The New England Patriots recently announced their new coaching staff. Their completely new staff is full of different faces and minds around the league.
At the head of the team, the patriots hired their former linebackers coach, Jerod Mayo, as their head coach. Mayo hired the Browns’ former offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt. The Browns have been highly regarded in terms of their offensive coaching scheme, so this hire is pretty huge. While he didn’t call plays, the system the Browns have is a great one to be a part of.
According to the Boston Herald, “Unlike most Shanahan offenses, the Browns leaned heavily into man-blocked runs—which often feature pulling linemen—not zone runs the last few seasons.” Expect lots of pin-and-pull runs (a running play where the tackle pins down on a defensive tackle and the guard pulls, kicking out the end to open up the edge).
Defensively, the Patriots decided to elevate their defensive line coach, Demarcus Covington, to the position of defensive coordinator. As a young and up-and-coming coach, Covington is a great hire that has respect from players and executives alike. Covington is seen in the fan base as a great hire. According to the Pats Pulpit, “‘the defense won’t change as much,’ Covington predicted.”
Consistency would be great for the Patriots, as the Patriots were ranked seventh in the league in total defense this past season. While there won’t be a huge scheme change, consistency is good, and we can expect their defensive prowess to continue next season.
Moving on to the third main facet of the game, the Patriots hired the Rams’ assistant special teams coach, Jeremy Springer, to their special teams coordinator role. The Patriots seem happy about hiring Springer and moving on from the Cam Accord-led unit.
A big hire for the Patriots was Scott Peters from the Browns, who served as the assistant offensive line coach for the Browns for four years under legendary o-line coach Bill Callahan. The Browns have consistently been one of the best teams when it comes to the o-line, so this is a great hire. Expect great technique when it comes to man-blocking and more movement and versatility to come to the line next season. The Patriots’ running game has been stale and basic, so this change will be welcomed throughout the organization.
There is a lot to be excited about with this new coaching staff. They have a good mix of experience and innovative schemes that should help the struggling franchise in its upcoming season.
