NFL Notebook: Giardi - For Van Pelt, it's players over scheme

We've all tried to connect the dots regarding what kind of offense the Patriots will run under new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo. 

Van Pelt admitted there would be similarities to what he did in Cleveland under Kevin Stefanski, but having been in many places and worked under many different coaches, it sounds like he won't be pigeonholed to one scheme.

"I've taken pieces of a lot of different offense in my time and kind of melded those together for what's best for us in that time," Van Pelt said.

Surely, there is a foundation for what Van Pelt wants. He is a believer in the West Coast way - if you will. And there is no doubt that scheme will be seen in Foxborough. But to what degree? That's an unanswerable question in late February because the roster is incomplete. There are no tight ends under contract. Both starting tackles from a year ago are free agents. The quarterback room is uninspiring. Ditto the wide receiver room. These Pats and this offense can't be built in a day, week, month, or even a year. 

"There's definitely some pieces of the puzzle that aren't put in place yet," said Van Pelt. "That's our job. At the end of the day, when we get everything established, see who we are, see who we have available to us, and then we'll put that puzzle together with the pieces we have.

"I think you always have to play to the strengths of your players regardless of the position. So, we'll put those guys, whoever they are, in the best position to be successful. At the same time understanding where they're deficient in some areas and guard against those deficiencies."

I suspect you'll hear that from Van Pelt and other staff members - they're players over scheme or players influencing said scheme. Looking at the roster that was left to them, it may take this new brain trust time to be in a place where they're in a position to feel comfortable going deep into the playbook, but in the meantime, there should be confidence that at his last stop, Van Pelt was able to help craft and morph a successful offense with five different starting QBs last year.

"The good news is I've done it a ton of different ways. I've been under center at times. I've been in shotgun a ton. I've had issues with personnel in certain areas and been able to adjust and adapt to that," he said. "There's a lot of different schemes out there. The best ones put the players in a position to be successful."

FIELDING QUESTIONS

In the world before X and Instagram and Snapchat, we weren't subjected to stupidity like we saw this week. Justin Fields, Bears quarterback, unfollowed his team on social media apps, leading the NFL world to ask why? Fields, perhaps by mere happenstance or maybe because he was courting the attention, found himself on the St. Brown brothers podcast and was asked what was up.

"Why do people take social media so serious?" said Fields, smiling broadly. "I still mess with the Bears, this and that. I'm just trying to take a little break (from football content). I unfollowed the Bears and the NFL. I'm just trying to not have football on my timeline. I know y'all mess with a girl ... Just because you don't follow the girl on IG, don't mean you not messing with her." 

Okay, maybe not the best analogy in our PC world, but don't let Fields distract you from the fact that he knew exactly what sort of reaction his actions would generate. When pressed if he was, in fact, messing with Chicago, Fields got serious.

"Yeah, of course. Of course, I want to stay," said Fields. "I can't see myself playing in another place. But if it was up to me, I would want to stay in Chicago. I love the city. The city's lit. The fans there are great, and the people. 

"It's a business. I ain't got no control over it; whatever happens, happens. I think the biggest thing with all this going on right now, I just want it to be over. Like, just let me know if I'm getting traded, let me know if I'm staying, this and that."

As I've reported in this space before, league sources believe Fields is as good as gone in Chicago. The Bears have the first overall pick in the draft, and their eyes are on USC signal caller Caleb Williams. Williams is considered a better passer than Fields, and on top of that, the organization can reset its QB cap by casting aside Fields, with a decision looming on his fifth-year option for a new rookie deal.

A handful of teams heavily scouting the position this year aren't in the draft's top three picks - New York Giants, Atlanta, Minnesota, Las Vegas, and Pittsburgh. If they don't like that second tier of kid quarterbacks (JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix, Michael Penix, Spencer Rattler) or don't want to pay the price to move up, Fields makes a lot of sense. Ditto here in New England, especially if they decide the roster needs so much help that a trade-down to accrue more assets would make more sense.

Despite professing his love for Chicago, Fields did have a strong take on returning to his home state. The Georgia native, who initially enrolled at the University of Georgia before transferring to Ohio State after his freshman year, showed some excitement talking about a possible trade to the Falcons.

"Atlanta would be tough," Fields said. "The only con of going back home is just people hit my phone (up) crazy wanting tickets to the game. But I think they've got a lot of playmakers on the team: of course, Bijan (Robinson); they've got my boy Kyle (Pitts); and then, of course, Drake (London), too. They probably need one more receiver, but they've definitely got some guys over there, and their defense was good this year, too."

Fields threw for 2,562 yards in 13 starts (61.4%, with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 657 yards and four more scores.

SETTLE DOWN

It's been a while since the NFL had Rex Ryan or a Rex Ryan-like figure roaming the sidelines, trash-talking opposing players, coaches, and refs as if there would be no repercussions.

Enter Antonio Pierce, who apparently decided that's a void that needs to be filled.

Buoyed by some late-season success and having an interim coaching tag removed in favor of the full-time gig, the Raiders boss went on Maxx Crosby's podcast and claimed that Vegas has the answer to making Patrick Mahomes human.

"We've got the Jordan rules and what I'm calling, from now on, as long as I'm here, the Patrick Mahomes rules," said Pierce. "So, you remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the '80s; before he became Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whup his ass. Any time he came to the hole? Elbows, feeling him, love taps. We touched him. We're in the head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I'm touching you. So, I showed those guys Jordan getting his ass whupped."

Pierce puffing out his chest after a Christmas day win over KC is...rich. Personally, I'd want a track record of success over Mahomes before I even thought about running my mouth, but the former player, Pierce, isn't concerned about ruffling any feathers.

Now, that win - which at the time looked like proof once and for all that this wasn't the Chiefs year - was the best of the Raiders' defense. They had four sacks of Mahomes, hit him 10 times, and scored a pair of defensive TDs. Former Pats CB Jack Jones had one of those, then acted like an ass afterward, pulling the ball away from a kid in the front row. That's the kind of program Pierce wants to run. It worked in the short term - post Josh McDaniels - but we'll see how it plays long term. 

"We've got to win the division first," added Pierce. "We've got to knock off the team in red. They've dominated for (eight) years. We've got to knock off the head of the snake: 15. We've got to do that first."

The Chiefs had won six in a row before the XMas defeat.

WHAT A RISE

In just three short years, Zach Orr went from undrafted free agent to special-teams whiz kid to the Baltimore Ravens leading tackler. Then he had to retire in 2017, a heartbreaking decision but necessary after an end-of-season physical revealed congenital spine and neck issues.

Orr found himself back at the podium a week ago, but this time with much better news. He had named the Ravens' defensive coordinator.

"It was tough initially when I had to come in and sit with you guys last time (in this auditorium) and hang up the cleats, hang up the pads (and) hang up the helmet," Orr said. "(But) I fell in love with the game as a coach, and now we're here. It definitely was a crazy journey from that moment last time I was here until now."

At 31, Orr is the NFL's second-youngest coordinator, fast-tracking his way through the organization from coaching and personnel assistant to defensive analyst to linebacker coach to the man tasked with replacing Mike Macdonald, now the head coach in Seattle.

"Organized chaos" is how Orr presents his philosophy.

"Never give the answer to the offense before the snap," he said. "Hit everything that moves. We're going to play violent."

Orr has big shoes to fill. The Ravens defense was the first ever to lead the NFL in three major categories: sacks (60), takeaways (31, tied for 1st), and points against (16.5 per game)