When looking at the top candidates for the Patriots head coach vacancy, there were a lot of pros and cons for both Ben Johnson, the current Lions offensive coordinator, and Mike Vrabel, the longtime ex-Patriots linebacker and former Titans head coach.
It seemed fair to assume that if Johnson were who the Krafts chose to hire, they would be demonstrating their desire to really start a new era in New England with someone who had no previous ties to the organization and was an offensive-minded coach. That would mean the pure development and progression of Drake Maye was at the forefront and the Krafts were willing to do what it takes for their franchise quarterback.
If the decision ultimately became to hire Vrabel, the assumption was that his familiarity with the team and previous experience as a head coach trumped everything else, with his ability to reestablish a definitive culture as a strong selling point. That is even more important this year after the team's downfall in all corners during the 2024 season.
So when it was announced the Krafts chose Vrabel, it wasn't surprising to hear some of his first comments during his introductory press conference focused on creating a culture in New England and holding players accountable, which essentially put many players on notice for the upcoming offseason.
Mike Vrabel set the tone early for what he expects the 2025 Patriots team to be
It was immediately apparent that Jerod Mayo would be an entirely different head coach than Bill Belichick, and while it made sense, all of what the rookie coach chose to do did not. There was certainly a need for some changes, as the league changes every year.
Things like being more of a player's coach and having a more relaxed locker room were great, in theory, but it's clear that those choices came back to haunt the new regime as time went on. That's something Vrabel will not allow moving forward, and he made that apparent on Monday during the Q&A portion of his press conference.
“I want to galvanize our football team. I want to galvanize this building. I want to galvanize our fans. The most important thing are the players. There are some of them right here. I want to provide a program that provides their ownership but also their accountability of each other and one they'll be proud to be a part of and that they're gonna fight for. ...
We're gonna earn the right to be here every day. We're gonna remove entitlement from our football team. We're gonna get everything that we've earned, from the head coach to the position coaches, all the way down to the players. We're gonna earn the right to be here every single day."
This is the kind of change the Patriots need after a season filled with drama from players made public throughout the year. From players taking to social media to complain about their usage or run-ins with police, the team was a mess from top to bottom and will need an authority figure like Vrabel to keep them in check.
There is a reason Belichick kept everything in-house, and we rarely heard complaints or drama in the media during his tenure. That might not be popular, but it allowed for conversations to stay in the building rather than spilling out to reporters and the fans to talk about. It was also a way for the coaches to hold players accountable rather than adding more pressure by making things public, which was not part of the 2024 season.
Because Vrabel made this known early on, it will be interesting to see if there will be immediate changes made to the roster based on what happened last year. Although he wasn't around to deal with it, he may have seen enough from some players to move on already, but we'll have to wait and see.