Giardi: If Van Pelt is going out, the Patriots' OC is doing it on his own terms; Barmore shut down with 'recurring symptoms'

FOXBOROUGH - Alex Van Pelt saw the same thing you did on Sunday afternoon. Owner Jonathan Kraft, sitting with his father, critiquing Van Pelt's play-calling.

"I know Jonathan was upset, and that came out. There was nobody more pissed off than I was, I promise you that," Van Pelt said when we spoke with him Thursday morning.

The broadcast showed Jonathan expressing his frustration after a 2nd and 11 handoff to Antonio Gibson from the Cardinals' 35-yard line. That play, which I detailed in Musings Tuesday, saw the entire left side of the offensive line and center Ben Brown miss their blocks or get overwhelmed at the point of attack (execution, not design or the call itself). Van Pelt said he only learned of Kraft's reaction the following day and that neither father nor son has approached him with questions, concerns, or comments about that sequence.

"My door's always open," Van Pelt said. "The Krafts, I answer to those guys. If they ever want to talk, my door is open. I've had great conversations with Robert over the course of the season, Mr. Kraft, and it's always been positive."

The Pats' offensive coordinator has absorbed a fair amount of criticism elsewhere for his game plan in Arizona (Bedard, for instance) and specifically for the back-to-back running plays from the 5-yard line down 16-3 in the third quarter. First, Gibson got stopped short on third down, then Rhamondre Stevenson on fourth. Gibson may have gotten screwed on the spot, while Stevenson didn't follow fullback Sidy Sow's block and was too upright when he hit the hole. 

"Would I call that play again in that situation? Probably," said Van Pelt. "We needed half a yard; we called that play in the Jets game at the goal line to win it. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, and that was a big swing in that game. We had a chance to get back within six points. I thought we moved the ball up and down the field for the most part; it was a strange game in that regard.

"It's tough. If it works, it's a non-issue. If it doesn't, you second-guess that call. But schematically, we had the right call on. We just didn't get the job done."

The other point of contention about the play calling at that moment was the decision not to use Drake Maye on either a quarterback sneak or some designed quarterback run. For the record, I have no issue with the decision. If you can't get a yard, that says a lot about who you are and what you're capable of, or not, as it were. 

Asked about the decision post-game, Jerod Mayo uttered the infamous "You said it, not me" line, though he tried to walk it back multiple times that day and the next. His reasoning fell flat, but the head coach did feel the need to explain himself to Van Pelt on Monday.

"I have Jerod's back at all costs," Van Pelt told us. "We have a great relationship and are very communitive. I took no offense to that; I think it was taken out of context, as he said. We have a great relationship."

As for the philosophy behind not running Maye, it has been suggested that organizationally, the Pats are okay with their rookie signal caller scrambling and making plays with his legs, but don't want him used on designed quarterback runs (they haven't called one for him yet). They won't publicly declare this - why help the opposition? - but it's clear that Van Pelt isn't keen on exposing the franchise's brightest and most integral piece to unnecessary contact, especially for a team that's 3-11 and going nowhere.

"I think we can sneak with Drake. He's done it in the past. I'm not fearful of that, but really just focusing on keeping him out of harm's way and getting him through these last three games healthy," he said. "We all feel very confident in his abilities. But at the same time, I'd hate to not lose him and not let him finish the season by using him in a way we didn't have to."

Here's where the disconnect between the OC and HC may be on full display. Mayo hasn't covered himself in glory this season, and despite having the backing of the Krafts, he clearly has had a strategy in mind as the losses have mounted. He consistently expresses concerns about the offensive "scheme" while refusing to acknowledge any such schematic issues on the other side of the ball — his side and that of his hand-picked defensive coordinator. My belief all along has been that Van Pelt is the one who will be scapegoated when the year is through despite the player he's connected to - Maye - being the one who has grown leaps and bounds from what we saw in the spring. So Van Pelt has stuck to his guns regarding his prized possession (for at least three more weeks). Perhaps letting the 22-year-old run more would generate additional points and maybe another win since he took over, or one in the coming weeks. Winning is supposed to be the goal. Still, the way ownership, the front office, and, yes, the head coach talked about the season from April on proves that while wins are - or would be - an unexpected benefit in year one of a rebuild. 

"If it's third-and-2 and we're trying to get to a playoff spot, we're going to use every means necessary to get those plays and put our guys in the best position," said Van Pelt. "But again, I've been around the quarterback run game in Cleveland, and we lost our quarterback for the year (Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury in 2023). I know what it entails, and there is a big risk involved. But if it's a playoff situation or gotta-have-it to win the game, then possibly. But when that comes up, we'll make that determination."

I have no doubt that when (if?) the Patriots show growth and become a significantly more competitive team than they are now, Maye's legs will play a more prominent role. But the closer we get to the finale, the more apparent it is to me that it'll be with a different playcaller. That doesn't sit right with me, especially if Mayo (very likely) and Covington survive, but I have little faith that ownership will get this right. They're five years into the post-Tom Brady era, and very little they've touched has turned to gold unless you love the sprawling views of Milford from the top of the lighthouse...

The Patriots announced they are shutting down Barmore after 'recurring symptoms'

The Patriots released the following statement today:

Obviously a big blow for the team but more for Barmore personally. Has to be a scary situation. Barmore was coming off his least effective game of the season and I was wondering if something was up.

It was a surprise that he came back this season, and it was even more of a surprise that they put him out there in the first game after one practice (none padded). The Patriots will likely receive some criticism of this, but Mayo said Barmore was cleared by doctors.

The fear is this could affect Barmore's readiness for next season. If they have to reset the normal clock - 3 months on blood thinners, 3 months off (which was sped up this last time) - that would put his return around June.