My 2 cents.
1. I believe that Kraft was correct in taking the blame for putting Mayo in such a bad situation where he was doomed to failure in his first year. And yes, I was among those who wanted to give him a chance to see if he could learn from his mistakes. The problem I had with the knee-jerk " it doesn't look good today, so let's fire everyone so we can stay angry for another season.", is that these are the same people who would have fired BOTH Bellichik and Parcells after their first seasons at Cleveland and NY. And hey, add the BB's first season here in 2000.
They seem to forget that both players and coaches have the opportunity to change and grow. We see it ALL the time. Please don't constantly instantly judge. That's all I'm saying
2. But the deed was done, and Vrabel is the guy. He was clearly the best fit of the candidates out there and we got him. Both the Raiders and the Jets would have both loved to get him. You have to give Kraft credit for closing that deal. People forget that Mike didn't leave here with the best of feelings after being traded, so coming back wasn't an automatic thing that most people thought. He could have inherited better rosters on both the Jets and Raiders, but just not at QB.
3. I think the OC job is a critical hire especially in the development of Maye. The LAST thing Maye needs at this point is to start all over in a new offensive system. Well, that's not correct exactly. The thing that needs to be kept from last year's offense is the LANGUAGE/SEMANTICS. For continuity's sake, I would hope that whomever they hire as OC will be willing to translate HIS offensive vision into the same language that Maye has already learned. If he has to learn and get comfortable with an entirely new language, we can expect a step back.
4. With that said, JMD would be my first choice. The guy is a PROVEN offensive coordinator, who guided Mac to a good year in 21, and had him overachieving. He helped Brady take the next step from a game manager to a superstar. And I would disagree that AV system that he was taught while he is some monolithic out of date offensive system whose tine is past. Did you watch the first 20 years of its existence. That was the same system which had the ability to go from the ground and pound of the early 2000's to the wide-open Randy Moss years and then to the 2 TE juggernaut that gave us the first half of the 2010's. I like it because it allows the team to create based on the talent available.
That being said, I won't be upset if they go elsewhere. All I want is that whoever takes the job is willing to translate his vision into the language Maye already knows and seemingly thrived in. Also whoever becomes (or stays) the OL coach is also a critical hire.
5. As for the DC, The Pats were 22nd in the league in points allowed but if they had allowed just one point less pergame, they would have been 15th. Cousins didn't do a bad job given the injuries and roster he was given. That being said if he gets fired then I hope Vrabl gets a guy who he knows and is dynamic. I wouldn't mind seeing Roman come back as a LB coach.