New England Patriots - NESN.com
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel appears to be stretching out his staff.
John “Stretch” Streicher, Vrabel’s right-hand man in Tennessee, is expected to follow the recently-named head coach to New England, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Streicher has yet to be officially hired as he served as the game management coordinator for the Rams, who lost in the NFC divisional round Sunday.
Regardless, a move speculated as soon as Vrabel landed in New England, isn’t far down the pike.
It’s a great addition for the Patriots, as discussed during NESN’s “Foxboro Rush” podcast published Monday.
Vrabel previously referred to Streicher as his “personal assistant,” who helped with game management including replays, timeouts and clock management. Streicher is viewed as Vrabel’s version of Bill Belichick’s Ernie Adams, a trusted and knowledgeable do-it-all voice in the coaching booth.
During an interview with Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take,” Vrabel said Stretcher was in his ear during the 2019 AFC divisional round game against the Patriots when Vrabel used a loophole in the NFL rulebook to take valuable time off the clock against a steaming-mad Belichick.
There something to be said about Streicher being in Vrabel’s ear during pivotal moments of playoff games.
“So now it’s more than coordinators, it’s more than position coaches, but football strategists,” NESN’s George Balekji said on “Foxboro Rush.” “We always hear Mike Vrabel talk about being efficient with offense, being modern with the game. This is a great sign. There’s a lot that goes into being a head coach, game management is one of the most important.”
Patriots fans saw that firsthand when Jerod Mayo’s Patriots bungled game-management situations time and time again.
Remember the end-of-half situation against the Seattle Seahawks? Remember Mayo’s bizarre challenge against the Dolphins, which would’ve resulted in a first down regardless of whether it was upheld or not? Remember when the Patriots went into the wind in overtime against the Indianapolis Colts? Those are the situations Streicher will have his hands on and help Vrabel with.
The Patriots will be better off for it.
