Curran: Exploring Alex Van Pelt’s role in the Patriots’ quarterback decision Originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Who will be the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback in Week 1?
That’s the biggest story in training camp right now, and it’s… Veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye in the spotlight. But there’s another question worth asking: Who decides who will be the starting quarterback in Week 1?
Coach Jerod Mayo gave a vague answer to that question Wednesday, telling reporters the decision rests between himself, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and “the rest of the offensive staff.”
However, if you ask Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran, Van Pelt should have the most authority in determining the starting quarterback.
“I think the first vote is Alex’s: ‘Alex, the floor is yours. Who do you want to be the starting quarterback?'” Curran said Wednesday. on NBC Sports Boston Arbella Early Edition. “And then as the supervisor and CEO of the team, Mayo has to take into account other things to say, ‘I’m watching this, too. I see this, and if we do this, this will happen.’ So Mayo could potentially overrule his decision, but I don’t think he would do that in the first group.”
Mayo is a first-year head coach with a purely defensive background (he played eight NFL seasons as a linebacker for the Patriots and spent five seasons as the team’s inside linebackers coach before moving up to head coach), so it would be smart to empower him. Van Pelt, an experienced coach who has been an NFL offensive assistant since 2006.
The Patriots can still take a collaborative approach at the QB position, with Van Pelt, Mayo, Wolf, senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo and quarterbacks coach TC McCartney all providing input. But Curran believes Van Pelt’s experience should make him the authority figure on the QB decision.
“Right now, I think it should be Alex Van Pelt,” Curran said when asked who should have the final say if there is a disagreement on the staff about the QB position.
“Mayo has said, ‘I’m going to turn the offense over to Alex Van Pelt. He’s the head coach of the offense.’ But a good leader would say, ‘OK, we’re going to go with your decision. I’m not going to punish you if it doesn’t work out, but if at some point I decide that your decision is what we’re going to do moving forward, you’re going to be okay with that, too.’ I think that’s what you would have to do in a healthy relationship.”
In most cases, the head coach would have final say on all roster decisions, especially at the quarterback position. But the Patriots are in a unique position by having a first-year head coach with defensive experience (Mayo) on a team that must make a crucial decision at quarterback.
So while Mayo could communicate that final decision to the public, it might be smart for Van Pelt to make the final determination on whether Maye is ready to start Week 1 or if Brissett should get the nod instead.
Watch the full conversation with Curran, Patriots Insider’s Tom E. Curran, 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Marc Bertrand and host Trenni Casey In the YouTube video below.