Perry reveals Van Pelt's prize for Patriots who win ‘pickup' award

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."

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."