he surrounded himself with didn't provide much comfort regarding the Patriots' chances of success.
Those concerns seemed validated early in the season, as the offense was lackluster and appeared to be getting worse as the weeks went on. That has slightly changed since Drake Maye replaced Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback, though the play-calling remains questionable in most games.
But apparently, it's just the fans who have these questions about Alex Van Pelt. Many of them have already demanded he be fired from his position as offensive coordinator.
Both Maye and Mayo have sung Van Pelt's praises in recent weeks, which seems to go beyond the typical support of a staff member and points to no changes coming any time soon, regardless of what the fans (and even some reporters) believe is necessary.
Alex Van Pelt's job doesn't appear to be in the hot seat like many have believed this season
After shutting down talks of a possible mid-season firing or change-up of the coaching staff a few weeks ago, Mayo has doubled down on his compliments of Van Pelt in the days leading to their Week 11 matchup with the Rams.
Because the offensive play-caller has been the focus of much criticism this year, it's significant to hear Mayo support what he's done so far. This seems to indicate that we won't see a new OC in 2025 like many were hoping for.
“He’s been huge. I’d say that, look, there’s no one in this organization that deserves more credit, as far as what Drake’s been able to do on the football field, than Alex Van Pelt. When we interviewed Alex, I’d say when we interviewed all of the coaches that are here, one of the prerequisites or requirements was a guy who was level head and a guy who believes in working together – a guy who doesn’t get too high or get too low. That’s Alex and I appreciate that.”
It's certainly good to hear that the working relationship between the offensive coordinator and the quarterback is solid, and that's reflected in how the head coach feels, too. However, some of the concerns about his play calling seem valid, and perhaps it's more attributed to this being his first year working in New England and with Drake Maye.
If that's the case, giving Van Pelt more time to get things sorted out and the offense into the swing of things is more than fair. But if there's more to the situation, like the questionable play-calling on game day, then it might mean exploring other options next offseason shouldn't be off the table.
The worst case scenario could be keeping Van Pelt on as the quarterback's coach and bringing in a more experienced play-caller (like Brian Daboll) to take over the offense. That doesn't seem like a real possibility at this point, but maybe the rest of the season will give us a better understanding of what's to come with Van Pelt and Maye's working relationship and what the offense could become from their partnership.