Since Jerod Mayo's initial hiring and the staff he chose to fill around him, there have been many concerns regarding their fit and lack of experience, given how much improvement was needed for the Patriots after Bill Belichick's departure. They were a team headed for a massive rebuild, so having an inexperienced coaching staff was not what many hoped to attempt to fill the shoes of the greatest coach of all time.
The offseason began well, with players raving about their new head coach, and a dramatic attitude shift was seen throughout the summer. It seemed like positive changes were being made, and the team would ultimately benefit from it, but the problematic aspects of some of the hires arose during the preseason and have continued through 11 games this season.
The offense has been the main focus since quarterback Drake Maye was drafted earlier this year. Alex Van Pelt was given the reins of the offense and named the quarterback's coach, so he will spend a lot of time with the rookie this year. As a former quarterback himself, it seemed like a great fit until we've seen some problems with how he calls games this season.
But when he makes comments like he did on Thursday morning, concerns about his fitness for the job come under fire once again.
The lack of knowledge of the current roster from Alex Van Pelt is a big problem
The Patriots finally decided to test out some trickery in last week's game against the Rams, calling cornerback Marcus Jones back to the offense like they had during his rookie season two years ago. He has consistently been a secret weapon for the team during that time, serving roles in all three phases of the game and thriving no matter what he's called to do.
So it made little sense that Van Pelt had no idea Jones was that versatile, revealing on Thursday that he had no idea he had played on offense before and was caught off guard when the cornerback texted him about helping on offense in Week 11.
"There was a Marcus Jones who came through Green Bay for a cup of coffee, I'm thinking, why is he trying to get a hold of me?"
— Meghan Ottolini (@Meghan_Ottolini) November 21, 2024
While it's concerning that Van Pelt was not aware of this, it's a bit more concerning that his fellow coaches hadn't told him about it previously. Mayo, DeMarcus Covington, Mike Pellegrino, Tyler Hughes, and Brian Belichick were all on the Patriots' coaching staff prior to the 2024 season and were there when Jones was drafted.
Why wouldn't this have come in conversation? Or why did Van Pelt not watch more tape of the players on the Patriots' current roster?
This seems to validate fans' concerns regarding the coaching staff, which becomes even more of an issue when current rumors suggest they will all be safe from being relieved of their duties this upcoming offseason. This is not to say that anyone needs to be fired, but choosing not to even consider the possibility could be a massive mistake by Robert Kraft.