The Coaching Staff

[n1997y]

Kuhr a DC now, can only be poached for a HC opportunity.

Last year he was de facto DC. I’m sure that got noticed a lot around the league. This year he has the title, mostly because he’d have been poached already without it. If this year and possibly next are as good as last year he will be getting serious consideration of not job offers. Having Bowen on board will help ensure Kuhr’s success, and accelerate his development. It’s a great move. Vrabel has said he wants to develop players to get them their next contract. If he also does that with his assistant coaches he will have a healthy pipeline for years to come.

 

[mayoclinic]

Patriots DC Zak Kuhr's Motivation Stems From Two Important Things

The first-year defensive coordinator has risen through the coaching ranks, and is now settling in with the New England Patriots.

www.si.com

 

[Huckleberry1]

It's been talked about here before, but it's too difficult to dig up the exact articles or quotes. Once too much time passes, articles disappear into the black hole of the internet. Here's the best of what I could find:

PostGame Thread Post in thread 'Patriots Lose to The Cardinals 30-17 in Arizona'

Dec 15, 2024

Word this week was that the coaches they interviewed for OC said they were surprised the interview was more about “football stuff”.
Imagine that from a HC who has nothing to do with the offense.

I think you meant the interviews weren't about football which raised the red flag with them.

• TheRainMaker

Probably because Vrabel is more interested in how the person would fit in their organization than their specific coaching ideas. I work in the trades and I can say for a fact that having good people who can work together matters more than experience. An experienced ******* is detrimental to working as a team.

 

[mayoclinic]

Patriots might be forced to make substantial coaching change sooner than expected

The hype around the Patriots' defensive coach is starting to put him on teams' radars ahead of the 2026 season.

musketfire.com

If Zak Kuhr turns out to be the next Mike McDonald, the Pats still have Terrell Williams and Shane Bowen on staff. Jim Schwartz could also be an option in a year. And it would probably mean the Pats win the SB.

Good problem to have.