AP Photo/George Walker IV, File
The Patriots and Mike Vrabel agreed to terms this morning on a deal that will make him the team’s next head coach. Vrabel is scheduled to be introduced at a press conference on Monday at noon.
Vrabel’s hiring brings the former three time Super Bowl champion back home where he played for eight seasons and was a cornerstone of the first part of the Patriots dynasty.
After retiring in 2010, Vrabel got into coaching but he never coached in New England, opting to cut his teeth at the collegiate ranks and the NFL before becoming the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel forged his own identity as a coach. One steeped in accountability, toughness and physicality.
It is those much needed traits that he is bringing to a Patriots team that lacked in those areas last season. Vrabel is a tone setter. He will demand the most out of his players, coaches and front office. He will not mince words and sooth egos. Remember the whole “collaborative” approach? Yeah. That’s out the window. The buck will stop with him now.
Vrabel is no miracle worker. It will take him and his staff time to turn the Patriots fortunes around. It will not be Super Bowl or bust next season. The roster is not good enough. However, if more talent is brought in and the team buys in, they will be in playoff contention next season.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft affinity for Vrabel as a person and as a player is well known. He may not have fired Jerod Mayo if Vrabel were not available but once he saw Vrabel interviewing with other teams, he could not risk losing him to the Jets or Bears. He had to make a move. He wanted Vrabel all along and he got the deal done.
Some members of the media have scoffed at the Patriots interviewing process and how quickly the team hired Vrabel. You can question their process and timing but in the end, Kraft got his man and more importantly, he got the right coach. Vrabel is exactly what the Patriots needed.
Former Patriot Tedy Bruschi said it best on ESPN’s Sunday Countdown about his former teammate.
“Vrabel isn’t going to joke around, Vrabel is going to tighten the screws. In my opinion, there are some people in the front office that need to be told, ‘You don’t know what you’re doing and you need to take a step back.”
Bruschi continued “I love the hire. Of course, this guy is a friend of mine. But there is going to be a change. I’m a little bit surprised that this happened because there are some people upstairs in the organization that want to be heard. And sometimes they’re going to have to take a bite of ‘Humble Pie’ and understand ‘your opinion doesn’t matter on this one’ because there are people in the building that know more.”
The statement perfectly encapsulates why the Patriots hired Vrabel and why now more than ever, they needed a coach like him. He will turn the Patriots fortunes around and get them back on track. Sooner than later.
Vrabel’s resume speaks for itself. Perhaps the biggest thing he brings to the table is credibility. He will give a once proud franchise credibility again.