Olson excited about Bucs' hire of Van Pelt

TAMPA - The offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers describes new quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt as a "self-made" man who will provide a valuable fresh perspective working with second-year pro Josh Freeman.

Greg Olson served in a dual role as Tampa Bay's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in 2009, when he replaced Jeff Jagodzinski as the Bucs play-caller only 10 days before the season opener against Dallas. Van Pelt experienced a similar shock last year when he was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in Buffalo after the Bills fired Turk Schonert on the brink of the opening game.

"For the Bills to pick him as coordinator when things fell apart tells you a lot about Alex Van Pelt," Olson said Tuesday. "He's been a self-made man all the way through, a good problem solver and good in the room with the quarterbacks."

Van Pelt spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Bills, starting 11 games. He spent the 2005 NFL Europe season coaching quarterbacks for the Frankfurt Galaxy before volunteering his time with the Bills as an offensive quality control coach. He was promoted to Buffalo's quarterbacks coach in 2008, focusing on the development of Trent Edwards.

In Tampa, Van Pelt will tutor Freeman, a first-round pick out of Kansas State who posted a 59.9 passer rating in 10 games as a rookie.

"Alex gives me another set of eyes -- and that's big with a young group," said Olson, who will have more time to oversee the offensive game plan. "At this time in his career, Josh has to have someone coaching him on every single snap. As a coordinator, I wasn't always able to do that. Alex played a long time in this league as a backup quarterback.

"You don't stay in that role with the same franchise unless you have great preparation and you set a good example for the other guys. That says a lot about his perseverance and football intelligence. I'm really looking forward to working with him."