It was pretty clear from the start of last season that the Jerod Mayo experiment in New England was going to end in disaster. While Mayo was certainly set up to fail with a flawed roster and a subpar coaching staff, he was in way over his head, and the Krafts rightfully brought in Mike Vrabel to right the ship with the Patriots.
It wasn't long after Vrabel was hired that Josh McDaniels was brought back to man the offense, giving second-year quarterback Drake Maye a legitimate offensive coordinator who could turbocharge Maye's skills after a promising rookie season.
As vital as it was to reconstruct the roster around Maye heading into this season - and Eliot Wolf did an exceptional job with that - finding the right coaches was huge, and according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, will be a massive aspect in the Patriots' turnaround. Schefter recently told NESN's Sean T. Maguire that Vrabel will be the golden ticket for New England to make a charge up the AFC this season and beyond.
Mike Vrabel will be one of the reasons the Patriots make a playoff push in 2025
Schefter told Maguire regarding the Patriots that the "arrow is pointing up" in terms of the team's potential this season, and it's hard not to believe that for a variety of reasons.
First of all, the Patriots' schedule is favorable thanks to the team's last-place finish in 2024. Winning three of four to start the season isn't an impossible stretch, given New England has three September home games against teams in Las Vegas, Carolina, and Pittsburgh that aren't expected to be among the league's elite this season.
Secondly, the Patriots' offense has been reconstructed to ensure that Maye has a strong second year, starting with the signing of Stefon Diggs as a free agent and the drafting of Will Campbell, Kyle Williams, and TreVeyon Henderson. Questions remain as to how quickly that unit can mesh, given all the new faces and the complexities of McDaniels' offense, but the offense on paper looks far superior to that of 2024.
Finally, Vrabel and McDaniels are quality coaches. You could argue that the Patriots should have hired Vrabel last offseason, and it's a miracle that nobody scooped him up; he was there for New England's taking when Mayo was sacked. McDaniels will find a way to utilize every player within the offense and not put the focus solely on one player.
With Schefter being confident in the Patriots, fans should be too. And Vrabel being here is a big reason why.