The New England Patriots dominated in several stat categories during last Sunday's 19-3 win over the Chicago Bears -- including "pickups."
If you're unfamiliar with that metric, it's because Alex Van Pelt made it up. The Patriots offensive coordinator told reporters Thursday that he and the coaching staff literally track "pickups," or the number of times an offensive player helps up his teammate after they've fallen to the turf.
"There’s nothing that frustrates me more than watching guys not pick each other up off the ground," Van Pelt explained. "We ask these guys to be great teammates -- run to the football. When you run to the football, good things happen and while you’re there, let’s get our guys off the ground."
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How serious is Van Pelt about this "pickup" policy, you ask? Well, he tracked 85 players who "ran to the football" and 58 "pickups" Sunday against the Bears. And according to our Patriots Insider Phil Perry, the player who records the most pickups even gets a prize.
"My understanding is, if you win the pickup award in a given week, you actually get a little truck -- a little (toy) pickup truck," Perry said Thursday on Arbella Early Edition, as seen in the video player above.
If you think that's a bit... corny, you're not alone. But apparently there's a tongue-in-cheek nature to the proceedings. (Offensive lineman Demontrey Jacobs was last week's winner, for the record.)
"It's a funny thing," Perry said. "(The players) get it, too. You think guys are actually taking it seriously and shedding a tear as they walk up and grab their Tonka truck? That's not happening. It's a lighthearted thing. It's a little bit more of a lighthearted atmosphere, obviously, and so, yes, it is something that they focus on."
This bit isn't new for Van Pelt, either. The veteran assistant actually began the practice of tracking "pickups" and rewarding players with toy trucks in Cleveland, where he spent the previous four seasons and served as the Browns' offensive coordinator in 2023.
"I wouldn't say that the pride comes from getting the truck. I'd say it comes from just making sure that nobody, none of us get up by ourselves. I think we take great pride in that," Browns tight end David Njoku told News 5 Cleveland last December while discussing Van Pelt's unique motivational tactic.
David Njoku shows off the truck he earned as part of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s initiative to pick teammates up off the ground.#Browns pic.twitter.com/oyNuJelov8
— clevelanddotcom (@clevelanddotcom) December 21, 2023
You could argue the Patriots should be worried more about improving their 3-7 record and the NFL's second-worst scoring offense (16.0 points per game) instead of handing out toy trucks to their players. But New England is trying to establish a completely new culture after Bill Belichick's departure last offseason, and Van Pelt's gimmick appears to be part of that process.
And at the very least, it paid off last Sunday, when the Patriots looked much more connected than a Bears team that let its franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams, be helped up by a Patriots defender after a big hit.
"I think for good teams, you don't have to worry about that," Perry said. "You shouldn't have to worry about that. You know who wasn't worried about that and is a bad team? The Chicago Bears. You see the quarterback just laying on the ground waiting for an offensive lineman to pick him up after he gets hit by Anfernee Jennings? It's actually Anfernee Jennings who goes over and picks him up and pats him on the head. You think that's a good look for the team?
"So, you shouldn't have to be reminded of it. You're right. You shouldn't have to focus on it. It doesn't give anybody extra yards or extra points. But I don't necessarily see the harm."
