The Patriots recent struggles on offense are well documented and new coach Mike Vrabel hopes to change that. While Vrabel did not get into specifics as to what type of offense they would utilize, he did reiterate that the Patriots will run a system that fits the talent on hand. It sounded like a possible return to the multiple offense they ran for years when Bill Belichick and Tom Brady were here.
Despite being a defensive player and a defensive coach, Vrabel spent time working with the offense this past season with the Cleveland Browns. It not only allowed him the opportunity to develop as a coach but it also allowed him to focus in on what he wants to do offensively.
It is why he stressed the importance of running an offense that puts the players in a position to succeed.
“I think that the offense — again, we mentioned things like aggressive but not reckless. We have to be able to take chances. How do we create X plays without having to just throw the ball down the field 50 yards and just sit there taking shots, right? The creativity. We want to be, I would say, versatile enough if the players can handle it.”
When Vrabel was the coach of the Tennessee Titans, they were a meat and potatoes run heavy offense that utilized play-action to make plays in the passing game. The system centered around the players on the roster. Players like running back Derrick Henry, quarterback Ryan Tannehill and wide receiver A.J Brown. In the six years that Vrabel was there however, the cumulative scoring average of the Titans was 19.5 points per game. Their best season offensively was 2020 when they averaged 30.7 points per game. Tennessee wasn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut. The Patriots will need to be better than that if they want to turn their fortunes around.
Philosophically, you can expect some similarities to what the Titans ran but I would expect the Patriots to open things up more. I would expect a more diverse offensive attack based on what Vrabel said today.
“You look at zone scheme in the run game, being able to run gap scheme to things that the defense may do, be under center, be in the gun. But it’s also important to understand that everybody has access to this and everybody has experience with different types of offense, but it’s what the players can get good at.”
Despite that, Vrabel does not want to overload the players with schemes, especially ones that do not fit the personnel on the roster.
“How much can you reasonably do? You don’t want to dabble in things and say we’re going to dabble in RPOs when the quarterback, that’s not a strength of his.”
Outside of Drake Maye and perhaps Rhamondre Stevenson, the Patriots need to upgrade the talent on the offensive side of the ball. It is too early to tell what system the team will utilize offensively. We will get a better indication after Vrabel hires his offensive coordinator and what the Patriots do in free agency and the draft.
One thing is for certain. The Patriots will play with great effort and they will finish.
“Our effort and our finish is going to be the contract that we make with our teammates. That will be my job to make sure. That’s the greatest compliment that you could ever give a coach, by the way. Not that he has great plays or great blitz, it’s man, you guys, your players play their asses off. Trust me, when somebody that’s a respected coach tells you that, you’ll thank the players, and you’ll care about them, and you’ll do whatever you can for them because that’s the greatest compliment that you could ever get. Time to get to work.”
The Patriots have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league statistically the past three seasons. A lot has to change this off-season for them to be better. Developing an identity and playing with effort and finish is a good start.