Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt (11.30.23)
Just wondering if you can kind of tell us what it’s been like for you to try to get your fourth potential starting quarterback ready to start this football game and what challenges is that presenting you?
“It’s it is a challenge, obviously. Fortunate to have Joe (Flacco), who’s an established veteran, has been in multiple systems that allows him to easily kind of translate his terms into our terms. There are some crossover terms he’s used in different systems, so that definitely helps.”
Hey, Alex, do you know if DTR (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) is going to be able to practice today?
“I’m not sure right now. I know he had some testing this morning, still going through the process of the protocol, but I’m not exactly sure where that stands this morning. I know he did some testing earlier in the day.”
And then back to Joe. Kevin (Stefanski) said yesterday there was only 24 hours in the day, but from your perspective, how do you go about trying to get him as ready as possible with the short time frame from him being here?
“Yeah, a lot of meeting time. He does a great job on his own. Really did a nice job yesterday stepping in the huddle and calling the plays. All the operation that comes in the huddle, he was excellent at. For him, it’s just spending time in his playbook. It’s about operation at the line of scrimmage, getting out of the huddle, getting to the huddle and then operating. So again, his experience in multiple systems, getting ready for NFL games, he’s done many times. So just a little more emphasis on understanding exactly what we’re going to ask him to do if he’s a guy on game day.”
Non quarterback question for you, Alex. The drop passes in recent weeks seems to be a bit of an abnormality but has been popping upguys, I guess. What can you guys do to rectify that and what do you think the genesis of that has been? Is it because DTR throws a harder ball or what do you think there?
“Yeah, that’s always a fine line, Daryl (Ruiter). As you know, these guys catch the ball for a living, they do a great job of doing it. It just so happens that two weeks in a row we put a few on the ground that were catchable. Obviously we’ll emphasize that in the week. Is it concentration? Is, is it completing the eyes on the ball the whole time through the catch? I think a couple of times we may have taken our eyes off the ball to go look for YAC—, yards after the catch. So just letting these guys know, hey, you guys catch the ball for a living, you’re going to catch it again. We’re just going through a little drop period here. If you overstress it then oftentimes guys will start to get something in their head that they’re dropping the ball. So just put the emphasis on the fundamentals. That’s the key.”
And without giving any trade secrets away here as far as game plan and things like that, when you’re dealing with these different quarterbacks and getting them up to speed, in this case, obviously, Joe, how dramatic is the change, like, do route – with the offense because of his style of play? Do like route trees change? I know you mentioned terminology is basically the same, but just what adjustments, if you can explain, have to take place when you’re having to go from quarterback to quarterback?
“Sure. Generally, route depths don’t change. The names of the routes will change. There are standard route trees across the league that everybody runs, so those will be similar. There are some nuances to some of the routes that we run. I think the biggest thing for a new quarterback coming into any place is just having a feel for how each receiver runs each route differently. Some guys might not run. You might have the same route. You might get three different feels as a quarterback based on the individual that’s running that route. That’s the biggest adjustment, is just getting a feel for how the guys run their routes.”
Hey, Alex, I was just wondering, how beneficial was it for Joe to be on the sidelines last Sunday in Denver and just sort of see how you guys operate within the context of an actual Sunday game compared to what – you can do the walkthroughs and practice, everything but just being there. How much is that a benefit for him?
“I think it’s huge, really. Just to get a game under his belt where he had the earpiece in on the sideline. He was listening to the communication from Kevin to the QBs. Just how Kevin talks to those guys, how the play calls come in our sideline mechanics after each series, and what we have to get done before the next drive, all that. Just getting a dry run under his belt will beneficial.”
Alex, going back to Joe for a second about on him practicing yesterday, what was it like to see him in that huddle? The communication that we’ve talked about with these guys, between being such a big part of it and his communication style in that first practice.
“It’s very impressive. Again, he’s a guy that’s done it before. His size and stature, he demands attention in the huddle. His play calling is clear and crisp, and I think the guys appreciated that.”
And as you go through this week, obviously knowing what he’s done in the league over his career, but seeing him truly just go through practice, getting those reps, how helpful is that, just to get him acclimated and see what he can bring to the table?
“It’s huge. We’re still working through all of that. As the week goes on, what routes do you like? How do you feel about certain personnel? A lot of give and take, a lot of communication between us and the quarterback room, and those things will continue to work through the week. But as a passer, he is exactly that. He’s a pure passer, makes all the throws, has the arm strength to push the ball down the field and is accurate at all levels.”
Hey, Alex, I got a couple running back questions for you. First, Jerome Ford. It seems like he’s been running really well the last couple of weeks. How have you seen him kind of grow since he’s taken over that job?
“Yeah, he definitely has grown up. I’m really proud of his efforts, his ability to run the ball. He’s popped some big runs for us, and he had three last week for ten yards, which was great. His approach is the same every day. I think he’s got great leadership in the room with Stump (Mitchell), other great pros in there. Nick Chubb’s in the room, so he knows how to prepare and what it’s going to take on game day, but really proud of his work so far.”
And then with Kareem Hunt, we’re seeing him jump over people, hurdle over people, having him back in that room, what has that brought for you guys? What kind of energy has that brought?
“Yeah, a lot of energy. He runs with reckless abandon. He’s very physical, very violent. His run style has been key for us, especially in some short yard situations, but always feel confident. We give Kareem the ball, he’s going to get us the tough yards.”
Hey, Alex, just want to ask about Amari (Cooper). I mean, I know obviously he’s been fighting through this injury after Sunday, but you guys obviously saw him fight through a pretty significant injury last year, just like his toughness as a receiver. And what you’ve seen from him getting to know him over the last couple of years.
“Yeah, game day Amari man is special. He fights through everything to get there. He’ll do that again this week, it looks like, but then on game day, he lights up. So toughness is an area that you don’t have to worry about with Amari. He’s going to be there if he can, and on game day, he’s going to be his best self.”
And then just with the younger guys, even when those other receivers in that room talk about him, it’s like unsurprisingly they can’t speak highly enough about him. Just what makes those guys so receptive to getting advice from him and things like that.
“I think the biggest thing is his authenticity. He is a real dude, and those guys, they see success that he’s had through hard work. He’s a very selfless receiver, which is in today’s game it’s great to have a guy like that, and he sets a great example, his work ethic and his ability to make plays on game day. So I’m sure those guys all look up to him, as do I.”
Hi, Alex. Two questions about Flacco. Number one, how would you describe his arm strength right now at the age of 38, and is that a lift to the guys out there? Because the other two guys just don’t have that kind of an arm.
“Yeah, well, he’s an elite arm, there’s no question. If you put it on a scale of one to five, I’d say he’s a five. His ball flight, his velocity on the ball at every level of the field is very impressive. But guys got excited. He threw some balls against the scout team last week, and guys in the back were kind of fired up.”
The other thing about Flacco is he’s not the most mobile guy, and yet his whole career, his sack totals have been relatively low. How does he do it?
“I think it has the mentality of playing on time, working through progressions, quickly, taking check down series like that. Those are things that will help him eliminate or avoid sacks. So I think he understands that about himself. Really self aware of who he is as a player through our conversations this week. But his decision making and his ability to get the ball out of his hands will help.”
Hey, Alex, what improvement did you see from DTR before he had to leave the game on Sunday?
“Oh, man. I think he’s making strides. He’s gotten better each time he’s been out. It was unfortunate. I thought were in a good place there in Denver. We were starting to gain a little momentum. That was unfortunate, but really proud of his playstyle. He made some plays with his legs, he made some plays with his arm, showed some toughness. Again, just real happy with his development at this point.”
And then with Aaron Donald, do you expect him to be against Joel (Bitonio) mostly in early downs and just that matchup specifically, and then how they move Aaron around?
“Yeah, obviously a generational player. When you watch the tape and you’re looking at everything as a whole, you tend to focus on him a lot. So he’s going to command attention from us. He’s going to be on both guards. Heck, he’ll be out on the edges. They move him around based on where they think he can get a matchup. We’re going to have to be very diligent with our understanding of where he is and how it affects everything with us. Excited to see our guards when they do get a chance to block him, to block him. I think our guards are really good players for us, so that matchup is going to be fun to watch.”
Alex, when Joe first talked to us last week, he said, I can still play, and I have stuff left in the tank. So after you’ve watched him now practice for a little bit more than a week, just wondering what’s your take on that?
“I think he’s very self aware, and I think he’s correct. Yeah, I think there’s still a lot left in that tank. Again, yesterday would solidify that for me. Just watching him did the accuracy and the velocity, the footwork and everything that he showed yesterday.”
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