New England Patriots - NESN.com
Nearly all of the coaches the Patriots hired after bringing on Mike Vrabel had a key asset in common, but there was one big exception.
The lion’s share of new coaches on New England’s staff worked alongside Vrabel in the past, predominantly in Tennessee, where the 2021 Coach of the Year was atop the totem pole for six seasons. But arguably the Patriots’ biggest addition after hiring Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, didn’t fall into that category.
Yes, McDaniels and Vrabel were plenty familiar with one another. The former was on Bill Belichick’s staff for all eight of the latter’s seasons as a linebacker in New England. But the pair never coached together previously, which led some to believe McDaniels’ hiring was an order from ownership.
But according to Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard, that wasn’t the case.
“McDaniels’ interview in the building was extensive — it included Eliot Wolf at one point — and McDaniels’ trips during his season off to college and pro teams likely didn’t hurt,” Bedard wrote in a column published Monday.
“One thing that wasn’t involved was ownership, according to three sources. ‘That didn’t happen, period,’ said a league source. ‘It’s not a Patriots thing at all. Vrabes wasn’t going to be involved with that type of setup.'”
So, why was Vrabel keen on hiring McDaniels as offensive coordinator? According to one of Bedard’s sources, McDaniels’ experience and history of developing quarterbacks really appealed to Vrabel. In fact, the source labeled McDaniels as the “perfect” coordinator for Drake Maye.
Were the Krafts pleased to see McDaniels brought back to the mix? Probably. Familiarity is one of the biggest draws at One Patriot Place. But it seems as though Vrabel made the call on his own without any nagging from those above him.
