New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has a full plate entering his first season running the ship down at Gillette Stadium, so there are a few mistakes he’s looking to avoid.
He’ll have plenty of help doing so, too.
The Patriots have a rather hefty coaching staff, making more additions than just about anyone this offseason. New England officially announced its laundry list of hirings Monday, in which it became clear the offensive staff was a focal point.
Alex Van Pelt and Ben McAdoo will essentially be running the show, with the former serving as play-caller and earning the title of offensive coordinator. It was left up to him to fill out his staff, with Mayo admitting that decision came down to something he was hoping to avoid.
“I think one important thing for offensive coordinators is to have major input in hiring their own staff,” Mayo told reporters Wednesday, per team-provided transcript. “You don’t want to have to teach your coaches, as well as having them go teach. You want them to have a fundamental understanding of your scheme. In saying that, it was a combination of Eliot (Wolf), myself, (Matt) Groh and AVP to really nail the staff down.”
Van Pelt has plenty of familiarity with his staff, having previously worked with quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, offensive line coach Scott Peters,
tight ends coach Bob Bicknell and McAdoo — who is operating under the title of senior offensive assistant.
It should help with continuity, something that was clearly an issue last season after former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was only able to bring tight ends coach Will Lawing with him to New England.
The Patriots are attempting to avoid making the same mistakes twice, which, at the very least, is encouraging.
