Cleveland Browns: Aaron Rodgers has total confidence in Alex Van Pelt

Aaron Rodgers has plenty to say about the Cleveland Browns OC

With head coach Kevin Stefanski set to miss this week’s playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt is slated to call plays for the Cleveland Browns offense.

Van Pelt served as the Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach from 2014 through 2017, and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, whom Van Pelt coached, was publicly displeased with the team’s decision not to retain the QB coach.

Since then, he’s publicly voiced his support of Van Pelt multiple times, and with Van Pelt stepping into the play-caller role this week, Rodgers had some more nice things to say about him on the Pat McAfee Show.

Van Pelt was supposed to call plays during the preseason, but that ended up getting canceled. He does have playcalling experience, as he did that in 2009 with the Buffalo Bills. He was initially hired as an offensive quality control coach in 2006, promoted to QB coach in 2008, and then 10 days before the start of the 2009 season, he was promoted to OC after Turk Schonert was fired.

Among the things that Rodgers complimented about Van Pelt was his even-keeled mindset and steady presence on game day. The Browns will certainly need that this week as it seems like every day has brought a different season-altering event, whether it’s an injury or the placement of a player or coach on the COVID-19 reserve list.

The Browns face an uphill battle this week in their first playoff game since 2002, but it’s not like the Steelers are an unkillable giant. With how Stefanski and his staff have prepared this season, there shouldn’t be much of a noticeable difference with Van Pelt calling the shots.