When Robert Kraft fired Jerod Mayo after just one season as the Patriots' head coach, most knew the longtime owner had his eye on Mike Vrabel to be the real successor to Bill Belichick. His experience as a head coach, plus his ease with players, made him the perfect candidate to turn a New England team from the bottom of the NFL back to the top.
And in just one season, he's already accomplished that.
There was some initial hesitation to get excited about what Vrabel could do with a team that went 4-13 in back-to-back seasons, as his latter years with the Titans weren't so successful. While those were valid concerns, he's proven that there's no reason to worry anymore, as the Patriots are coming off an AFC Championship win to face the Seahawks in two weeks.
If you ask someone like JJ Watt, former Texans' legend turned color commentator, there's a big reason the Patriots' new coach was able to take over an otherwise mediocre team and turn things around so quickly, and it's eerily similar to a trait Belichick was known for throughout his NFL career.
The Patriots have a big advantage with having Mike Vrabel on the sideline
Well before the game was even over between the Patriots and the Broncos, Watt took to Twitter/X to share his insight on Vrabel's football IQ and how he stands out from other coaches around the league.
If it sounds familiar to something that Belichick was known for, it's because it is.
"Vrabel is always on top of situational football, end of half/end of game scenarios, taking advantage of rules, timeouts, utilizing every potential opportunity, etc.
It is always shocking how many coaches in the league struggle in those areas with all the resources available."
Throughout his half-century career in the NFL, Belichick was consistently praised for his deep understanding of situational football and for coaching it into his teams, so much so that they won six Super Bowls because of it.
Perhaps that rubbed off on Vrabel during his years with the Patriots in the early 2000s, or he's just that intelligent when it comes to football. But clearly, that's remained a significant factor in their continued winning, even with Belichick gone for two years.
It was on full display against the Broncos on Sunday, too, with one moment standing out for what was a momentum-shifting moment in favor of New England.
Broncos subbed late on the Stidham INT in the 4th quarter. It allowed the Patriots to take their time and run their biggest DL on while the ref sat on the football and the clock kept ticking. You can feel the entire operation get hurried.
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) January 25, 2026
Dots included to show the late subs. pic.twitter.com/OaOJjcpjCV
It will be the kind of knowledge and expertise that will give the Patriots a real chance in Santa Clara against a very good Seahawks team, who will be their fourth top-5 defense in a row this postseason, proving to be an absolute gauntlet of defenders to take down on their way to the Lombardi.
Fortunately, Vrabel's intellect will continue to come in handy for a mostly inexperienced and young New England team.