FOXBOROUGH - As I've written several times, I believe Alex Van Pelt will be a sacrificial lamb after this season ends — perhaps as soon as Sunday night. The writing has been on the wall for a while, and I struggle to envision a scenario in which ownership and this head coach rubber stamp a return.
But as he has been almost from the start of his brief tenure here in New England, Van Pelt showed a level of accountability that has been missing in every other facet of this organization throughout this season, from ownership to the head coach and defensive coordinator to some of the players (read Godcahux, Davon; WR room).
"Some of the things I would like to take back are some of the bad calls I've made throughout the course of the year," Van Pelt said when asked about how he evaluates himself. "Really starting with the fumble last week. That was a tough one. Put those guys in a tough spot. There's a handful of those in each game where you're like, 'Man, I wish I would've done something differently.' So keeping that - growth and knowledge of where I messed up through the course of the year and where can I be better for them."
Van Pelt says he makes his list after every game...good and bad. It's a reminder that the job of a play-caller is far more complex than the likes of Jonathan Kraft could and would ever know. It takes me back to conversations I've had with Josh McDaniels, Brian Daboll when he was in Buffalo, and Zac Taylor in Cincinnati about never being comfortable in that role even as they amassed years and years of experience. That said, Van Pelt knows why questions about job security exist, especially during a season like this one.
"This is a business. We all signed up for this. When we win three games, it's tough," he said. "The thing that I can hang my hat on is that this team played hard. There have not been any games where they have not put out their full effort. That's impressive. It's easy for a lot of teams, and I've been around teams that are out of the playoffs and kind of just cruise to the end. We're going to try to finish strong. We started fast. That was my message to them. We started fast with a win; let's finish strong with a win at home in front of our crowd.
Does Van Pelt have a case for a return?
“I’ve loved AVP," Hunter Henry told us. "I’ve loved the energy. I’ve loved the offense he’s brought here. I really do think it’s a great scheme, and I think there’s a lot of room for growth with everybody with it.”
“I know a lot of people have been trying to attack him, but we’re the ones who have gotta go out there and play,” said Antonio Gibson this week. “They call the call in, and we’ve gotta execute. Our execution this whole year has been on and off, never consistent. So, to throw him under the bus would be completely wrong. He has a lot of great things that are drawn up for us. Sometimes, it gets shaky, but when it’s his fault, he takes responsibility for it, and when it’s our fault, we do the same thing. So I’m rocking with him.”
Van Pelt said he appreciated those words and "Would love to be back," he said. "I really like the organization. I like our guys. There's stuff to build on there, but again, that's out of my control."
There is "stuff" to build on schematically, and many new players/starters should be in place by the time the spring and summer roll around. But Drake Maye will remain the foundational piece, and the Pats will follow the lousy franchise playbook by changing coordinators. Ask Mac Jones what that did for his career arc. The powers that be at One Patriot Place say they learned from that experience and are loathe to repeat it - until they do.
"It's something people don't think really think about on the outside, but it's tough," Kendrick Bourne told me today. "You have to learn new things. You have to learn new terms. You have to learn how this OC wants it. So it changes how we're going to offseason.
"So, hopefully, AVP sticks around. You know, we don't know what's gonna happen. Nobody's guaranteed anything, but he's helped Drake a lot. He's helped me a lot. And hopefully, we can just come in with the same, you know, team, same offense because it'll help us, I think, take a step."
“There will be changes in a locker room on a year-to-year basis, but there will be a carryover of guys,” added Henry. “So when you can carry over an offense into an offseason, you can sometimes build upon it in a lot of ways. When you bring in someone new, you’re learning that scheme and trying to implement it... when you already know a scheme, you can grow in it and evolve it to make it your own. I can speak personally on routes and different things. If I already know the scheme and route, it’s my canvas. I can draw it this way, I can draw it this way. I can do routes different ways."
Proof that a potential change in coordinators and systems impacts everyone on the offensive side of the ball. That said, Maye remains the most critical piece and another reason why Robert and Jonathan (and Jerod Mayo?) should do what RKK has said repeatedly, measure nine times and cut once.
"You look at the quarterback development over the years. Hall of Fame guys who have been in systems that were similar or the same year after year after year," Van Pelt said. "That builds the knowledge that you have in that system at many different levels. It's important for consistency and continuity, especially for younger players, to stay within the system."
ODDS AND ENDS
Van Pelt said the plan is for Maye to start and that he looked good in practice yesterday (despite being listed as limited with the hand injury). Joe Milton took some first-team reps in his absence.
Brenden Schooler was the only Patriots player named to the Pro Bowl.
