The New England Patriots coaching staff is rich with experience. Mike Vrabel won Coach of the Year in 2021, and Josh McDaniels has two head-coaching stints and over a decade of experience as an offensive coordinator.
Terrell Williams has been in the NFL since 2010 as a positional coach and assistant head coach, and pass game coordinator Thomas Brown served as the Bears' interim head coach last season.
Offensive line coach Doug Marrone went to the AFC Championship as a head coach with the Jaguars, and receivers coach Todd Downing has had two stints as an offensive coordinator. Ben McAdoo, a senior defensive assistant, led the Giants to a playoff berth in 2016 as their head coach.
As a whole, the Patriots' staff is incredibly experienced, and that NFL acumen explains why they've had such success this season and how they've been so organized, particularly on defense. As a whole, it's been incredible to see such a calm coaching staff after what we saw in 2024, which was inexperience on inexperience.
Shane Bowen would be a great addition to the Patriots' staff
Not all coaches are made for major roles. Doug Marrone, as great as he is at coaching offensive line, struggled severely as a head coach, with a sub-40% win rate in the NFL and a .500 record during his time as the Syracuse head coach.
Sometimes, a lesser role can bring out the best in a coach, and that might be perfect for former Giants DC Shane Bowen.
Bowen was fired last week following Brian Daboll's firing earlier in the season. The Giants' inability to hold onto leads, most notably against the Broncos earlier in the season, ultimately led to both of their firings. The Giants have allowed the third most points per game this season, 27.8, only behind the Cowboys and Bengals.
The Giants' decision to fire defensive coordinator Shane Bowen came down to losing five games in the fourth quarter. OLB coach Charlie Bullen will take over for the rest of the season.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 24, 2025
Bowen's one of Mike Vrabel's guys, so possible he lands in New England at some point.
They've allowed the most rushing yards per game, have allowed the 10th most passing yards, and rank 19th in sacks per game. Has it been ideal? Far from it. Bowen has, however, built sound defenses in the past with little to work with.
The Giants finished top ten defensively last year in passing yards allowed and sacks, and their abysmal run defense this season allows only 21 more yards a game than they did last year.
That last piece seems to be more of a personnel issue: Rakeem Nunez-Roches, brought in to improve the run defense, has yet to rank among the top-70 run defensive tackles during his three seasons with New York.
Given that run defense is the major concern with Bowen's scheme, we should keep in mind that, as the defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022 with the Titans under Mike Vrabel, he had the best run defense in the league. Even in Vrabel and Bowen's final year, the run defense remained competent, ranking 14th in the league.
While Bowen may not be a DC candidate for New England, Vrabel didn't rule out the possibility of bringing him to New England at some point: "Shane's a close friend. We started in this business together at Ohio State. Shane's a good football coach."
Continuing to bring in experienced coaches can't hurt, and whether it's during the season as an advisor or as a replacement for a departing coach this offseason, I'd keep a close eye on Shane Bowen as a potential Patriots coach.