The New England Patriots offense has struggled immensely this season. That's a fact. 

And it's okay to be upset over a team that only has three wins, wanting to hold someone responsible for what has happened. And along with head coach Jerod Mayo, many fans are calling for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt's job as well. 

But firing Van Pelt would be a huge mistake, and there are a few different reasons. The biggest one is Drake Maye. 

Maye has defended the offensive coordinator adamantly all season, and has used every opportunity to praise him. While it is a different situation, what immediately comes to mind is what happened with Mac Jones. After a promising rookie season with Josh McDaniels serving as offensive coordinator, McDaniels left to take the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders. And Jones was left with Matt Patricia and then Bill O'Brien during the next two years. 

Now, Jones is a backup quarterback with the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

So, do you really want to risk Maye, who is the future of the franchise, by getting rid of a coach he so clearly wants to keep working with?

The answer should be no. 

Does Alex Van Pelt want to return? 

Van Pelt made one thing clear when speaking with reporters on Thursday: he wants to return to New England next season. 

But, he's not blind to the fact that this is only a three win team and the NFL is not forgiving. 

“No, this is a business. We all signed up for this. When we win three games, it’s tough,” Van Pelt told reporters. “The thing that I can hang my hat on is that this team played hard. There’s not been any game where they have not put out their full effort. That’s impressive. It’s easy for a lot of teams and I’ve been around teams that are out of the playoffs and kind of just cruise to the end. We’re going to try to finish strong. We started fast. That was my message to them. We started fast with a win, let’s finish strong with a win at home in front of our crowd.

“Whatever happens after that, we’ll see. I would love to be back. I really like the organization. I like our guys. There’s stuff to build on there, but again, that’s out of my control.”

It's no secret that some of Van Pelt's play calls have been questionable this year. And he's wholeheartedly willing to admit that. 

“Some of the things I would like to take back are some of the bad calls I’ve made throughout the course of the year,” Van Pelt said. “Really starting with the fumble last week. That was a tough one. Put those guys in a tough spot. There’s a handful of those in each game where you’re like, ‘Man, I wish I would’ve done something differently.’ So keeping that – growth and knowledge of where I messed up through the course of the year and where can I be better for them.”

The Scapegoat

It's very clear that Van Pelt has become a scapegoat for all the problems within the Patriots offense this season. But, in actuality, he has done a lot more with a lot less. 

Yet, because the offense has Drake Maye, the expectation is very high. But is it really his fault that he wasn't given as much to work with outside of the quarterback position? 

After the Patriots' loss to the Arizona Cardinals, there was one play that stuck in everyone's mind. So, Mayo was asked if the Patriots considered letting Drake Maye keep the ball and run for the first down on his own rather than hand it off which resulted in New England punting. 

Specifically, a reporter phrased the question by suggesting that Maye running on those third-down situations was a better option. 

“You said it, I didn’t,” Mayo responded.

Many considered that to be a jab at Van Pelt. 

And then, heading into the season finale, there was another strange exchange that raised a few eyebrows. 

Q: What would you say Alex Van Pelt has brought on the offensive side of the ball in terms of leadership this season?

JM: Steadiness. He's a steady guy.

Q: Anything more?

JM: I mean, there are a lot of different things I could say, but he asked me the most important. It's steadiness.

This was another case where Mayo was caught. The reporter never asked the most important thing, yet the head coach still just gave a one-word answer that really didn't do anything to praise his assistant coach. 

It was another case where it felt like Van Pelt was being thrown under the bus. 

Drake Maye's not the only player in favor of keeping Alex Van Pelt 

Maye has made his feelings known about the coaching staff. 

“A bunch of conversations about our coaching staff and stuff like that. I think it’s some BS, to be quite honest,” Maye told reporters. "We’re all frustrated. AVP has been, I feel like, calling it great these past (few) weeks. We’re just plays away. It’s me turning the ball over. I think it’s a testament to these guys to keep fighting, keep fighting.

And he's not the only one. 

Fellow rookie quarterback Joe Milton also had some very high praise. 

"He's meant a lot, just as far as, he's obviously the OC, but he's a great man, great human being," Milton said. "He's different. he's a quarterback guy. Usually, you don't have a lot of OCs where they played the position. They either play a receiver or they've been around the position, or whatever that may be. But AVP played the position, so he knows."

Then, earlier this week, Antonio Gibson said it's not right that Van Pelt is being thrown under the bus for this season. 

“I know a lot of people have been trying to attack him, but we’re the ones who have gotta go out there and play,” Gibson said at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday. “They call the call in and we’ve gotta execute. Our execution this whole year has been on and off, never consistent. So to throw him under the bus would be completely wrong. He has a lot of great things that are drawn up for us. Sometimes it gets shaky, but when it’s his fault he takes responsibility for it, and when it’s our fault we do the same thing. So I’m rocking with him.”

Plus, there is also the issue of players having to learn a new system. Last season, it was Bill O'Brien in charge. And then this year, it's been Van Pelt. So bringing in someone new means another new system for the offense. 

And they don't want that. 

“I think when you just carry things over, I’ve loved AVP. I’ve loved the energy. I’ve loved the offense that he’s brought here," Hunter Henry said. "I really do think it’s a great scheme and I think there’s a lot of room for growth with everybody with it.”

DeMario Douglas couldn't agree more. 

"I already the know the offense so that's helped. My first two years, I've been learning two different offenses," the second-year receiver told A to Z Sports. 

And with that, he's also noticed how much Van Pelt cares about his players.

"He's always been, I heard he's been a two tight end coach, but he's been working in a place for me being a slot," Douglas explained. "It's been good working with AVP."

Plus, there are aspects of the offense that don't always show up as much on the field. But behind the scenes, they are very apparent. 

"He makes us a brotherhood," Douglas said. "If you watch film, we are always going to pick up somebody off the field. And you don't see that from most teams, and I feel like that's what helps the team get closer. 

So, that's two quarterbacks, a running back, a tight end, and a wide receiver who are all a fan of Van Pelt. But what about an offensive lineman? 

"I would say AVP's been good this season. Going all the way back to the summer, I think he's stuck to his word, what he said he's about," Mike Onwenu told A to Z Sports. "I think I've saw that throughout the year and just playing under him, I think he's had a good set of plays and good teachings during the week."

A lot of Van Pelt's play calls have come under fire, and he took accountability for all of them. But Onwenu actually put the blame on himself and the other players. 

"As a player, just in general, we're the ones that actually are playing the game. We're the ones that's out executing. So, I know from his standpoint he wishes he didn't call it maybe at a certain spot or a certain area of the field," Onwenu explained. "But at the end of the day, it's the players job to make it work or to execute it in a way." 

So, does the veteran lineman want to work with Van Pelt again next season? 

"I would want to work with him," Onwenu simply said. "As far as job security, I know with a season like that, even going back to last year, everyone's pretty much going with clear house. But I feel good about this staff, or the staff that we had this year. I think it was a lot of moving parts… I wouldn't put as much blame. I would just say I would take as much blame this season as the coaches."