In only one week, the New England Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo and hired Mike Vrabel as his replacement. Many have questioned the speed of this transaction and wonder if the organization had planned it ahead of time. Mayo coached the Patriots to a 4-13 record in his first season and many expected his firing, but the team did it only hours after their final game. The move from Vrabel to Mayo should be an obvious upgrade, but the tactics have people questioning the New England Patriots organization and ownership methods.
Jerod Mayo’s Firing
It was clear early on that Jerod Mayo would not work out as a long-term head coach. The New England Patriots got a surprising Week 1 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals but after that, the season went downhill. The game plans and decision-making were uninspired, with Drake Maye being one of the only positives. Outside of Christian Gonzalez, the defense was worse than in previous seasons despite keeping the same players, and the offense was very vanilla. With Alex Van Pelt calling plays, the offense was a very simple run on first and second down, pass on third down team. Drake Maye added some flash and explosive ability, but it was relatively conservative.
Mayo was the type of coach to punt on 4th and short and did not do much to mask the team’s flaws. Few expected a winning season from the New England Patriots, but the losses were bad. Getting blown out 40-7 by the Chargers or 34-15 by the Dolphins were not good looks. They also lost to other struggling teams like the Titans and Jaguars. Fans wanted Mayo gone and got their wish. He was fired hours after a Week 18 win that cost them the #1 pick in the NFL Draft. The organization didn’t even wait until Black Monday.
The New England Patriots’ Hiring Process
The New England Patriots organization has been an interesting one to follow since the departure of Bill Belichick. The team owner, Robert Kraft has seemingly had an invisible hand in the strategic decision-making. After Belichick left, things were leaked to make him look bad and there was an obvious rift between him and Kraft. Similarly, after Jerod Mayo was fired, a story leaked about how after a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Mayo was playing cards with players on the plane. The story said that Mayo chose to play cards instead of watching film with the assistant coaches, which rubbed many the wrong way.
Then, there was the hiring process for Mike Vrabel. The New England Patriots interviewed Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton on the same day, releasing a graphic with both coaches on it. This sparked debate, as many believed the New England Patriots lumped the two black coaches together to appease the Rooney Rule. They tried to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, but Glenn declined the offer. The Patriots then hired Vrabel only a week after firing Mayo. So, many wonder if the interviews were a sham and if the organization had their head coach picked out all along.
Mike Vrabel’s Hiring
Even though his hiring is questionably fast, Mike Vrabel should be an upgrade over Jerod Mayo. Both coaches are advertised as defensive-minded and don’t deal with play-calling, but Vrabel has a better history than Mayo. In his time at Tennessee, Vrabel coached the Titans to multiple winning seasons and playoff appearances. The New England Patriots do not have the roster that those Tennessee teams did, but fans believe he can build something. Despite the odd practices of the organization, Vrabel was one of the top coaches on the market, and fans are happy with the result.
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