New Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt Reveals Offensive Philosophy

The New England Patriots need an offensive revival and they have put Alex Van Pelt in charge of leading it.

The Patriots named Van Pelt as the team’s offensive coordinator two weeks ago. He held the same title for the past four seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

New England’s offense really hasn’t had an identity the past few seasons other than being dysfunctional. The Patriots hit rock bottom this past season as they were tied for last in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers in points per game with 13.9.

Van Pelt now undertakes the major task of trying to turn around the offense. The 53-year-old spoke for the first time Wednesday in a team-produced production and offered general thoughts on his offensive philosophy.

“I think a good coordinator does what’s best for his players,” Van Pelt said. “I think a lot of guys will have schemes that they understand and they have familiarity with as coordinators. But if it doesn’t fit the player, then how good is the scheme, really? A good coordinator will often take the strengths of the players that he has, play to their strengths, but at the same time being able to protect them from their weaknesses.”

Van Pelt has a long history of working with quarterbacks. He was the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2010-11), Green Bay Packers (2014-16) and the Cincinnati Bengals (2017-19) before joining the Browns.

Van Pelt had his work cut out for him with that position this season. The Browns cycled through five starting quarterbacks due to injury and poor play, but Van Pelt and the rest of the Cleveland coaching staff got the most out of a 39-year-old Joe Flacco, who was out of the league to begin the year and wound up winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors.

Van Pelt understands how integral a quarterback is to a functional NFL offense and knows it all starts and ends with that position.

“Quarterback play is a big part of what I believe in,” Van Pelt said. “Putting him in a position to be successful and if you can make that guy be successful, often times your offense is successful.”

While Van Pelt emphasizes the importance of strong quarterback play, he comes nowhere close to discrediting the value of a rushing attack.

“I think running the football in this league wins games, wins championships, being able to do that late into the season,” Van Pelt said.

Van Pelt was lauded as a “phenomenal culture guy” upon his arrival to the Patriots. And he believes fostering a tight chemistry on offense will only serve as a benefit for New England.

“Teams that are close and that are connected — connected is a big word that I’ll use, the connectivity — those teams always play better,” Van Pelt said. “Getting to know these guys, getting to love these guys as players and people, I think will all make us better in the long run.”