Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots New Coach: Can Mike Vrabel Revitalize Pats’ Legacy?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Mike Vrabel said it was clear to him in his soul that this is the place he wanted to be. How long will it take him to return the New England Patriots to respectability? Stick around. You're about to be locked in to 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 a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Starting point is 00:00:38 I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country. Reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL. You can also reach out to me with a Skyser Blue over on Blue Sky at MDABATENFL.BSKY.SOCIAL. You can also show some social media love to Locked On Patriots on our X account at LO underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends over at FanDuel. You can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a $5 bet and you'll get started with $200 in bonus bets.

Starting point is 00:01:15 If you win or lose your first $5 bet, visit FanDuel.com to get started. Patriots fans, your Newland patriots have now officially introduced mike grable as their new head coach a 40-minute press conference on monday at gillette stadium in team owner robert craft officially turned the page toward a new future in new england craft saying now about the 16th head coach in franchise history, Mike Vrabel, saying in the interview process, Mike showed us that he had a very deep understanding of our current team. Most importantly, he had a clear and focused strategy on how to get us back to a championship way.

Starting point is 00:01:56 And that is how we're going to kick things off today here on Locked On Patriots, folks. We're going to take a deeper look at Vrabel's introductory press conference, and we're going to highlight the statements which gave us hope that better days may be even closer on the horizon than we think. We're also going to take a look into the front office, as it appears to have been revealed this afternoon that Mike Vrabel has been conversing with Elliot Wolfe quite closely over the course of the last 24 to 48 hours. Is that surprising to you all? Most importantly, is that a sign that Wolf may be sticking around after all? And lastly, we're going to take a deeper dive into the coaching pool, and we're going to share a few more names who may get consideration

Starting point is 00:02:35 from Vrabel and the Patriots on the staff of the new HC of the NEP. And of course, folks, I keep saying we and us, because I cannot in in good faith, move forward into this new era in Foxborough without the input of our resident voice of reason. My Patriots by Zahn, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com, and, of course, the Patriots 4th and 2 podcast. Bud, what can I say? Welcome back.

Starting point is 00:02:59 It's great to have you back here. And it's been a hell of a weekend. Yeah. As we always say, things are never boring in foxborough and uh you know here we are again uh they had that big press conference and you know all the bells and whistles and it was all out there. And I think Rabel set the tone with his very first sentence, right? He said, all you guys back there with the cameras, you can put them down and clap right now. That smart alecky, I was going to use a different term,

Starting point is 00:03:38 but you know what I mean. That's it. You know, that facet of his persona is not going away. And I loved it right there. You had me at that one, Mike. So good stuff. Yeah, he certainly did. And Mike dropped a few notable quotables during today's press conference.

Starting point is 00:03:58 Again, about 40 minutes talking about his future, his past here in New England, the people that he wanted to thank most of all, the coaches and the players that have helped him get to this level, all the stuff you would expect an incoming head coach to say, having gratitude for the opportunity and the excitement to kind of get going. But I thought we'd spend a couple of moments just talking about some of the statements that Mike made and the optimism that seems to be brimming from the New England Patriots right now. Right off the bat, I think setting the tone, he mentioned this about

Starting point is 00:04:30 midway through his comments, but one of the comments that stood out to me most, Steve, was making the claim that he wants to remove entitlement from our football team. I think what he wants to instill is the fact that from the moment his players walk through the door to the moment they walk out the door, the last day of the last game, whenever moment his players walk through the door to the moment they walk out the door the last day of the last game whenever that may be they're going to give a hundred percent of themselves every single time they're in that locker room they're on that field they're doing work for their team they're giving it everything they've got it sounds basic and rudimentary but it feels like the Patriots lost that a little bit over the course

Starting point is 00:05:05 of the last couple of years. How optimistic are you that Mike Vrabel is the one that's going to bring that culture back to New England? Oh, I think that that's just a given with him. I mean, you know, I've read some of the things that were written about him when he was still in Tennessee and, you know, everything he says, the best players should be the hardest working players on the roster. And, you know, he expects that. And he's hard on players, you know. He didn't coach under Bill Belichick, but he played under him,

Starting point is 00:05:42 so he saw it firsthand. Absolutely. He's going to expect team leaders to come in here and be leaders, be the first ones in the door, like he was with Willie McGinnis and Rodney Harrison. He wants the veterans to call out anyone who's leaving early in their estimation. This is building the culture. And he'll coach them hard, whether it's Drake May or the 53rd guy on the roster.

Starting point is 00:06:14 He'll coach them hard. He'll get under their skin, but he's going to teach them. And I just love that. I think that's what this team needs right now. Yeah, I agree with you 100%. And look, when given the opportunity, Mike doubled down on those comments. You know this is something that is very dear to his heart. Bringing back that type of accountability,

Starting point is 00:06:36 he wants to instill that competitive spirit within the roster. And again, it looks like these things have kind of been eroded the last couple of years under Bill Belichick and last year under Gerard Mayo. You didn't see that same fight, that same pride that the New England Patriots had played for for quite some time. It seemed to be getting less and less each year and obviously last year hitting rock bottom. But the one way that you do that is to bring in players and to bring in coaches that are willing to put the team first and care about others and make sure that they're putting all of their effort into making themselves better

Starting point is 00:07:09 and making their teammates better. And I think that's something that Mike Vrabel has done at every level, whether he's been a player or whether he's been a coach, bring that level of accountability back to the players, back to the coaches and ownership. He included ownership in that group as well. He said a few times, I want to quote galvanize this building. I want to provide a program that provides the players, the coaches, and the ownership all with accountability to each other. So they understand that everyone works hand in hand in hand. And for 20 years in New England, it worked beautifully.

Starting point is 00:07:42 I don't think you can argue with the results that Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady had. Perhaps the Kraft family now believes that they're going to be able to build that type of culture once again in a new style, but the same type of concept with Mike Vrabel and Drake May. I think that could be a good triumvirate here in New England on which to build and move into the future. Yeah, I think that that's a great point. And, you know, and I think that was a subliminal message by Mike, maybe. I think you make a very good point, Steve, because all of these soundbites can be compiled into a very nice package for news organizations, for social media. And Mike Vrabel can come across looking very head coach-like, very executive-like. And I do believe he did that very well on Monday. But again, if

Starting point is 00:08:33 we're talking what impressed you the most out of this press conference is him constantly mentioning that it was time to get to work. Let's get to work. We want to try to get back to solid fundamentals on the football field. And this meant an awful lot to me because you look at this Patriots team, especially last year, but even the last couple of years prior to Gerard taking the reins here and under Bill Belichick, this team was very uncharacteristically bad at fundamental football. That is not something New England Patriots teams were ever known for. If anything, it was always the Patriots who laid back, waited for their opponents to make either a fatal mistake or a bonehead mistake, as I like to call it, and then they would capitalize on it.

Starting point is 00:09:17 Mike Vrabel called that out. He says, I want to get to a point where we're taking advantage of bad football. And I think he meant that on both sides of the ball. The Patriots not only had problems with creating their own turnovers, whether it be through fumbles or whether it be through penalties or things of that nature that hurt them when they were trying to get into scoring position, and they weren't doing a good enough job of being able to capitalize on other teams' mistakes. In my estimation, Steve, that's the place you've got to start.

Starting point is 00:09:45 Start with the fundamentals. Teach this team to walk before they can fly. Right now, they're having problems crawling. So it's going to be a little bit of a process, but I think Mike has the right idea in mind and the right concept in mind to bring this team back to where it needs to be. Yeah, I agree with that.

Starting point is 00:10:03 And, you know, that's his M that's his MO when he was in Tennessee, they, they did not have a great roster or a great quarterback, but they were tough. They rarely beat themselves and, you know, they played 60 minutes and they, they did the fundamentals so well. And I expect that to carry over right away here. And that's been a problem. How many Monday or Tuesday podcasts have we done where we're saying, they shot themselves in the foot again. They made fundamental mistakes.

Starting point is 00:10:45 That's not going to happen with them. Agreed with you 100%. I think the days of bad fundamentals will be behind them because Mike Vrabel is the type of disciplinarian coach that will drill this team over and over again to make sure that they do not commit those penalties, to make sure that they do not commit those turnovers. Give it everything that you have.

Starting point is 00:11:05 If the other team comes in and beats you, that's something that this team is probably going to have to get used to. It's going to be a little while before the talent on this team is cultivated into added talent to make a competent and respectable football team. But at the same time, you don't want to leave the football field feeling that you've been outworked or feeling that you've been beaten in the morale game. Whether another team has come in with more heart and more determination than you, that's certainly not the way to build. Folks, it's always exciting when a new coach is introduced and now Mike Vrabel becomes the 16th head coach in franchise history for your New England Patriots. But now that the coach has been named, there's a lot of work to be done in the

Starting point is 00:11:44 front office and in the coach's box. And from the moment that it was reported that Mike would be taking the job here in New England, a lot of people believed that Elliott Wolfe may be looking at numbered days left here in Foxborough. Well, Mike Frable mentioned Elliott Wolfe by name six times during his press conference on Monday. A lot of people are wondering, what exactly does that mean for Elliot Wolf's future? Was Mike just simply doing him a solid or does it mean that Elliot's hanging around here for the long haul?

Starting point is 00:12:11 Steve Balistrieri and I are going to talk about that in just a little bit. When this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On 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 make the best decisions for your business. I've used LinkedIn Jobs myself, and I can tell you it's a game changer when it comes to hiring the right fit.

Starting point is 00:12:52 Small businesses are wearing a lot of hats, so every hire is crucial. LinkedIn gets that. That's why they connect you with the best candidates using data you won't find anywhere else. From unique skills and interests to the connections you share, LinkedIn helps you find the right person for the job. In fact, 72% of small businesses say LinkedIn has helped them find high-quality candidates. Hire smarter this year and find your next great hire on LinkedIn. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL.

Starting point is 00:13:25 That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. Don't delay. Do it today to post your job for free. Linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. Terms and conditions apply. Locked on listeners, it's playoff time. And if you're like me, you want to make the most of these final weeks of football action. That's where PrizePix comes in.

Starting point is 00:13:50 If you love football and want a chance to win real money while watching the games, PrizePix is the place for you. It's the best way to turn your sports opinions into cash with daily fantasy player projections. With PrizePix, you simply pick more or less on player stats, like total passing yards or rushing touchdowns. And for a shot to win up to 1,000 times your money, you can make your picks in less than 60 seconds. And whether you're looking for a flex play to boost your payout

Starting point is 00:14:19 or you want to cash out quickly, PrizePix has got you covered. And with over 10 million members and billions in winnings, it's clear that people are loving this platform. Here's a special offer for Locked On NFL listeners. Download the app today and use the code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50

Starting point is 00:14:37 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. 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.

Starting point is 00:14:54 PrizePix. Run your game. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us today here on Locked On Patriots as we continue to break down the introductory press conference of the 16th head coach in Patriots franchise history, Mike Vrabel, who was introduced at noontime on Monday, January 13th,

Starting point is 00:15:16 but a 40-minute press conference at the Sports Illustrated Pavilion inside Gillette Stadium, the very place where Mike took his rightful spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame just a couple of years ago. Joining me here today to help break it all down is our resident voice of reason, my good friend Steve Balistrieri, whose wisdom, counsel, and of course that reasonable level-headed approach is always needed in Foxborough. Mike Vrabel is in. He is your head coach for the foreseeable future. But a lot of people are wondering what does this mean for the Patriots around him? What does it mean for the coaching staff? Well, we're going to get into the coaching staff in just a little bit, but I wanted to start by talking a little bit about the front

Starting point is 00:15:53 office because we've heard that Mike Rabel coming in would want a greater say in personnel decisions than we believe his predecessor, Gerard Mayo, wanted. If that be the case, that would lead you to believe that Mike has certain executives, maybe certain front office personnel that he'd want to work with. While the Patriots haven't let go of any of their front office personnel just yet, Elliot Wolfe, Matt Groh, all of these front office scouts and executives remain in place. And if Mike's comments on Monday are any indication of the future, it looks like Elliott may be hanging around for a while. Mike talked about Elliott, mentioned him by name six times. It wasn't just once or it wasn't a courtesy mention.

Starting point is 00:16:35 He went out of his way to talk about a collaborative effort, a shared effort, and mentioned that he had spoken with Elliott several times over the course of the last 24 to 48 hours. Steve, I know there are a lot of polarizing opinions on Elliott Wolfe out there, the job that he did last year in terms of being not only a personnel director, but also a scout when it came to the draft. But there is also something to be said about wanting to keep continuity in the room as well, and not wanting to completely clear house and turn over the whole organization so from your perspective because you always look at things with a reasonable eye what did you extract from mike's comments do you think this is simply just mike playing the game and kind of being the good soldier and knowing that he's going

Starting point is 00:17:21 to end up having this final say and that may spell the end of Elliot Wolfe here in New England. Or do you really believe that by mentioning him so many times, he was out to send a message that Elliot's here, I'm here, we're willing to work together? Yeah, I think it's the latter. You know, if he mentioned him once in passing, that'd be one thing. You know, he mentioned him several times. And, you know, and he kept saying, oh, Elliot and I had many conversations. Now, that could mean nothing. In the end, they may end up, you know, going in a different direction.

Starting point is 00:17:59 However, comma, right? comma right um i you know i've heard that and read that the patriots are keeping him around in fact the assistant gm for the giants who worked with brable and who brable wanted as the gm there he's been allowed to leave for the Patriots. And I heard, I think it was either Tom Pelissaro or Mike Garofalo, say that he was going to join Elliott Wolfe's staff. So that kind of leads me to believe that Wolfe isn't going anywhere. Because they didn't mention he was going to eventually replace him they said he was going to join their staff and uh or our wolf staff and and i found

Starting point is 00:18:54 that very interesting you know the way that was worded so we'll have to see i mean i i think it's the latter i think the the crafts want him to stick around. And again, all that went wrong personnel-wise last year wasn't all his fault. It wasn't for lack of trying that they didn't get a wide receiver. They couldn't get free agents to take their money last year. So I'm not saying he was without blame. I'm just saying it wasn't all on him. So I, you know,

Starting point is 00:19:28 I look at him as I think he's going to stick. I agree with you. I'm starting to get that vibe as well. And I can tell you, there are some very high level people in the Patriots organization that are very impressed with the grading system that Elliott Wolfe has instituted now when it comes to the draft and his scouting ability. And they have a lot of faith in him to be someone who is capable of evaluating players when it comes to free agency so in that regard it starts to make a little bit more sense that Mike would be including Elliot in the mentions that he had during his press conference because it does it shows solidarity it shows Mike willing to come in, be a little bit more shared, be a little bit more amenable to collaborative work. Two things that were, if we're being very

Starting point is 00:20:11 bluntly honest, Steve, were kind of a knock to him in Tennessee. There was a reputation, whether it was deserved or not. I leave it to those that covered him in Tennessee and kind of put me on the right or wrong track here. But there was indeed a little bit of a reputation that was forming that Mike wasn't necessarily the easiest to collaborate with, that he wanted his final say, and that there could be a contestuous relationship in the front office if he's not comfortable with you. Now, the gentleman that you mentioned is named Ryan Cowden. He served as executive advisor to the general manager for the New York Giants for the past two years.

Starting point is 00:20:44 So this is someone with which Mike has a great amount of familiarity. Mike came in in 2018. These two worked very closely together. These two have always remained close. And there's a good amount of scouting acumen that he brings to the table. I mentioned this on my special edition of Locked On Patriots last night, that during his time at Wofford University, when he was a player, he played as a strong safety.

Starting point is 00:21:09 And he was always described as a player that knew everything that was going on on the field. So when you have that type of a reputation, you know where players need to be. And you know the good players and the players who can't handle the responsibility. That's very big for a scout. So if Mike is serious about wanting to bring in someone who has familiarity and also has a great deal of scouting acumen on the field, you can understand why Cowden is someone that he'd love to bring in. I think that may be a comfort move for Mike Vrabel.

Starting point is 00:21:38 And if I'm the crafts in the front office, I think that's very smart to do that. You want your coach comfortable, but you also want him to know that there are people still in this room in Foxborough that can get the job done. Yeah, that's a great point. I mean, you know, maybe he was a little hard to work with, but I know he had issues with the GM there. So maybe it's because he did not believe in that guy. And actually Mike was fired the beginning of last year and the GM was fired on Monday. So maybe Tennessee was wrong in letting him,

Starting point is 00:22:21 letting him go. I think an argument can start to be made, Steve, that Tennessee's loss may be the Patriots' gain because once again, Mike Vrabel did not seem like someone intent on coming in and just blindly imposing his will on everyone. He's going to be demanding as a coach on the field. I think everyone expected that, but something that continues to stand out to me when I keep listening over and over again to what he had to say was that collaborative effort, that shared effort. And I think he's very serious about wanting to come in and work with the people that are still in place here in New England and put his own stand on this

Starting point is 00:22:54 team because ultimately he needs to be comfortable with the 53 men that he's going to have on his roster come opening day in September. However, his ultimate success, as I said last night, may end up lying with the personnel he brings in on his coaching staff. As you can imagine, come opening day in September. However, his ultimate success, as I said last night, may end up lying with the personnel he brings in on his coaching staff. As you can imagine, Steve, Mike was very mum about who that might be, said no decisions have been made yet, but we're starting to get a clearer picture of what the top end of that coaching staff may look like. All this and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast

Starting point is 00:23:23 wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, from big upsets to game-winning drives, the NFL playoffs are better with FanDuel. Because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets. Guaranteed. That's $200 in bonus bets, win or lose. The FanDuel app gives you everything you need for live bets, same game parlays, and so much more.

Starting point is 00:23:56 The games may be in the books for your New England Patriots, but don't hesitate, not even for a second, to let your NFL fandom work for you on FanDuel. Just visit FanDuel.com to join today and get started with $200 in bonus bets. That's FanDuel.com. Make this playoff season unforgettable with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on locked on Patriots. And of course we continue to break down,

Starting point is 00:24:31 analyze and scrutinize the introductory press conference of the 16th head coach in new England Patriots history, Mike Rabel, who was introduced by team owner, Robert craft at noontime on Monday at Gillette Stadium. Here to help me break it all down, here to lend a thicket of reason, wisdom, and counsel is my good friend Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com. Steve, as I've said several times here on the pod, and I think this is true of any coach that would have come in here, but especially when it comes to Mike Rabel, because the knock on

Starting point is 00:25:01 Mike coming in was that he failed to surround himself with enough talent in the coach's box from start to finish in his tenure. Yes, he's worked with guys like LaFleur and guys like Arthur Smith. They became such great offensive coaches that they parlayed that into head coaching opportunities. But consistently across the board, there's always been that mark against him. I think Mike realizes that and he wants to put that behind him as quickly as possible. And that's why you're hearing a name like Josh McDaniels pop up an awful lot when it comes to who could be at the top of a short list that Mike is compiling for offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and such. Mike wouldn't confirm anything on Monday, but he didn't deny

Starting point is 00:25:41 anything either. And Josh's name continues to circulate out there um and i also believe that he's willing to make the adjustments necessary to modernize his game a little bit so that way he doesn't get too weighed down with some of the traditional aspects of the erhart perkins system that he loves to run if in fact josh is going to be the guy, is this the correct hire for the New England Patriots? And if so, why? I do. And I'll tell you, the biggest thing that, you know, I have for Josh would be his longevity in New England. And I'll get back to that in just a second. But we know, I mean, he's been an offensive coordinator here a couple of times,

Starting point is 00:26:26 and, you know, the offenses always ran extremely well. They always maximize the use of their players. I mean, you know, Josh would play to their strengths, and along with Tom Brady, and those two get along famously. I mean, you look at some of the wide receivers the Patriots had during the Super Bowl years. They weren't Hall of Famers, right? They were just really good football players who got in the right system and were utilized to their strengths. Guys like Chris Hogan, Brandon LaFell.

Starting point is 00:27:01 I mean, Deion Branch, you know, twice with Deion. You know, those guys, you look how successful they were, especially in big games. They always came to play. And, you know, then you had stars like Gronkowski, so, you know, Julian Edelman. But, again, I mean, Josh, he's experienced. He knows how to run the offense. He knows how to spread the ball around and keep the other team guessing.

Starting point is 00:27:31 And, you know, as we saw, he's an excellent teacher. I mean, you go back to Mac Jones's rookie year, Mac Jones had a very impressive rookie. People tend to forget that because of the way things ended, you know, with Mac here, but Mac's rookie year, he was to forget that because of the way things ended with Mac here. But Mac's rookie year, he was just fine. And that's because he had Josh. And that's why I always say coaching matters. Because I think if Josh had stuck around, excuse me, in New England, you know, things might have turned differently for Mac Jones.

Starting point is 00:28:08 So, but the biggest thing for him would be longevity. I don't see him getting another shot of being a head coach. So he would be here for the long haul, unless of course he did poorly, which I doubt, but you know, that's the issue, you know, with some of these young and up and coming guys, they're great offensive minds. They're young. They have all these new ideas. And then,

Starting point is 00:28:31 you know, after a couple of years of great success, somebody wants to hire him as a head coach. I don't think we will see that with Josh McDaniels. Yeah. I don't think we'll see it with McDaniels either. And look, we both respect Josh an immense amount, and we both like him personally as well.

Starting point is 00:28:50 He has his shortcomings as a head coach. I think he realizes that that window has probably closed for him. So in this regard, being an offensive coordinator is a great opportunity for him to re-ingratiate himself into the upper echelon when it comes to NFL coaches. And I think this is where his expertise can really come alive. Bottom line, Drake May is a quarterback that is still in need of coaching. He's already received some, I think, very good coaching from Alex Van Pelt. But what

Starting point is 00:29:17 Josh McDaniels can do with a quarterback cannot be ignored, cannot be denied, whether it be Tom Brady or whether it be Brian Hoyer or whether it be Jimmy Garoppolo, Cam Newton, Mac Jones, like you mentioned, any of the quarterbacks he's worked with here in New England have all enjoyed a level of success because of the way Josh is able to coach to their strengths but also show them parts of their game

Starting point is 00:29:41 that they may not have even know they had. I believe that he can provide that with Drake May. And look, for all of the naysayers on Josh McDaniels right now that are saying that the game has passed him by, he's too married to that Earhard Perkins system, he won't modernize, Josh has spent the better part of the past year, or really the past year and a half, since being let go by the Raiders, studying the modern nuances of the game.

Starting point is 00:30:03 He's been to college campuses. He's done a lot of pro-level scouting. I believe that if he is going to incorporate elements of a more modern NFL offense, you're probably looking at making him an even more effective coordinator because Josh will not implement something unless he's a master at it. You and I both know that from personal experience. We've heard that from players that we've spoken to that Josh is absolutely meticulous about the way things go on the field. And I believe that if he's willing to come in and start implementing this, he must have a very, very good handle on the types of improvements he wants to make, not only to his play calling, but also the design of an offense. And I think that's going to be something that's only going to help Drake May in the long run rather than in the short run and again Steve I think he falls into the category that Mike described earlier when he was talking about the elements he's looking for in a coach

Starting point is 00:30:56 on his coaching staff he wants that person to be able to come in one to teach two to develop not just develop the players but also develop themselves as coaches and continue to evolve and also making connections. And the latter really, I think is something that really stands out to me because one thing that was visible, it was palpable throughout the locker room this year in New England was the disconnect between the players and the coaching staff. And I don't think it was intentional. I'm not blaming any one individual per se uh but it just seemed that the players had tuned the coaches out the coaches were

Starting point is 00:31:31 facing a losing battle trying to get them back when that happens the locker room is lost and you need to take action such as the action that the new england patriots took this year and it's not just about the offensive side of the ball the defense still needs the defense needs a great amount of help you can make the argument that maybe they need just as much help as the offense does there's a defense that went from the ninth ranked dvoa in 2023 all the way down to 30th in 2024 i sound like a broken record folks i know it but it is a very very steep decline steve when it comes to the defensive side of the ball, are you hearing any names out there?

Starting point is 00:32:08 And if you're not hearing any names out there, are there any names you're keeping your sharp eye on that you might want to slide over to Mike Rabel and say, you haven't considered this guy yet. He's someone I'd keep on my radar. Yeah, I mean, you know, I think we've heard the big names that are being tossed about out there and that the biggest one i think is robert sala right uh yes everyone wants robert sala uh but it looks like he's going back to san francisco and i think he's a perfect fit there

Starting point is 00:32:41 i mean would i love to have robert salah here sure but uh yeah but i i don't know uh how him and mike would get along because uh you know that's a complete unknown so um but it looks like he's going back um the other name that was being thrown around with shane bowen uh was Vrabel's defensive coordinator, but now he's holding a similar position with the New York Giants. So I don't see the Giants letting him go, not for a lateral move. I mean, if he was a position coach, I could definitely see that happening. The one name I've heard a couple of guys mention,

Starting point is 00:33:26 and I don't know much about him, is Ephraim Bonda, who was a defensive coach for Vrabel in Tennessee. I believe he was with the safeties in Tennessee, and he just interviewed for the Colts defensive coordinator position. So maybe that's a name to keep an eye on right now, but really it's the names for defensive coordinator have been a lot more muted than offensive, you know, the offensive side of the ball. Yeah, that's a good point.

Starting point is 00:34:01 And, you know, Steve, if you think about it, it makes sense. Mike Rabel is a defensive minded coach. He played linebacker. He's very well adept at being able to coach every position on that defense. We know he's very good with the linebackers, but he can coach defensive backs. He knows the line very well. He's going to take a more alpha role when it comes to crafting the defense. So I don't think people are really surprised by that. And this is why I go back to Josh McDaniels on offense. I could see Vrabel giving his old safety coach a shot at it, right? You know, Bonda. And then, you know, he would work closely with Bonda. And I could see him giving Josh a lot more leeway on offense, kind of like how Bill did the same thing. Bill used to say, and he said it often, I don't worry about the offense.

Starting point is 00:34:53 I know Josh has a handle on that. So, you know, and he would work more with the defensive side. And as a head coach, if you can just kind of – obviously, you're still making the calls, situational football and whatnot. But if your offensive coordinator is someone you don't have to hold his hand all the time as a head coach, that just makes things easier. That's why I'm thinking that he might take a shot on a younger guy for the defensive coordinator, but you really want that offensive guy

Starting point is 00:35:30 because Mike's a defensive guy. You want that offensive guy to be someone that is experienced and you don't have to do both. Yeah, very good point. And I like the suggestion about Bonda. Folks, definitely keep a sharp eye on that because again if you are a head coach that's coming into a new situation the one thing that you want to make sure that you're doing as a coach is surrounding yourselves with guys that

Starting point is 00:35:55 will buy into your system to your style and will allow you to become the best you possibly can be at your position and i think the patriots are going to be moving quickly on this folks. We saw them move quickly to get the head coach here. I do believe within the coming days, you're going to start to hear a lot of interviews scheduled and a lot of potential coaches coming in and giving their best efforts to join Mike Rabel staff. And if you need some extra evidence of that,

Starting point is 00:36:20 just take a look at how Mike wrapped up his press conference on Monday saying, quote, we're going to be moving. We're going to demand effort and finish. People ask what non-negotiables are. Our effort and our finish is going to be the contract we make with our teammates. It's time to get to work. Steve, I don't think there's a better way that we can end our show today than with the words of wisdom of the now 16th head coach in Patriots history, Mike Vrabel. But what can I say? You've been here with us from the beginning to the end, the speculation, the probability, and then now it coming into fruition on Monday with Vrabel being named head coach. So special tip of the cap for all of your wisdom, your counsel,

Starting point is 00:37:02 and your reason. Before I let you go today, my friend, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and what you got marinating in La Cocina Balistrieri this week until we welcome you back here to Lockdown Patriots very soon. Well, tomorrow I'm making sauce, man. Meatballs, sausage, you know, and just like Clemenza, right? A little bit of sugar, a little bit of wine. That's my trick. But as always, my friend, thanks for having me.

Starting point is 00:37:32 I always love talking football with you. And, you know, it's the start of another new era. I think they got it right this time. I do. I think Vrabel's going to do very well here. Absolutely. And yeah, and I think he really set the tone for exactly how things are going to be run here. Definitely from a coach's perspective, but from a PR perspective as well,

Starting point is 00:37:56 it's a big component in being a head coach. You have to be able to handle all of the aspects. I think Mike Vrabel proved today that he's well adept at handling all of the responsibilities with which he's going to be entrusted. What the results are going to look like on the field, folks, that's the process that begins now. It starts right now. Patriots have to put in the effort to get the proper coaches in here, the proper players, and then start to build a culture. Not going to be built overnight, but I think the Patriots may be closer than a lot of people think to getting back to respectability and that would be a win a major win after what we've had to endure

Starting point is 00:38:31 here in New England for the last few years but Steve what can I say appreciate all of the wisdom and counsel you provided today thank you so much my friend but thank all of you all of you everydayers out there who continue to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. And a special tip of the cap out there to all of you occasional listeners and all of you first timers. Thank you for choosing Locked On Patriots. And we hope you stick with us because we have a lot of exciting content here to come. Special guests lined up all throughout the rest of the week.

Starting point is 00:39:01 And if you're looking for your Murph fix, folks, don't fret. The kind of Murphy Fisto going to be joining us tomorrow. He's got a lot of opinions on what happened the last couple of days, and I know you can't wait to absorb those. So in that vein, on behalf of my good friend and Patriot Spies on Steve Balistrieri, 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. As always, our hearts, our thoughts, and our best wishes are with our brethren out in Southern California, hoping for the absolute best outcome

Starting point is 00:39:33 to what has been a horrific situation for so many. Have as good of a day as possible, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots New Coach: Can Mike Vrabel Revitalize Pats’ Legacy?

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.