Once it was beyond apparent that Robert Kraft would be moving on from Jerod Mayo after just one season as the Patriots' head coach, Mike Vrabel was the top candidate to be his successor. So when it was announced that he accepted the head coaching gig, excitement about the future of the franchise skyrocketed almost immediately.
It's put Vrabel in an interesting position in his first year as the head coach since expectations are far higher than they have been in quite some time. And it goes beyond just the New England fans hyping up what they can accomplish in 2025. Many in the national media suggest a potential playoff run is in play, now that they have an upgraded team and morale appears back in a positive place.
That was a significant issue under Mayo during the 2024 season, as he appeared to stray too far from what Bill Belichick was so successful with during his tenure in Foxboro. The former linebacker wanted to establish his own culture, which made sense, but there was too much of a focus on catchy slogans across the locker room and even on t-shirts at practice.
We haven't seen that with Vrabel so far, which is certainly a plus, and it's even something the legendary Ernie Adams spoke about during a recent interview with MassLive, which seemed to be a subtle dig at the Mayo regime.
Ernie Adams’ advice to Mike Vrabel might double as a Jerod Mayo jab
While discussing Vrabel's potential as the Patriots' head coach and what to expect this season, the longtime right-hand man of Belichick praised the work that Vrabel has done so far, while also issuing a warning about what he shouldn't do while rebuilding the team despite all the hype they have received this offseason.
It seemed to be a slight dig at Mayo, whether incidental or not, and proves just how far the 2024 season impacted the perception of the historically successful franchise.
“This is an organization coming off two bad years. They’ve got a lot of new people, new coaches, new system, a lot of new players, I mean … the first thing they need to do is get a team out there that can play solid, competitive football before they start worrying about all that.
You’ve got to be really careful. Be careful about what they do in T-shirts, and don’t fall in love too early.”
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The rest of the league closely watched the Patriots' first year without Belichick, as it had been over two decades since anyone had presided over the team, and not having Tom Brady under center at quarterback added to the intrigue.
They were big shoes for anyone to walk in, but especially Mayo, who had never even served as a coordinator in the NFL before being promoted to the job.
It was clear he wanted to establish a new culture in Foxboro and create a more player-friendly atmosphere, with himself serving as a more player-friendly coach, which he seemed to accomplish mostly, but to his detriment. It became a problem behind the scenes almost immediately, and it didn't matter how many new mottos were printed on posters and t-shirts: rumors of a mutiny still made headlines midseason.
Fortunately, it doesn't appear as though there have been any speed bumps in Vrabel's tenure so far, aside from maybe some questionable roster cuts that didn't draw the most positive of responses from fans or the players. But the atmosphere is much better than it was just one year ago, and the focus is certainly more football-centric than anything else, which will hopefully translate onto the field.