The One Benefit of the "Year of Mayo"

[Ross12]

Good post.

Been watching the documentary on Ted Turner on HBOMAX.

Some may recall he owned the Atlanta Braves from the mid 70s to 2007.

In the late 80s, he realized his heavy involvement in player decisions and baseball ops was not helping. He decided to hire people to run define the organization, trust them, and get the hell out of the way as thats how he ran his other businesses. The result was a decades worth of division titles, WS appearances and a championship.

Kraft had it right letting BB run the op until BB was no longer doing a good job but it doesn't mean the model is wrong. Everyone needs to be swimming in the same direction. "Forcing" people to work together when they are not aligned will always be a disaster.

Let's hope he understands that.

My guess is that Bob is going to go back to a Belichickian model with the HC running the show, but with Vrabel in the role, and with a larger front office.

 

[Steve102]

This is going to delve into some dangerous territory because, well, I had to think about what positives came from this past season...

and by positives, I don't mean players... we all know Drake Maye looked decent... room for improvement, sure, but the overall I'm happy...

The major positive I see coming from this past year is it is forcing the Krafts to redress how the franchise is run... It had to knock some sense into them that its not always going to be an easy road... we were blessed having the Ultimate Storm coalesce in New England, where the team was able to ride those winds roughshod over the league for nearly two decades... The Coach laid the base, and the Players we had, well, what they did on the field has been underappreciated for lack of a better term...

This might not be accurate, its is my opinion, ymmv... The team was able to create a dynamic in the front office, putting in place a system that stressed fiscal responsibility... I think the front office was able to formulate a percentage of what they were willing to pay for a particular player based their role, etc... sometimes they broke free of the system they had in place, paying certain guys... but for only so long... soon they were moved out, traded, released, etc and the financial bounds were reestablished... The staff was whittled down the the bare minimum... If the Coach/GM could wear multiple hats, so could everyone else... This only worked because of Belichick and his ability to thrive in such an environment... It became so insular; when Belichick faltered, the death spiral began... It was hidden for a few years, but most here have pointed out the failures in the draft over an extended period, the lack of quality free agent signings, etc...

Mayo was particuarly unsuited to deal with the Franchise gripped in its death throes... the lack of front office support, the limited talent on the roster, the limited talent available for the assistant coaching positions... The Krafts began expanding the front office last year... Hopefully, they have learned, its not enough... that they need to increase the support staff inside One Patriot Place... In a few of the articles disecting what went wrong this year, it was mentioned just how small the Patriots support staff is compared to other NFL franchises...

The new coaching search this year is also a step forward... The team has realized that they need to conduct a full blown coaching search in however many decades its been since they actually did one... I don't think the Krafts ever ran a full blown search... Tuna was here when they bought the team... they replaced him with Pete fairly quickly iirc... my memory might be faulty on that one, so let me know if i got it wr-wr-wr- incorrect... Belichick was brought in courtesy of his past relationship with Kraft, when he was here with Tuna... It was good to see Kraft step up and admit a mistake was made with Mayo... and now another step forward, going on with a full blown coaching search...

Got a good feeling about the future of the team moving forward... next year will still be a rough year, but I think we will begin to see progress over the course of the season, something we did not see this year... Looking forward to a better 2025...

It's all about who the people will be. On paper, it feels like Vrabel is the better choice to head up the rebuild than a first year guy Johnson, even if Johnson is the sexy pick with his high powered offense. They need the right people with the vision, because the Krafts are not football people, they are fans with money.

 

[sturmrider]

My one fear is that the Krafts are not doing a full coaching hunt. They already have made their decision it is Vrabel. Now it may be a good decision, but I don't feel they are giving Johnson or many others a fair chance, the example is their first two interviews weren't really for the coaching job I think but to fulfill the Rooney rule.

Then they are going to give Ben Johnson a virtual interview Thursday and Vrabel an in person interview which I know they are not allowed to give Johnson an in person interview yet, but the rumblings are they will have a new head coach by next week. The only real canditite they can hire by next week is Vrabel.

I hope he works out, but if he fails we have a real problem in the future.

 

[Ross12]

It's all about who the people will be. On paper, it feels like Vrabel is the better choice to head up the rebuild than a first year guy Johnson, even if Johnson is the sexy pick with his high powered offense. They need the right people with the vision, because the Krafts are not football people, they are fans with money.

Vrabel also spent his "off year" learning a ton about front office mechanics and analytics.

 

[Pape]

My one fear is that the Krafts are not doing a full coaching hunt. They already have made their decision it is Vrabel. Now it may be a good decision, but I don't feel they are giving Johnson or many others a fair chance, the example is their first two interviews weren't really for the coaching job I think but to fulfill the Rooney rule.

Then they are going to give Ben Johnson a virtual interview Thursday and Vrabel an in person interview which I know they are not allowed to give Johnson an in person interview yet, but the rumblings are they will have a new head coach by next week. The only real canditite they can hire by next week is Vrabel.

I hope he works out, but if he fails we have a real problem in the future.

we will kinda/sorta find out if the decision is made before the super bowl is played... But... We won't really know right off the bat until information about the hiring cycle is leaked at a later date... So maybe hiring Vrabel early appears to be business as usual, but it could also be that someone like BJ told them thanks but no thanks at this point... its gonna be a marathon not a sprint determining how the team has approached this new era...

 

[Pape]

It's all about who the people will be.

Great point. I trust that that this time round that the quality of the hire will be much more important than any relationship that might exist...

 

[Steve102]

Great point. I trust that that this time round that the quality of the hire will be much more important than any relationship that might exist...

Other than the relationship with Vrabel and it's advantages for all involved.

 

[turkeyneck]

Vrabel also spent his "off year" learning a ton about front office mechanics and analytics.

I really like that Vrabel did a self-assessment and sought out the experience and training that he figured would fill the gaps he had in his first go around.

Reminds me of the Boston sports contemporaries Bledsoe and Bird. Bledsoe would hit the end of the season and hotfoot it to his ranch and chill. Bird would identify the weak points in his game and spend the offseason relentlessly drilling those aspects. Bledsoe always frustrated me that he didn't take the Bird approach; he could have been so much better.

 

[Pape]

Other than the relationship with Vrabel and it's advantages for all involved.

i think he and Vrabel have a different type of relationship than he did with Mayo... I don't think, if Vrabes get hired, we will hear him calling Kraft "Thunder" day 1, lol

 

[Ross12]

i think he and Vrabel have a different type of relationship than he did with Mayo... I don't think, if Vrabes get hired, we will hear him calling Kraft "Thunder" day 1, lol

There's a higher likelihood that Vrabel makes a joke about Bob having 1 foot in the grave in his intro press conference than giving him a cute nickname.

 

[maust]

Best thing that fallout from "the Mayo year" is that the Krafts got a painful lesson in whet abysmal failure looks like for an organization.
Poor processes, organizational structures, ill defined hierarchies. broken hiring system and understanding that "relationship manager" does not equate to great leader. Mayo taught them what a terrible leader looks like. So now they will hopefully "do the opposite" as George Costanza said on Seinfeld.

I think Robert is a good businessman and he will learn from the failure and allow for meaningful changes to take place. Most of all

Let the football experts make 99% of football decisions and do not become like Jerry Jones.

Robert Kraft is human, he's made mistakes and some have been painfully public. That said it is nothing short of astounding how many people forget or refuse to acknowledge the amazing amount of success he has had in most endeavors he has put his hand to. For the newspaper boy son of a dressmaker ol' Krafty Bob has done alright for himself

Kraft's legacy is one of adaptability and honest self examination. We could do a lot worse for a steward of our team.

 

[The Gr8est]

i think he and Vrabel have a different type of relationship than he did with Mayo... I don't think, if Vrabes get hired, we will hear him calling Kraft "Thunder" day 1, lol

I don’t know how I would react if he said that, but I know I don’t want to find out.

Mayo was cringe from the start.

Vrabel feels right.

 

[Pape]

Robert Kraft is human, he's made mistakes and some have been painfully public. That said it is nothing short of astounding how many people forget or refuse to acknowledge the amazing amount of success he has had in most endeavors he has turned put his hand to. Kraft's legacy is one of adaptability and honest self examination. We could do a lot worse for a steward of our team.

well said.

 

[Pape]

There's a higher likelihood that Vrabel makes a joke about Bob having 1 foot in the grave in his intro press conference than giving him a cute nickname.

then i will laugh instead of cringe this time 'round, lol

 

[Steve102]

Robert Kraft is human, he's made mistakes and some have been painfully public. That said it is nothing short of astounding how many people forget or refuse to acknowledge the amazing amount of success he has had in most endeavors he has turned put his hand to. For the newspaper boy son of a dressmaker ol' Krafyy Bob has done alright for himself

Kraft's legacy is one of adaptability and honest self examination. We could do a lot worse for a steward of our team.

*Dan Snyder has entered the chat*

 

[maust]

*Dan Snyder has entered the chat*

Haha, the next time Dan Snyder does an honest critical self assessment will be the first

 

[RobertWeathers]

My guess is that Bob is going to go back to a Belichickian model with the HC running the show, but with Vrabel in the role, and with a larger front office.

By saying, "the coach will have plenty of say in personnel" allows for some level of a BB-type org structure. Bob wants the head of personnel report to him so has that checks and balances but "grocery picking" can certainly be dictated by the coach.

If Bob wants to measure the quality of the groceries, he can hold the FO accountable.

If Bob wants to measure the quality of the meals, he can hold the coach accountable.

It can work.

 

[Steve102]

Haha, the next time Dan Snyder does an honest critical self assessment will be the first

My point is that you are right, Kraft has been an exemplary owner, regardless of what Capt. says. We could have had Snyder, or Victor Kiam still, or the other idiot who wanted to go to St. Louis. Orthwien.

 

[maust]

well said.

I see comment after comment pissing on the guy. Most made by schmucks who couldn't even comprehend the number of factors that have gone into each of the major successful decisions Kraft has made in his lifetime, never mind place those factors in perspective.

 

[Water Boy]

Now it may be a good decision, but I don't feel they are giving Johnson or many others a fair chance, the example is their first two interviews weren't really for the coaching job I think but to fulfill the Rooney rule.

Sorry, my intention is not to derail this thread on the Rooney Rule, but I absolutely abhor the whole dynamic of the rule. The intent is to bring in minority coaches who might not otherwise get head coaching interviews and they do just that and now the Krafts get ripped for it after taking pride in hiring the first black coach in Patriots history based on gut feeling and intangibles.

So is the point that Leftwich and the other guy aren't serious candidates and shouldn't have been given an interview? Does it mean Flores has to be given an interview despite his record of calling out ownership for wanting to lose games? We all wanted the Pats to tank for the number one pick.