Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Hire Mike Vrabel as Head Coach: Right Move? Next Steps: SPECIAL EDITION

Starting point is 00:00:00 The New England Patriots are hiring Mike Vrabel as the 16th head coach in franchise history for one main reason. They prioritized experience over potential. Stick around, you're about to be locked in to this special edition of the Locked On Patriots Podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots

Starting point is 00:00:36 a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, and hopefully your first listen each and every day. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for the Patriots country. Reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL. While you're out there showing some love to Locked On Patriots, social media style, that is, please follow our account there as well at

Starting point is 00:00:57 LO underscore Patriots. And if you're looking for me over where the skies are blue, I can be found on Blue Sky at MDABATENfl.bsky.social. And of course, folks, thank you for joining me here today on this special edition new head coach episode of Locked on Patriots. That's right, word breaking on Sunday morning that your New England Patriots have in fact agreed to hire Mike Vrabel as their new head coach.

Starting point is 00:01:23 Vrabel becomes the 16th head coach in Patriots history. At noontime on Monday, January 13th, team owner Robert Kraft and the Patriots will officially welcome Mike Vrabel back into the fold with a press conference at Gillette Stadium. But before Sunday was said and done, I just had to share my thoughts on Vrabel's hire with all of you everydayers out there,

Starting point is 00:01:44 all of you who continue to make Locked On Patriots possible each and every day, also all of you occasional listeners, and we have several first-timers joining us from the weekend. It's a great time to stay locked into Locked On Patriots, folks. An exciting off-season on tap for you in New England, and I am honored to be a part of this great network here on Locked On to bring it all to you each and every day as a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network. And today here on the pod, we'll talk a little bit about why the Patriots made this move. There were a few to be made out there, but the Patriots appeared to have their sights set on Vrabel right from the start.

Starting point is 00:02:18 I'll give you my thoughts on the subject, and I'll even add in a little help from one of my friends in just a moment. And of course, the logical next step to take after that is, are the next steps where do the patriots go from here who are the next men up on this coaching staff well we're going to be talking about that for the better part of this week but i'll lend my wisdom and counsel on a couple of names that you should be keeping an eye on out there and one that reportedly already has a new role with the new england patriots settle in folks in a bridged episode here today on the pod, but we are just scratching the surface and only getting started when it comes to our coverage in the hiring of Mike Vrabel

Starting point is 00:02:53 as the new New England Patriots head coach. And Pats fans, throughout the day here in Foxborough, in New England, in Patriots Nation, wherever you happen to be celebrating your Patriots fandom from, there is a sense of nostalgia in the air. I'm pretty sure you can feel it. I know I've been feeling it all day. Mike Vrabel being back in the fold definitely conjures up images of the early New England Patriots dynasty. That's where most of us here in Pats Nation fell in love with Mike as a player. We remember that tenacious defense. We remember the 12 touchdowns that he caught from Tom Brady.

Starting point is 00:03:27 The spirit, the charisma, all rolled into one. All of us are looking forward to seeing Mike back on the podium and back in the Patriots' fold. But for Mike himself, this is an opportunity to come full circle. That organization, with which he spent eight years and earned an all-pro selection on defense, he now has the opportunity to take that franchise and lead it back to a level of respectability and he's got the experience to do it after his playing days were over mike drable spent time absorbing learning as much as he could about the defensive side of the ball and being the best defensive coach he could be starting with his alma mater at ohio state then he moved to the houston texans and then of course into the main chair in 2018 with the Tennessee Titans.

Starting point is 00:04:10 Mike spent six seasons with the Titans as their head coach, went 54 and 45 in the regular season, two and three in the playoffs. They won two AFC South titles, one in 2020, the other in 2021, and he qualified for the playoffs three times between 2019 and 2021. Yeah, for the first couple of years in Music City, everything was going well for Mike in Nashville. However, the final four years clearly started to sputter a little bit. After enjoying a good amount of playoff success in his first two seasons, the next two he failed to win a playoff game, and his final two seasons with Tennessee he failed to make the playoffs. After a 6-11 season in 2023, Mike was unceremoniously relieved of his duties, mostly due

Starting point is 00:04:46 in part to his postseason failure, but there was also some disagreement and some difficulty that he had with management, and unfortunately, Mike found himself on the outside looking in when it came to coaching vacancies in 2023. Heading into the 2024 season, most expected Mike to land quickly with a new team, but that didn't happen. Instead, he took on an advisory role with the Cleveland Browns, and he was in that role through December of 2024 when he officially became a coaching free agent. When the Patriots' job became available, Mike became the primary target, and this came together fairly quickly. He interviewed with Robert Kraft on Thursday in Boston, and apparently things went extremely well because by Saturday, there were reports all over social media that the negotiations were

Starting point is 00:05:29 already taking place. And lo and behold, Sunday morning, it was reported that Mike Vrabel will be named the 16th head coach in Patriots history. Now, I know a lot of you out there are split on Mike Vrabel's hiring. Some are really happy about this move. They're glad to see that stability, that grit coming back to the coach's bench. Some are just happy to see Mike Vrabel's hiring. Some are really happy about this move. They're glad to see that stability, that grit coming back to the coach's bench. Some are just happy to see Mike Vrabel back in New England because you love them so much as a player. But others out there think that the Patriots may have sold themselves short. Maybe they should have gone with someone younger, maybe someone a little bit more innovative. A lot of you out there seem to think that the Patriots may have been a little half-hearted in their efforts to land their new coach. be fair I agree with you I don't believe that this

Starting point is 00:06:09 search was as comprehensive as we were led to believe by Robert Kraft just one week ago I think there are a lot of others out there that should have been asked or at least considered for an interview namely Brian Flores I'm still not sure why the Patriots didn't pursue that I understand he's still under contract with the Vikings they're in a playoff run but I'm still not sure why the Patriots didn't pursue that. I understand he's still under contract with the Vikings. They're in a playoff run, but I'm sure something could have been worked out there. Just like a lot of you, I was disappointed to see Aaron Glenn turn down his interview request. I think that would have been a great learning experience for the Patriots. I think it would have been a very good feather in the cap for Aaron. I would have loved to have seen him come in for that interview, but I can understand why he didn't.

Starting point is 00:06:45 He has a limited window, limited time to work with being with the Detroit Lions right now. He's trying to focus on a potential Super Bowl run. He wasn't about to simply be used for leverage. But ultimately, when it comes to the process, I know a lot of Patriots fans were disappointed that a younger, innovative play caller on offense like Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson did not get this job. There's a strong argument to be made that Ben may have been the best fit for the Patriots, especially for quarterback Drake May in the long run. I think that's a valid discussion, and we're going to continue to cultivate that discussion throughout the week here. But I will say this, for a team right now that's currently in such need,

Starting point is 00:07:23 desperate need, folks, of two things. One is direction when it comes to building a program. Patriots organization right now is a mess. The reporting structures are not sound. Those powers that be that are making decisions right now need clear, definitive roles. And when it comes to communication between players and coaches, it simply is broken. You need experience to come in and to write that shit. Ben Johnson, unfortunately, folks, has not done that before.

Starting point is 00:07:50 Mike Vrabel has. Some will make the argument he didn't do a very good job. Some will make the argument he did do a good job in Tennessee. Bottom line is, is Mike Vrabel has a basis on which he can build now. And the New England Patriots saw that, and I think that's what gave him the upper hand. The other part of this is the product on the field. The Patriots were consistently inconsistent in 2024. Every now and then, you'd see flashes of what this team could be if they were clicking on all cylinders.

Starting point is 00:08:17 But more often than not, this team was making what I like to call bonehead mistakes, and they were consistently and literally at times fumbling away opportunities to win games or at least put points on the board. When you are that fundamentally unsound on a football field, you need someone who's been there, who's done that, who can take this team and coach the inadequacies right out of them. Mike Vrabel is that guy.

Starting point is 00:08:40 He has that voice. He has that command. He has that guy. He has that voice. He has that command. He has that experience. And as I said to open the show today, the Patriots prioritize that experience even over what I believe would have been a more innovative and maybe more modern coaching staff that could have taken this offense to another level in year one. Instead, the Patriots opt for the more experienced choice, maybe the safer choice. I'll give you that, but I will say this, I do believe this was the more prudent choice at this time, and for that reason, Mike Vrabel is set to

Starting point is 00:09:09 be introduced as your new head coach here in New England. But don't just take my word for it. Earlier this week, my friend and colleague Tyler Rowland of Lockdown Titans joined me here on Lockdown Patriots. And if you've ever heard Tyler on these airwaves or anywhere across the Lockdown network, you know he is always candid and he's always honest. And he was both when he spoke about Vrabel on Wednesday. I specifically asked him what makes Mike Vrabel a very good fit with New England when it comes to being their head coach.

Starting point is 00:09:36 And much to my surprise, he was very complimentary. At one point, he even called Mike Vrabel a football savant. Yeah, I know, pretty impressive praise. Again, don't take my word for it. Let's hear what Tyler had to say. Well, one thing that I said when Mike Vrabel was let go by the Titans, I was in favor of letting Mike Vrabel go. Now, that might have been a mistake looking back on things now

Starting point is 00:09:57 based on the structure that they had in the organization. But one thing I said throughout the process was Mike Vrabel is a good football coach. He is a good coach. He may not be the right coach for where the Titans are at as a team and as a roster, but he is a good coach. So no matter what you know is firmly established, it's not like when you hire a first-year head coach with Mike Vrabel. You know he has experience.

Starting point is 00:10:20 He knows how he wants to run his practices. He knows how he wants to set up his staff. There are things that you figure out on the job in your first year, like Geron Mayo probably was. Even if you learn and even if you are mentored by somebody, like doing it yourself is just different in life and learning things on your own. And you don't have to worry about that learning curve with Mike Vrabel. So he's going to be experienced.

Starting point is 00:10:40 He's going to be ready to go. And he understands the game. I think that's the number one, most important thing is he truly understands the game from everyone's perspective. He knows how, you know, what coaches are experiencing. He knows what players are experiencing. So that allows him to be prepared for moments that maybe other people wouldn't be prepared for because he's seen every reaction a player can have have or every way a player can take a piece of information. He's seen a bunch of different coaches and how they take information. So he's just prepared for all scenarios and all situations.

Starting point is 00:11:13 It's like a football Batman in a sense, you know, like if you, if you give him time, if you give him time, he can beat anybody, you know? And that's the truth with Mike Vrabel. He was really good after like bye weeks and and many buys that you get from prime time games and stuff like that he did pretty well with those in his career so he's just a guy that's always going to be fully prepared for any situation that presents itself within a football game and having someone who doesn't like flinch at the moment or get nervous or get worried he's experienced it at all at the highest level. So you always have someone who's cool, calm, and collected

Starting point is 00:11:47 and knows exactly what to do in every situation on the sideline. And that's super important in-game during the games to happen. And then, of course, he has the ability to coach every single position. Mike Vrabel is a football savant. He understands how defensive backs should press. And, of course, his linebackers, he knows how to coach them, but he can coach an offensive lineman on a combo block and getting up to the second level.

Starting point is 00:12:09 Like he understands every aspect of playing football. So being that prepared for situations while also being that equipped to coach your players, literally hands-on coach your players, that's a really good combination. It makes for a really good head coach. So there you have it, folks, from an analyst who covered Mike Grable in Tennessee hands-on coach or players, that's a really good combination. It makes for a really good head coach. So there you have it, folks, from an analyst who covered Mike Vrabel in Tennessee for the duration of his tenure. Tyler knows Mike as well as anyone, and he's fairly confident that the new

Starting point is 00:12:34 coach here in New England is a good fit for what the Patriots are trying to do when it comes to culture, fundamentals, and of course, experience. But once again, in the interest of being fair, I don't want to make it seem like it was all sunshine and rainbows when it came to Tyler's endorsement of Mike Rabel as head coach. He did warn that Mike can be a bit cantankerous at times with his players, with the media. Of course, that's not something Patriots fans aren't used to, especially under Bill Belichick for a number of years. So that really, to me, is not a true negative, but certainly a difference from this past year under Gerard Mayo. But here's where things did get interesting, folks. When I asked Tyler if he had any apprehensions about Mike Vrabel becoming the

Starting point is 00:13:13 coach here in New England, he called Mike up for not being, and I quote, a very creative or good play caller. He said that he doesn't do well with play sequencing on defense. He's not a creative, schematic guy on either side of the ball. And in all fairness, a lot of my colleagues in the media, both locally here on the Patriots beat and nationally have called Mike Vrabel out for this. They know it, and it is a concern. And if I'm being brutally honest, I think Mike realizes it as well. And that's why you're seeing a lot of reports out there about the names he's being connected with as potential hires on his staff. When it comes to landing a top role on Mike Vrabel's coaching staff this year, folks, you have to be an adept play caller on either side of the

Starting point is 00:13:55 ball. And in just a moment, I'll mention a couple of those names and what it may mean for the new Vrabel regime about to take the reins of the New England Patriots this Monday, January 13th. All this and more when this special edition of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team, every day. Lockdown listeners, growing your small business in 2025 comes down to how well you can hire. And let's face it, better hires start with smarter insights. That's where LinkedIn comes in. With the strongest hiring data available, LinkedIn helps you identify the right candidates, giving you the confidence to

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Starting point is 00:16:33 That's PrizePix. Run your game. Download the app today and use the code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. Prize picks run your game. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on this special edition. Mike Vrabel wins the coaching search episode of Locked on Patriots. And of course, we are getting you ready for the week that will be in Foxborough starting with Mike Vrabel's introductory press conference which will take place at 12 noon eastern at Gillette

Starting point is 00:17:11 Stadium and now that Mike Vrabel is in the fold the next logical question is where do we go from here Mike is already lining up an old friend to join him in the front offices of one Patriots place that man is Ryan Cowden who has a history with Mike Vrabel going back to their days together at Tennessee. Cowden served as the director of player personnel for the Titans during the 2016 and 2017 seasons, before being promoted to the title of vice president of player personnel in 2018. Coincidentally, that was the same year Mike Vrabel came on board.

Starting point is 00:17:43 And Cowden wore several hats in the Titans organization, including interim general manager right up until the end of the 2022 season when he was relieved of his duties shortly after that he joined the New York Giants and he's been with them for the past two seasons 2023 and 2024 now Cowden's name is one that has been connected with Vrabel for quite some time reportedly the two work very well together in terms of coach and general manager or front office executive. At this point, it's a little too early to speculate what this means for Elliott Wolfe's role, if he will remain in the same position, what the reporting structure is going to look like, and how much say Cowden is going to have in the on-field personnel that the Patriots

Starting point is 00:18:23 will be putting out in 2025. But I will say this, Ryan Cowden is well known in NFL circles as someone who has a good eye for scouting talent, both at the pro level and at the collegiate level. During his playing days at Wofford University, he was a defensive back. He played strong safety. And in doing a little background checking on Ryan, I had a chance to speak with a couple of people today close to him and knew him from his playing days. They said that when he did play, he was someone that always had a great knowledge of the football field. In other words, everything that's going on, where players need to be, and when they need to be there. Now, we all know that field awareness

Starting point is 00:18:57 was a skill that the Patriots lacked big time in 2024. It was one of the areas that was most notable when it came to their regression. So especially on the defensive side of the ball, folks, Ryan Cowden could add some scouting assistance in both the draft and in free agency. That could be one to keep an eye on. So from a comfort standpoint, you can make the argument that Mike Vrabel is already making himself at home in Foxborough. But as I said in the previous segment, his success in New England may end up hinging on his supporting cast, his coaching staff, and that cast needs to be adept at play calling. That's an area where Mike could use a great deal of help. And let's face it, folks, who better to serve in that role on offense than someone who served as the offensive coordinator up here in New England for 14 non-consecutive seasons?

Starting point is 00:19:44 That's right, Josh McDaniels. That's a polarizing name among the fan base this weekend. Let me just say, if it is going to be Josh McDaniels, and we don't know that for a fact yet, I'm sure that's going to be a question that's going to be asked to Mike Grable on Monday. Maybe he'll answer it, maybe he won't, but a lot of credible reports are tying him to this job right now. Let me help put all of your minds out there at ease. That is not a bad thing, folks. Trust me. Josh McDaniels can coordinate an offense. He's not perfect. He certainly had his shortcomings as a head coach, but this is someone with an impeccable track record. Josh's offenses always found ways to put points on the board. They sustained an amazing amount of success for an unprecedented number of years, and just look at the work that he did with the quarterbacks

Starting point is 00:20:29 he worked with here in New England. But it's not all about the offensive side of the ball. As I've said several times here on the airwaves of Locked On Patriots, the Patriots defense regressing from a number nine ranked team in DVOA in total defense to 30th in 2024 is simply unacceptable. For that reason, I believe you're going to look at a significantly new defensive staff this year. But we haven't heard quite as much about names connected to Mike Vrabel on the defensive side of the ball as on offense. It stands to reason Mike's a little bit more defensive minded. A lot of people feel that he'll take on much more of an alpha role on defense than he will on offense.

Starting point is 00:21:08 Still a lot of questions to be answered. Those questions will begin to be answered on Monday when Mike Vrabel takes the podium at Gillette Stadium to be introduced as head coach. Don't forget, folks, that here on Locked On, Patriots were just scratching the surface, so make sure to check back on Monday afternoon as we will bring you a full recap of Mike variables,

Starting point is 00:21:26 press conference, and we'll be delving into the next steps that the Patriots will be taking as they round out their staff and March toward 2025. In the meantime, I want to give a special tip of the cap to all of you. Every day is all of you locked on listeners. All of you locked on loyalists that continue to make locked on Patriots, a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Starting point is 00:21:45 A new era is about to begin in Foxborough, and as always, I am honored and humbled to be taking that journey with you right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. I'm Mike DeBate, reminding all of you to stay safe, to stay well, to be the change you wish to see in the world.

Starting point is 00:22:02 Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again on Lock What on Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Hire Mike Vrabel as Head Coach: Right Move? Next Steps: SPECIAL EDITION

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