In the NFL, as in the political world, supposedly hope and change are married at the hip.
Fresh new faces bring excitement and optimism.
At least that’s what many of us expected when Robert Kraft made the necessary but necessarily controversial move of moving on from Bill Belichick this offseason.
And certainly the “coach in waiting” promotion of Jerod Mayo to HC of the NEP is youthfully intriguing. He brings a new style, energy and love to the job. Corporate culture catch-phrases may be all the rage, but he’s a former All-Pro player that played to Kraft’s gut and retains some organizational continuity while theoretically keeping the strength of the team of late – a defense led by he and Steve Belichick – intact.
Sadly, though, the hopeful change energy has petered out this week in the Patriots’ seemingly uncoordinated pursuit of an offensive coordinator, a process that led to a dozen or more interviews before Mayo and New England settled on the unfulfilling hire of Alex Van Pelt.
In the fast-paced, young-man’s, promotion-rich world of NFL offenses, Van Pelt is a longtime journeyman QB coach. Sure he was the offensive coordinator of late in Cleveland, but that was a titular role more than practical position for a Browns offense run by head coach Kevin Stefanski.
It’s not the limited play-calling history that leaves a lot to be desired in the Van Pelt hire. Every coach has to have a first time calling plays.
The issue is that after a search that was supposedly and reportedly focused on young offensive minds from the Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan trees o’ Midas Touch in L.A. and San Francisco, Mayo and whoever else is handling the job searches these days in Foxborough landed on a 50-something former QB who’s apparent strengths are being a “culture” or “glue” guy on a coaching staff.
In many ways the Van Pelt hire feels like a blind date of desperate divorcees set up by well-intentioned friends promoting potential romance based on a “great personality.”
Sure, the former NFL QB Van Pelt has worked with a lot of quarterbacks over the years. Maybe he can claim some share of success for guys like Aaron Rodgers or Baker Mayfield or even Joe Flacco’s wild ride this fall and winter. Maybe.
Van Pelt is probably a good guy. Maybe even a decent coach.
But what exactly am I supposed to get excited about regarding Van Pelt? That he called plays a couple times during Covid a few years ago, including in a 28-point first quarter of a playoff game against Pittsburgh? That he’s derived from the West Coast offense and is going to be multiple? That he’s QB whispering passing game guru to mold the No. 3 overall pick into a franchise guy.
That feels like a stretch at best and a bit of a tough sell.
Sorry, just can’t must up much optimism on what is yet another gray mid-winter morning in New England.
From the outside looking in, it feels like the Patriots were foraging for one thing in their OC search and came away with another. Like they wanted a young, up-and-coming modern mind like Zac Robinson or Shane Waldron or Nick Caley. And for whatever reason couldn’t find an alignment with any of those available options.
Maybe this is a me problem, as many would suggest on my @JumboHart Twitter/X feed. Maybe I inherently lack hope and don’t deal well with change.
But after the last four years of wheel-spinning and organizational regression under Belichick – including some of most directionless and least entertaining or productive offenses we’ve seen in these parts in decades -- it felt like a change was certainly needed. It felt like a change would be a good thing.
Indeed change usually brings hope along for the ride.
So why does this Van Pelt hiring feel so unfulfilling and hopeless?
Maybe I’m just in a mood.