PATRIOTS NEWS Patriots hire Mike Vrabel to be HC

[signbabybrady]

Sham process.

Why is it a Sham?
They fulfilled minority requirements.
They interviewed the second best option on the market.
None of the 3 turned out to be better candidates than Vrabel.
They even asked to interview another hot candidate and were declined.
That seems like a real process to me and not just some internal promotion like last year.

 

[vicspats]

After a brief and less than extensive search the New England Patriots have hired exactly who most everyone thought they would and probably the guy who would have been their choice last year without the succession language in Mayo's contract.

It sure has been an 'interesting' trip around the Sun here in Patriot land

It was a last ditch effort by Kraft to prove his relevance last year, it failed. Back at square one with his tail between his legs. It is absolutely time for him to advocate the crown and let the gimp prove his worth.

 

[Huckleberry1]

It's not just the first pick; it's picking high at the top of each round.

So picking #34 is much like picking #32 in the 1st round after winning a Super Bowl.

I was down on Polk and Wallace long before the Patriots picked them so high.

Obviously that means I have little faith in Wolf.

And given Bruschi's comments this morning, I really wonder who was the target of his front office criticism. Jonathan or Wolf

Upstater,?you keep wanting to bang on this drum. I gave you my answer, I’m not going to change it because you don’t like it. I answered it at length, accept that.

 

[NashuaPats]

Oh come on!

1. The draft was terrible. Yes, they made the obvious decision to draft Maye but not one other pick except Milton has looked worthy.

2. Free Agency was terrible. Both what they did (Osborne, Takitaki) and what they didn't.

3. A special circle of GM hell for their treatment of the Offensive Line. He brought in Okorafor, Leverett, Fornadel, Diesch, Jordan. What do they have in common? They are none of them on the team at the end of the season, having been displaced by such luminaries as Tyrese Robinson, Ben Brown, Lecitus Smith, Lester Cotton and Demontrey Jacobs. What was he trying to do? If he was trying to assemble the worst offensive line in football, he certainly succeeded.

4. Then, when poor Fall Guy Mayo was axed, he has the effrontery to start leaking criticisms of the coaching. Yes, the coaching sucked. But who was responsible for AVP and the Cleveland Browns (Cleveland Browns -- not San Francisco, not Kansas City, not Buffalo, not Baltimore -- Cleveland!) re-treads and second-stringers? Yes, it's you Mr Wolf.

5. All he seems to be good at is blame-deflection and managing upwards.

Go! Get you out! Make haste! In the name of God, go!

I was with you until point #4. Wolf and Mayo both sucked. Mayo was no fall guy, he was horrible. He wasn’t just bad at his job, he didn’t know how to do it.

 

[Ross12]

I think what Bruschi may be getting at is that perhaps Wolf himself is not bad, but others in the org have had an outsized say in personnel matters which Wolf was not able or willing to dismiss last year. After all, last year (and the final years of Bill) were all about “collaboration” and everyone having a say. Wolf also has openly said this year post-draft that he hasn’t done a good job of being assertive and putting his foot down, and that he needs to improve on that. Granted, Wolf didn’t have his EVP title until after the draft either.

When looking at Bruschi’s words in that context, it’s possible that perhaps they will shed some of these incompetent folks (Groh? Others?) or otherwise simply tell them that their opinion isn’t going to be weighed equally to others, and let Wolf run his show - while also adding in other outside voices like Cowden, and Vrabel also being involved.

 

[raduray]

I hope MV is the guy. Feels like the search was over before it started… just like a year ago.

Sometimes the obvious is staring you in the face. Kraft chose to close his eyes last year and results forced him to open them.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I wouldn't expect anything else. Immunity to evidence isn't necessarily a strength anywhere except on the internet, though.

I disagree with it and have made it clear why. You don’t like that, tough ****, that’s my take, and I have provided numerous reasons for it.

 

[raduray]

People in the league still thinks McDaniels is the favorite

Love it! It's McDaniels! No, it's not McDaniels!

 

[festy1986]

Why is it a Sham?
They fulfilled minority requirements.
They interviewed the second best option on the market.
None of the 3 turned out to be better candidates than Vrabel.
They even asked to interview another hot candidate and were declined.
That seems like a real process to me and not just some internal promotion like last year.

People are really butt hurt by this.

It's a sham process because they knew who they were hiring before they even fired Mayo.

That's not a hot take or a subjective opinion. They closed all the doors and got tunnel vision.

Now there are reports that Wolf will probably keep his role in the front office.

It sounds so strangely familiar. Almost like they been through this exact process before.

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

 

[mike_usagisan]

It was a last ditch effort by Kraft to prove his relevance last year, it failed. Back at square one with his tail between his legs. It is absolutely time for him to advocate the crown and let the gimp prove his worth.

Kraft will find a way to make himself out to be the hero in hiring Vrabel.

 

[VrabelJr]

 

[signbabybrady]

I think what Bruschi may be getting at is that perhaps Wolf himself is not bad, but others in the org have had an outsized say in personnel matters which Wolf was not able or willing to dismiss last year. After all, last year (and the final years of Bill) were all about “collaboration” and everyone having a say. Wolf also has openly said this year post-draft that he hasn’t done a good job of being assertive and putting his foot down, and that he needs to improve on that. Granted, Wolf didn’t have his EVP title until after the draft either.

When looking at Bruschi’s words in that context, it’s possible that perhaps they will shed some of these incompetent folks (Groh? Others?) or otherwise simply tell them that their opinion isn’t going to be weighed equally to others, and let Wolf run his show - while also adding in other outside voices like Cowden, and Vrabel also being involved.

That's quite an interesting take just have to trust Vrabes to have the right impact on these choices.

 

[Thelonious]

Yes, I do. The last time Wolf picked this high he got them their franchise QB.And while people keep pretending it was a “ slam dunk,” I have gone back and read the draft threads leading up to the draft, and they are nowhere near as “ unanimous” as people pretend they were. There was a contingent saying “ take the haul,” and their argument was that only 33% of 1st Round QB’s succeed. and they wanted a trade down. There was a contingent who wanted Joe Alt, and said they could go QB this year. There was a contingent that wanted JJ McCarthy, one of whom instantly changed his username pretending he was Drake Maye’s number 1 fan the moment he was picked. And there was a contingent who wanted Marvin Harrison Jr. So no, it was by no means a slam dunk, and at least half of Patriot fans wanted a different outcome. Wolf did the right thing, resisted the trade offers, and got them their franchise QB, and just as he would have had to take all of the blame if Maye ended up sucking, he deserves the credit for picking him, and stabilizing QB for years to come. As for the rest of the class it’s too early to know, like most classes I think some will succeed and some will fail, but young players need a year or two to develop, and unfortunately Mayo’s staff did them no favors in that regard. But I will be willing to pass some judgement on them by this time next year.


I also think Vrabel is going to have a significant say on who they are picking. And it may even be the case that Vrabel will end up with more say in the draft than Wolf has, as Kraft could have made that part of the deal. So overall I have faith that Vrabel and Wolf will have a strong offseason, and I think Vrabel’s presence will both help with free agent recruitment, and will give every player on the roster serious incentive to work their asses off this off-season out of fear that they may end up out of a job if they don’t. I’m also hoping that guys like Keion White, who wanted out, will no longer be looking for the door, and will be excited to work with the new coaching staff.

So overall I’m very happy about the change of coaches, and the direction they appear to be headed in. I’m really looking forward to the offseason, and to see what the roster looks like after the draft.

I would ask the same re Wolf as I did re Mayo: What evidence can you offer (aside from the Maye pick which, while not everyone favored it, hardly took any special genius to make) which demonstrates that his GM skills are even adequate. I see none whatsoever, not under Bill, and not in Mayo's time. He is also a demonstrated backstabbing weasel. If I were Vrabel, I would kick him, the smirky little nepo punk, to the curb, and none too gently.

 

[archstanton543]

Kraft will find a way to make himself out to be the hero in hiring Vrabel.

So?

He admitted that he ****ed up the Mayo thing. If Vrabel works out, why shouldn't he take the credit?

 

[Headcase]

Glad this happened today, leaving for the airport in 4hrs and I don't want to be following this while in Europe! Will be interesting to see what gets done with the staff before I get back.

 

[Ross12]

Exactly, if we’re gonna harp on vrabels 6 win 2023, lets examine what happened after they fired him. Tennessee spend a boatload of cash the next offseason and won HALF as many games without him. Speaks volumes.

He was very very successful until 2022 when he had a ridiculous amount of injuries including his QB and LT and AJ Brown traded away. They then fired the GM and replaced him with a guy who sucked and who Vrabel could see sucked. He then did a **** job with the roster in 2023. That guy scapegoats Vrabel and Vrabel is fired. Well how did that turn out? They spend a ton of money in 2024 and yet only achieve half the wins Vrabel had the year prior and end up with the #1 pick. Then that GM is fired.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

Stop the bickering. This is a golden day. True hope

 

[The Gr8est]

Completely agree Ross. I know this board rarely has 100% agreement but I do not understand how some are so negative about this hire.
He should have been hired last year. Ben Johnson was a fine 2nd choice but the fit here is so obvious. Unlike Mayo or Johnson...he does not have to learn the job while on the job. He comes in as a finished product.

Just because he has been defensive coach does not mean he can not bring in an innovative OC and take this to the next level.
Its all about offensive personnel.

BB was a defensive coach...he had a pretty good offense
John Harbaugh was a special teams coach, Ravens seem to have a pretty good offense
Todd Bowles is a defensive coach- he has a pretty good offense
Sean McDermott is a defensive coach, Bills have a pretty good offense


If they get the right players...they will have a great offense. It will take a couple of years to get those offense players
They have a huge head start with Maye as qb.

Speaking of Maye, it would be great to finally hear from him.

We haven’t heard anything from him since the last game, or before the last game.

 

[festy1986]

Stop the bickering. This is a golden day. True hope

It's for prosperity.

For the record. I never said it was a bad hire. Vrabel will bring stability and that's probably what matters the most to the Krafts right now.

The question comes down to wether Vrabel style wins in this league anymore.

Not if he doesn't have a innovative offense it doesn't.