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Bucs choose Van Pelt for QB coach

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 1, 2010

Updated: 02/02/2010 05:00 am

TAMPA - Alex Van Pelt and Greg Olson were thrown into the fire as offensive coordinators just days before the start of the 2009 NFL season, Van Pelt with the Buffalo Bills and Olson with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Now, it appears, these kindred spirits will be working together.

The Bucs have chosen Van Pelt to be their quarterbacks coach, though an official announcement might not come for a few days when details are finalized. Van Pelt, a former Bills backup quarterback, will be tagged with the critical job of grooming Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman.

Van Pelt will assume Olson's former role of working with the quarterbacks, while Olson concentrates on the coordinator job, including designing and calling plays.

Former Bears quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton and former Chiefs quarterbacks coach Terry Shea also were considered candidates.

Van Pelt spent 11 years in the NFL as a player, the last 10 with Buffalo.

He began his coaching career as a quarterbacks coach with the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football in 2005. Van Pelt returned to the Bills in 2006 as an offensive quality control coach and became the Bills quarterbacks coach in 2008.

He was fired in January with the rest of former Coach Dick Jauron's staff after a 6-10 season.

The Bucs remain on the lookout for a new receivers coach, and the name that continues to surface is former Bucs' receiver Ike Hilliard. Hilliard retired as a player after his release by the Bucs after the 2008 season and spent 2009 working as a receiver's coach with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League.

Hilliard told The Tampa Tribune during the Senior Bowl last week in Mobile, Ala., he had spoken with the Bucs about the position, but also had spoken to one other team.

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979.

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