Tag: alex van pelt

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt on David Njoku’s Week 1 struggles

Van Pelt was quick to acknowledge that the Browns were lucky that Njoku’s mediocre performance didn’t hurt them worse than it did.

Despite achieving a positive outcome in their Week 1 win against the Carolina Panthers, the Cleveland Browns had some key contributors put out some well-below average showings in the two-point victory. Tight end David Njoku was among those who were unable to get off to much of a start during the season opener, and the Browns’ coaching staff is already hard at work figuring out how to make sure there isn’t a re-run of the inadequate performance in Week 2.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt spoke to the media on Thursday about what caused the uncharacteristic showing, telling reporters that he didn’t notice that Carolina did anything special to hold Njoku to just one catch for seven yards.

“I would not say that they did anything to take him out..” He explained. “They did not double-team him or anything like that. David’s production was huge in the game, not just on the catches but his ability to run block and what he does with his physicality is special. He is a big, big part of our success in the run game, as well. We will get him more involved. We had him on a down-the-field throw using his speed. The linebacker added on late and it was our only sack of the game, but he was running wide open and that would have been a huge play to David if we had got that pressure picked up.”

Cleveland won’t be able to go without their star tight end in any of their remaining matchups in 2022 and was lucky to escape Week 1 unscathed after Njoku struggled so mightily. The Browns are certainly on an upswing, but without every member of the team pulling at full force in the same direction, it will be exceptionally hard to get into the playoffs and beyond.

Expect a huge effort to get Njoku the ball in space this week, and for Jacoby Brissett to get the ball into his hands early and often as he looks to establish a rapport with the talented tight end.

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Browns will break staff turnover streak in Week 1

Stefanski, Van Pelt and Woods will break a very long streak for the Browns when they coach together in Week 1:

The Cleveland Browns have been the model of inconsistency while being consistently bad for years. Cleveland has turned over almost every part of its organization since returning to the NFL in 1999. The only thing left is the practice facility in Berea and the stadium by the lake, which could be changing in the future as well.

The turnover on the football operations side of things, including the coaching staff, has made it hard to even remember how many different general managers and head coaches there have been much less lower-level positions. This offseason saw a slew of former Browns employees rise up in ranks, some of which many fans struggle to remember being a part of the team.

For the first time since even before the return, Cleveland will have the same head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator for the third straight season:

Some teams, like the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams have lost coaches when the team has struggled as well as when it has succeeded and coordinators have taken head coaching jobs.

In 1993, Bill Belichick was the head coach, Ernie Adams was the offensive coordinator and Nick Saban ran the defense. Now coaching legends Jim Schwartz and Kirk Ferentz were also on the staff.

With Kevin Stefanski, Alex Van Pelt and Joe Woods set to reprise their roles for the third straight year, Cleveland has no excuse to not be a well-run outfit. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer also returns for his third year with the team.

Browns OC Alex Van Pelt: ‘I have seen zero’ tension between Kevin Stefanski and Baker Mayfield

Browns OC Alex Van Pelt: “I have seen zero” tension between Kevin Stefanski and Baker Mayfield

With reports flying left and right about possible tension and discord between Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski, it can be tough to know exactly what to believe. One of the people in position to know the relationship between the coach and quarterback is Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.

In his meeting with the media on Thursday, Van Pelt flatly refuted any deep issues between Mayfield and Stefanski.

“No, absolutely not,” Van Pelt said when asked if he’d seen any tension between the two. “I have seen zero of that. Kevin is in our meetings every day. He comes in, and we talk through everything that was installed every day. I know the line of communication is wide open between those two guys. I know they have met weekly on Tuesdays to make sure everything was good. I do not feel that at all. I do not. Kevin has always been open and very communicative with all of the players and coaches, as well.”

Van Pelt, who does not call the plays under Stefanski, noted that the precipitous drop in the Browns offense leads to a lot of talking. They’re doing that internally, too — in the quest to correct what all went wrong in Cleveland’s disappointing 2021 season.

“There is always room for correction and always room for improvement. That is kind of where we are,” Van Pelt stated. “In the offseason, we will dive deep, deep into that and see, as we do every year. Even during the bye week, we really took a dep dive into what we are doing, and we will always adjust, adapt and try to put our players in the best position, but there is always room for improvement. The top offense to the bottom offense in the league, you can always get better.”

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Why Baker Mayfield and the Browns’ passing game are circling the drain

The Browns’ passing game has imploded in the second half of the season, and Baker Mayfield with it. Is there enough time to turn things around?

Whatever his inconsistencies throughout his NFL career, Baker Mayfield has usually been pretty careful with the football. Before the Browns’ 24-22 loss to the Packers on Christmas Day, Mayfield had never thrown more than three interceptions in a game, he’d only done that five times in his NFL tenure, and never in either 2020 or 2021.

Then, Mayfield threw four interceptions against the Packers, and that disaster marked  the nadir of a disconcerting trend. Since Week 10 of the 2021 season, Mayfield has completed 56.1% of his passes (87 of 155) for 908 yards (5.9 yards per attempt), seven touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a passer rating of 66.8 — the worst in the NFL among starting quarterbacks over that time.

From Weeks 1-9, Mayfield completed 66.7% of his passes (150 of 225) for 1,917 yards (8.5 yards per attempt), eight touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 99.4, 10th-best in the league.

Things started to get really weird in Week 11, when the Browns beat the Tim Boyle-led Lions, 13-10, but Mayfield completed just 15 of 29 passes for 176 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Mayfield, who had been struggling with injuries all season, was clearly limping in the second half, but head coach Kevin Stefanski kept him in the game. Mayfield did not speak to the media after the game, but got back to the podium the next day.

“It is about putting it all together,” he said. “When we do our job and we do it well, we are a really good team. That takes converting on third downs, finishing in the red zone and then not hurting yourselves in the middle of drives to where you have to overcome long-yardage situations. It is being consistent within every single drive and having a singular focus on the task at hand within those drives and knowing that those critical downs we have to convert and we have to do well.”

It hasn’t tracked yet. The Browns have dropped from seventh to 20th in Offensive DVOA since Week 10, and from 11th to 24th in Passing DVOA. They’ve gone from 5-4 to 7-8, they’re currently last in the AFC North, and while that division is wide open for them with upcoming games against the Steelers this Monday night, and against the Bengals on Sunday, January 9. But if this is the passing game the Browns tote into those two games, the playoffs could be nothing but a fever dream.

So… how did things get so bad, and how can they be fixed?

Browns plan to have Mike Priefer fill in for Kevin Stefanski as head coach

The Browns have experience with Priefer filling in for Stefanski in a critical game

The sobering news is that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has tested positive for COVID-19 and could miss the critical Week 15 home date with the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday. The upshot is that the Browns do have some experience in handling this exact scenario and also have a plan of attack in place.

As was the case when Stefanski missed the playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last season due to a positive COVID-19 test, Browns special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will handle the head coaching duties. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will assume all playcalling responsibility during the game.

Stefanski’s chief of staff, Callie Brownson, will have an increased role in coaching on the sidelines on Saturday as well. Running backs coach Ryan Cordell has also tested positive for COVID-19. Brownson has served as an interim position coach before, taking over for TE coach Drew Petzing last season when his wife gave birth. Brownson was the first woman to ever assume coaching duties for an NFL regular-season game. She also replaced WR coach Chad O’Shea for the playoff game against Pittsburgh.

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Kevin Stefanski to remain offensive play caller

After deliberating the decision in 2020, Stefanski quickly decided he will call plays in 2021, once again. Surprising? What could it mean for AVP in the future?

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If it isn’t broke, why fix it?

Last year, despite being a first-time head coach during a global pandemic, Kevin Stefanski called the offensive plays for the Cleveland Browns. The young coach was hired due to his offensive acumen but also for his ability to lead the whole team.

Stefanski hired Alex Van Pelt to be his offensive coordinator without certainty of who would call the plays on game day. With everything up in the air and the two top offensive coaches getting to know each other, it was unsurprising that Stefanski held the reigns of the offense in 2020.

It worked for the Browns especially in the second half of the season. With a year together and a full offseason to plan, it was thought that Van Pelt might take over the play-calling duties in 2021. This would allow Stefanski more time to focus on the whole team’s needs during the game.

Instead, Cleveland’s head coach once again will be calling the plays:

 

With this decision being up in the air in 2020, it is somewhat surprising to see it continue in 2021. It is possible that Stefanski, much like Andy Reid, Sean McVay and others, will call plays the majority of his career if things go well once again in 2021.

For Van Pelt, taking over play-calling, whether with the Browns or elsewhere, will be the next step in his professional career. Will he get the chance in Cleveland?

Browns OC Alex Van Pelt hoping to avoid making Kevin Stefanski yell at his TV

Van Pelt will control the offense vs. Pittsburgh in Stefanski’s absence

Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is taking over the play-calling duties for Sunday’s wild-card matchup with the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Normally those duties fall upon head coach Kevin Stefanski, but the COVID-19 outbreak around Cleveland has forced the head man to miss the game.

Van Pelt feels like he’s ready to handle the job. He’s done it before, albeit not in Cleveland.

“Just try to do it as well as I can,” Van Pelt said in his Zoom session with the media this week. “I really don’t have an approach. Obviously, I have a good feel for Kevin and how he’s called it throughout the course of the season. I want to stay true to his beliefs in offense and I feel the same way. So obviously it’ll be a little bit different just because of the nature. Nobody calls it the same. But hopefully it’ll be very similar.”

Van Pelt then offered a lighter assessment of his goal for Sunday night,

“We’ve had a lot of success offensively, and my hope is at the end of the game there’s not too many times where he’s yelling at his TV going, ‘What the heck are you doing?’”

Van Pelt’s offense will be without Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio and passing targets, TE Hunter Bryant and WR KhaDarel Hodge. It won’t be easy but the Browns still have some weapons at Van Pelt’s disposal in Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry, Kareem Hunt and David Njoku.

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Kevin Stefanski announces he will call the offensive plays for the Browns

Stefanski had resisted revealing if he or OC Alex Van Pelt would call the plays

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski ended weeks of questions and speculation on Friday when he finally revealed who will call the offensive plays for the team in 2020.

Stefanski will call his own plays.

It’s a question that has hung over Stefanski since at least the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, where he faced a question about his desire to call plays in Cleveland. Stefanski was the chief play-caller for the Minnesota Vikings as their offensive coordinator in 2019, though Minnesota’s head coach, Mike Zimmer, comes from a defensive background.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt also has play-calling experience in his background. Stefanski and the Browns have dodged answering the questions about the responsibility for weeks.

The play-calling duties have taken on increased significance in Cleveland in recent seasons. Predecessors Freddie Kitchens and Hue Jackson both fumbled the responsibility, at times calling their own while handing it off to others at times, too.

Kevin Stefanski still won’t reveal who will call the Browns offensive plays

Will it be Kevin Stefanski or Alex Van Pelt? Coach Stefanski will not reveal.

Give Kevin Stefanski credit for being able to keep a secret. The Browns rookie head coach still will not reveal who will be calling the offensive plays when Cleveland visits Baltimore to face the Ravens in Week 1 in just four days.

Stefanski has steadfastly refused to divulge if he or offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will handle the in-game playcalling duties. The topic has come up in several press conferences, but Stefanski has never even tipped his hand one way or the other.

He did that once again in Wednesday’s Zoom session with reporters, a press conference that featured a more national presence than normal. The question came up right away.

Who will call the plays, Stefanski or Van Pelt?

With a wry smile, Stefanski dodged the bullet.

“No, I will get to that, though. I promise.”

When asked later in the press conference if he and Van Pelt would call plays differently, once again Stefanski refused to bite.

“I will not speculate.”

Because Stefanski won’t, it will lead to many doing the speculating for him. It will be interesting to see how that plays out in Cleveland, where who is calling the plays takes on unusual importance after some recent coaching nightmares on that front.

Baker Mayfield shows off his new shotgun snap footwork

Mayfield is switching his feet around when he takes the shotgun snap

One of the most tangible bits of coaching impact to watch with the Cleveland Browns this year will be with Baker Mayfield’s feet. The new coaching staff of head man Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is overhauling Mayfield’s footwork in the pocket.

Van Pelt is a big believer in having the left foot forward at the time of the QB taking the shotgun snap. Mayfield has been a right-foot forward guy his entire career going back to Oklahoma.

It’s a transformation project Van Pelt has taken on with the young Browns QB. Despite working remotely during the pandemic, Mayfield appears to be buying in.

The Browns showed off the fruits of his labor in a video clip from Friday’s training camp session. Watch the feet:

It’s a work in progress but there is definite progress to what Van Pelt and Mayfield are working on.