Mike Vrabel is the new sheriff in Foxborough, and there seems to be no doubt about who will be calling the shots at Gillette Stadium. After years of fumbling and bumbling since he allowed Tom Brady to walk, it looks like owner Robert Kraft is finally “getting it.”
All indications are that Vrabel will be calling not only the coaching shots but also will have the final say on personnel. Anything else would be folly since the current personnel grouping proved they were hardly up to the task in 2024. Yet, it still had to be decided, and Kraft got both picks, coach and GM, right.
Now, it’s on to Vrabel's selecting his two top on-field men, his offensive and defensive coordinators. It’s not about who specifically here but rather what types he needs to hire or, conversely, not hire to establish the framework for success.
On offense, Mike Vrabel needs an RPO/running quarterback experienced coach
Word around town is that former Belichick offensive coordinator (OC) and a familiar face, Josh McDaniels, is under consideration. There is no doubt whatsoever that McDaniels is a bona fide NFL OC, none whatsoever. But is he right for this Patriot team?
The suggestion here is while the Pats could do a whole lot worse than hire McDaniels, that he's not the type of coordinator the 2025 and beyond Patriots team requires. McDaniels does not fit the profile of who should be Drake Maye’s offensive coordinator.
Maye is a prototypical RPO/running quarterback. The 2024 OC, Alex Van Pelt had no idea with his Cleveland offense how to maximize Maye's abilities. In addition to sitting him for five games, it resulted in the Pats leaving wins on the table. Neither does McDaniels. He flopped in 2020 with a similar profile QB, Cam Newton. He didn't have the expertise or experience to maximize Cam's abilities.
The 2025 choice must be a coordinator who has successfully run an RPO offense for years. He has to fully understand that if you’re lucky enough to have a quarterback who can run as well as Maye, you have to capitalize on that attribute and, more importantly, the threat of his running to the max. His throwing ability is unquestionable.
The choice has to be a top coach who knows exactly how to utilize those strengths. He does so to keep defenses guessing and confused, something the Patriots have been unable to do for years.
The defensive coordinator has to above all be an innovator
Jerod Mayo hired former teammates and friends as defensive coaches who had little or no experience in the jobs they undertook. As mentioned before, the NFL is no place for on-the-job training. The result was that a very good defense became a not-so-good one in a hurry.
Granted, key injuries and illness contributed mightily to that outcome. In that case, creativity was what was needed to adapt, improvise, and overcome. Not sure which available coaches can bring a high level of those skills to the table (others are making suggestions). But if there's one who's experienced and successful at running an innovative defense, then he should be Vrabel's choice.
Additionally, the next DC has to utilize his players correctly to maximize productivity. Former second-round pick Keion White has been consistently misused as an edge by both Mayo in 2024 and Belichick in 2023 before him. Last season was even more emphatic, as Mayo had the 6’5”, 285-pound White dropping back into coverage in zone blitz situations.
That took misusing White to a whole, other level. Keion White is a defensive tackle and while he's OK on the edge, he excels playing in an inside gap. Using him anywhere else is foolish. Team him with a hopefully healthy Christian Barmore in 2025, and offensive line coaches will have nightmares for a week. Granted, White was played on the edge because the Patriots' personnel operation had foolishly traded their top-edge players and had no one else. Regardless, two wrongs don't make a right.
That was just one of the many personnel gaffes that plagued the 2024 Patriots. Those, and benching their best QB, Drake Maye, led to the thought here, that the team was tanking the season before it even began. No left tackles, No. 1 receiver, and no edge players, etc., equaled no nothing for the 2024 Patriots.
Those are thoughts for Mike Vrabel's coordinator searches. First, stay away from the outdated and inapplicable Belichick coaching tree hires. Move on, as Robert Kraft moved on (sort of) from Belichick himself last year. The problem was that he didn’t move far enough, kept lots of BB's people in place, and the season was toast.