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Indefinite New England Patriots Thread (8 Viewers)

Josh McDaniels? I suppose you could be interviewing Rex Ryan.

Look what McDaniels did with the Raiders and Broncos. That his name is coming up is a testament to the unique stupidity of billionaires and their families when they pursue endeavors other than making money.

I have not heard his name mentioned as an HC candidate (and I cannot picture he would be)...there is some media guessing that if Vrabel comes in at HC that McDaniels could be his potential OC...besides having past success in that tole he would give Maye stability because he's not gonna get another shot at being an HC and he lives locally so he would be there for a long time.
 
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Pats have a very large amount of salary cap space...as for their own free agents the only ones worth keeping are Jonathan Jones, Wise, Eliss, Hooper and Slye...none of them should cost too much...Jones (31) and Wise (30) could be attractive to a contender but at their age they aren't gonna break the bank...they have both spent their careers in Foxboro so not sure if they want to see this rebuild thru or finish their careers playing for a legit contender.

 
By all accounts, Wolf started taking on more responsibility with the 2022 draft . . .

2024 PFF ranks . . .

03 - Drake Maye - 39th of 74 QBs
37 - Ja'Lynn Polk - Not Rated
68 - Caedan Wallace - 131st of 141 Ts
103 - Layden Robinson - 128th of 135 Gs
110 - Javon Baker - Not Rated
180 - Marcellas Dial - Not Rated
193 - Joe Milton - Not Rated
231 - Jaheim Bell - Not Rated
17 - Christian Gonzalez 20th out of 223 CBs
46 - Keion White 62nd out of 211 EDs
76 - Marte Mapu 84th out of 170 Ss
107 - Jake Andrews Not Rated
112 - Chad Ryland Not on NE
117 - Sidy Sow 129th out of 135 Gs
144 - Atonio Mafi Not Rated
187 - Kayshon Boutte 84th out of 98 WRs
192 - Bryce Baringer 11th out of 39 Ps
210 - Demario Douglas 56th out of 98 WRs
214 - Ameer Speed Not on NE
245 - Isaiah Bolden 16th out of 223 CBs
29 - Cole Strange Not Rated
50 - Tyquan Thornton Not on NE
85 - Marcus Jones 47th out of 223 CBs
121 - Jack Jones Not on NE
127 - Pierre Strong Not on NE
137 - Bailey Zappe Not on NE
183 - Kevin Harris Not on Active Roster
200 - Sam Roberts Not on NE
210 - Chasen Hines Not on NE
245 - Andrew Stueber Not on NE

Out of all of that, they got 3 Top 50 CBs and Maye. If people want to say maybe the other guys will pan out, I can't stop them. But I don't see a ton of talent in that group.

Let's not forget the Pats had a treasure trove of money ($100M) to spent last offseason. They came away with hundreds of millions of dollars worth in extensions in re-signing a dozen guys and bringing in Osborn, Hooper, Takitaki, Brissett, Gibson, Watts, Leverett, Hawkins, and Okorafor.

IMO, Wolf hasn't done very much to retain his job. I doubt I am in the minority on this one.
That 2022 draft class was horrific. We don't know that BB didn't have the final say drafting these guys.
In 2023 Gonzalez, Keion White, Bolden, and Douglass were excellent gets. Very respectable to get 4 starters in a draft. Shame they couldn't do this every year.
Some of the others from that class still may work out (Mapu, Boutte).
Other than Maye, 2024 looking like another bad draft class if Wallace and Robinson don't pan out.
Trading down a couple slots to draft Polk instead of staying put and taking Ladd McConkey will go down as one of NE's worst draft day moves ever.
 
Trading down a couple slots to draft Polk instead of staying put and taking Ladd McConkey will go down as one of NE's worst draft day moves ever.
I've seen this posted just about everywhere, but IMO, McConkey would not have had numbers anywhere near the same for the Pats as he did for the Chargers. Everyone likes to slot the same production for a player when placed on a different team, but NE was a mess . . . poor coaching, OL, game scheming, etc. You could probably slice McConkey's numbers in half if he were on the Patriots. If he put up similar numbers to Douglas, would people be raving about McConkey?

Douglas has done pretty well given the amount he's played (on other teams, not sure he would have been on the field anywhere near as much). Is he really going to be a game changer? BHe was a good get as a 6th round pick, but if NE gets the two legit starting receivers it really needs, not sure how Douglas would fare being a third option. I suspect he would be an adequate WR3, but I don't see him turning into a big-time receiver. Boutte had a big week to end the season . . . in what was essentially a preseason game environment playing against the Bills bench and player squad. Not really sure I would call him a hit just yet.

I've heard several discussions about what a new regime will do with the roster, and those talks centered on cleaning house of a ton of people. Douglas and Boutte would likely stick, but Baker and Polk might not get invited back. There's only so many positions you can restock in one offseason (especially if that means eating money and cap space to move on).

In other news, Covington set to interview for the Bengals DC job. One would think the Bengals could do a lot better.
 
Ben Johnson
Byron Leftwich
Pep Hamilton
Mike Vrabel

Those are the four that have been requested for interviews so far, and I've only seen confirmation that they've interviewed both Leftwich and Hamilton today. This is a little discouraging as I was hoping there might be a more thorough coaching search, but right now we have two out of the way today that satisfies the Rooney rule, and the two expected leading candidates scheduled for later this week. I'm hoping they offer the job to Johnson and if he doesn't take it then go with Vrabel. But I was also hoping they would look at Liam Coen, I think he could be a very interesting plan B for an offensive minded coach if they strike out on Johnson. I wonder what they do if Johnson goes to a team like the Bears and Vrabel goes to work for his buddy Tom Brady over in Las Vegas.
 
Ben Johnson
Byron Leftwich
Pep Hamilton
Mike Vrabel

Those are the four that have been requested for interviews so far, and I've only seen confirmation that they've interviewed both Leftwich and Hamilton today. This is a little discouraging as I was hoping there might be a more thorough coaching search, but right now we have two out of the way today that satisfies the Rooney rule, and the two expected leading candidates scheduled for later this week. I'm hoping they offer the job to Johnson and if he doesn't take it then go with Vrabel. But I was also hoping they would look at Liam Coen, I think he could be a very interesting plan B for an offensive minded coach if they strike out on Johnson. I wonder what they do if Johnson goes to a team like the Bears and Vrabel goes to work for his buddy Tom Brady over in Las Vegas.
Going to be really interesting, and kind of funny, if both Johnson and Vrabel decide to go elsewhere. They have no plan B. The Leftwich and Pep interviews probably went like…….hey, nice to meet you, take a seat, ok that concludes the interview. I get it though. Johnson and Vrabel are pretty much universally seen as the top two guys available so why mess around.
 
Ben Johnson
Byron Leftwich
Pep Hamilton
Mike Vrabel

Those are the four that have been requested for interviews so far, and I've only seen confirmation that they've interviewed both Leftwich and Hamilton today. This is a little discouraging as I was hoping there might be a more thorough coaching search, but right now we have two out of the way today that satisfies the Rooney rule, and the two expected leading candidates scheduled for later this week. I'm hoping they offer the job to Johnson and if he doesn't take it then go with Vrabel. But I was also hoping they would look at Liam Coen, I think he could be a very interesting plan B for an offensive minded coach if they strike out on Johnson. I wonder what they do if Johnson goes to a team like the Bears and Vrabel goes to work for his buddy Tom Brady over in Las Vegas.
Going to be really interesting, and kind of funny, if both Johnson and Vrabel decide to go elsewhere. They have no plan B. The Leftwich and Pep interviews probably went like…….hey, nice to meet you, take a seat, ok that concludes the interview. I get it though. Johnson and Vrabel are pretty much universally seen as the top two guys available so why mess around.
I wonder if they had Hamilton and Leftwich actually check a boxes on a piece of paper that reads - "Rooney Rule Requirements" Such a waste of time and sham.
 
Ben Johnson
Byron Leftwich
Pep Hamilton
Mike Vrabel

Those are the four that have been requested for interviews so far, and I've only seen confirmation that they've interviewed both Leftwich and Hamilton today. This is a little discouraging as I was hoping there might be a more thorough coaching search, but right now we have two out of the way today that satisfies the Rooney rule, and the two expected leading candidates scheduled for later this week. I'm hoping they offer the job to Johnson and if he doesn't take it then go with Vrabel. But I was also hoping they would look at Liam Coen, I think he could be a very interesting plan B for an offensive minded coach if they strike out on Johnson. I wonder what they do if Johnson goes to a team like the Bears and Vrabel goes to work for his buddy Tom Brady over in Las Vegas.
Going to be really interesting, and kind of funny, if both Johnson and Vrabel decide to go elsewhere. They have no plan B. The Leftwich and Pep interviews probably went like…….hey, nice to meet you, take a seat, ok that concludes the interview. I get it though. Johnson and Vrabel are pretty much universally seen as the top two guys available so why mess around.
I wonder if they had Hamilton and Leftwich actually check a boxes on a piece of paper that reads - "Rooney Rule Requirements" Such a waste of time and sham.
I also wonder if there are rules against teams bringing in Rooney requirements candidates that have zero chance of getting hired and paying them like $100K to waste their time.
 
Ben Johnson
Byron Leftwich
Pep Hamilton
Mike Vrabel

Those are the four that have been requested for interviews so far, and I've only seen confirmation that they've interviewed both Leftwich and Hamilton today. This is a little discouraging as I was hoping there might be a more thorough coaching search, but right now we have two out of the way today that satisfies the Rooney rule, and the two expected leading candidates scheduled for later this week. I'm hoping they offer the job to Johnson and if he doesn't take it then go with Vrabel. But I was also hoping they would look at Liam Coen, I think he could be a very interesting plan B for an offensive minded coach if they strike out on Johnson. I wonder what they do if Johnson goes to a team like the Bears and Vrabel goes to work for his buddy Tom Brady over in Las Vegas.
Going to be really interesting, and kind of funny, if both Johnson and Vrabel decide to go elsewhere. They have no plan B. The Leftwich and Pep interviews probably went like…….hey, nice to meet you, take a seat, ok that concludes the interview. I get it though. Johnson and Vrabel are pretty much universally seen as the top two guys available so why mess around.
I wonder if they had Hamilton and Leftwich actually check a boxes on a piece of paper that reads - "Rooney Rule Requirements" Such a waste of time and sham.
Albert Breer said as much last night. Total joke.

They are clearly not conducting a thorough process here.

Local beat writers indicating that if Vrabel is the guy, he could be hired as soon as this weekend or early next week.
 
Ben Johnson
Byron Leftwich
Pep Hamilton
Mike Vrabel

Those are the four that have been requested for interviews so far, and I've only seen confirmation that they've interviewed both Leftwich and Hamilton today. This is a little discouraging as I was hoping there might be a more thorough coaching search, but right now we have two out of the way today that satisfies the Rooney rule, and the two expected leading candidates scheduled for later this week. I'm hoping they offer the job to Johnson and if he doesn't take it then go with Vrabel. But I was also hoping they would look at Liam Coen, I think he could be a very interesting plan B for an offensive minded coach if they strike out on Johnson. I wonder what they do if Johnson goes to a team like the Bears and Vrabel goes to work for his buddy Tom Brady over in Las Vegas.
Going to be really interesting, and kind of funny, if both Johnson and Vrabel decide to go elsewhere. They have no plan B. The Leftwich and Pep interviews probably went like…….hey, nice to meet you, take a seat, ok that concludes the interview. I get it though. Johnson and Vrabel are pretty much universally seen as the top two guys available so why mess around.
I wonder if they had Hamilton and Leftwich actually check a boxes on a piece of paper that reads - "Rooney Rule Requirements" Such a waste of time and sham.
Albert Breer said as much last night. Total joke.

They are clearly not conducting a thorough process here.

Local beat writers indicating that if Vrabel is the guy, he could be hired as soon as this weekend or early next week.
They clearly gamed the Rooney rule requirements by interviewing two guys that could be interviewed right away that are not legit HC candidates anywhere. Vrabel is another guy that could be hired before other candidates are even eligible to be interviewed. Maybe they think 1) Vrabel may be in high demand elsewhere, 2) they don't want to wait to interview coordinators on playoff teams, 3) other top candidates won't come to NE, 4) their candidate list may be very short, and 5) signing someone nearly a month earlier than guys from playoff teams (NFL or college) is some big advantage. Personally, I'd rather they waited and overpaid Johnson, as I think he is a destination coach . . . guys will want to play for him. I don't see Vrabel as being a reason top players would want to play for the Pats. I still think the Kraft's are acting like they are the smartest people in the room, but given how things have gone the past 5 years, I think there is enough evidence to refute that. I'm also not sure why Vrabel this year is such a better option than he was this time last year.
 
Ben Johnson
Byron Leftwich
Pep Hamilton
Mike Vrabel

Those are the four that have been requested for interviews so far, and I've only seen confirmation that they've interviewed both Leftwich and Hamilton today. This is a little discouraging as I was hoping there might be a more thorough coaching search, but right now we have two out of the way today that satisfies the Rooney rule, and the two expected leading candidates scheduled for later this week. I'm hoping they offer the job to Johnson and if he doesn't take it then go with Vrabel. But I was also hoping they would look at Liam Coen, I think he could be a very interesting plan B for an offensive minded coach if they strike out on Johnson. I wonder what they do if Johnson goes to a team like the Bears and Vrabel goes to work for his buddy Tom Brady over in Las Vegas.
Going to be really interesting, and kind of funny, if both Johnson and Vrabel decide to go elsewhere. They have no plan B. The Leftwich and Pep interviews probably went like…….hey, nice to meet you, take a seat, ok that concludes the interview. I get it though. Johnson and Vrabel are pretty much universally seen as the top two guys available so why mess around.
I wonder if they had Hamilton and Leftwich actually check a boxes on a piece of paper that reads - "Rooney Rule Requirements" Such a waste of time and sham.
Albert Breer said as much last night. Total joke.

They are clearly not conducting a thorough process here.

Local beat writers indicating that if Vrabel is the guy, he could be hired as soon as this weekend or early next week.
They clearly gamed the Rooney rule requirements by interviewing two guys that could be interviewed right away that are not legit HC candidates anywhere. Vrabel is another guy that could be hired before other candidates are even eligible to be interviewed. Maybe they think 1) Vrabel may be in high demand elsewhere, 2) they don't want to wait to interview coordinators on playoff teams, 3) other top candidates won't come to NE, 4) their candidate list may be very short, and 5) signing someone nearly a month earlier than guys from playoff teams (NFL or college) is some big advantage. Personally, I'd rather they waited and overpaid Johnson, as I think he is a destination coach . . . guys will want to play for him. I don't see Vrabel as being a reason top players would want to play for the Pats. I still think the Kraft's are acting like they are the smartest people in the room, but given how things have gone the past 5 years, I think there is enough evidence to refute that. I'm also not sure why Vrabel this year is such a better option than he was this time last year.

I believe the issue with Vrabel last year was twofold...one, I believe they has already committed to Mayo and two, Vrabel being available came out of left-field so my guess is he was not even on their radar and when he did become available, they had already committed to the Mayo era/error.

Overall, I will be very pleased if they hire Vrabel...he has had success in the past and like BB with his second go-round I think he will have learned from his mistakes...with the state of the Pats right now I think the fact he is not a first-year HC, has an alpha-personality and understands the Boston Market are all big pluses...while I would definitely be excited for Johnson I do think this job is a bit risky to be handing over to a first-year HC.
 
Ben Johnson
Byron Leftwich
Pep Hamilton
Mike Vrabel

Those are the four that have been requested for interviews so far, and I've only seen confirmation that they've interviewed both Leftwich and Hamilton today. This is a little discouraging as I was hoping there might be a more thorough coaching search, but right now we have two out of the way today that satisfies the Rooney rule, and the two expected leading candidates scheduled for later this week. I'm hoping they offer the job to Johnson and if he doesn't take it then go with Vrabel. But I was also hoping they would look at Liam Coen, I think he could be a very interesting plan B for an offensive minded coach if they strike out on Johnson. I wonder what they do if Johnson goes to a team like the Bears and Vrabel goes to work for his buddy Tom Brady over in Las Vegas.
Going to be really interesting, and kind of funny, if both Johnson and Vrabel decide to go elsewhere. They have no plan B. The Leftwich and Pep interviews probably went like…….hey, nice to meet you, take a seat, ok that concludes the interview. I get it though. Johnson and Vrabel are pretty much universally seen as the top two guys available so why mess around.
I wonder if they had Hamilton and Leftwich actually check a boxes on a piece of paper that reads - "Rooney Rule Requirements" Such a waste of time and sham.
Albert Breer said as much last night. Total joke.

They are clearly not conducting a thorough process here.

Local beat writers indicating that if Vrabel is the guy, he could be hired as soon as this weekend or early next week.
They clearly gamed the Rooney rule requirements by interviewing two guys that could be interviewed right away that are not legit HC candidates anywhere. Vrabel is another guy that could be hired before other candidates are even eligible to be interviewed. Maybe they think 1) Vrabel may be in high demand elsewhere, 2) they don't want to wait to interview coordinators on playoff teams, 3) other top candidates won't come to NE, 4) their candidate list may be very short, and 5) signing someone nearly a month earlier than guys from playoff teams (NFL or college) is some big advantage. Personally, I'd rather they waited and overpaid Johnson, as I think he is a destination coach . . . guys will want to play for him. I don't see Vrabel as being a reason top players would want to play for the Pats. I still think the Kraft's are acting like they are the smartest people in the room, but given how things have gone the past 5 years, I think there is enough evidence to refute that. I'm also not sure why Vrabel this year is such a better option than he was this time last year.

I believe the issue with Vrabel last year was twofold...one, I believe they has already committed to Mayo and two, Vrabel being available came out of left-field so my guess is he was not even on their radar and when he did become available, they had already committed to the Mayo era/error.

Overall, I will be very pleased if they hire Vrabel...he has had success in the past and like BB with his second go-round I think he will have learned from his mistakes...with the state of the Pats right now I think the fact he is not a first-year HC, has an alpha-personality and understands the Boston Market are all big pluses...while I would definitely be excited for Johnson I do think this job is a bit risky to be handing over to a first-year HC.
Agree on Vrabel.

I think he's smart enough, can set the tone, will ensure this is a tough minded team, he can deal with all things media, and will bring in smart people with experience around him to fill any gaps.

I personally fear that a Ben Johnson could flame out like some other hot coordinators have in the past. Possible higher reward sure, but higher risk. Remember Adam Gase? McDaniel now on the hot seat? The so called geniuses become dummies real quick.

And after the Krafts just took a chance and failed with Mayo, I doubt they want to do so again. Hiring Vrabel allows the Krafts to go back into hiding a bit. They were exposed.
 
I believe the issue with Vrabel last year was twofold...one, I believe they has already committed to Mayo and two, Vrabel being available came out of left-field so my guess is he was not even on their radar and when he did become available, they had already committed to the Mayo era/error.

Overall, I will be very pleased if they hire Vrabel...he has had success in the past and like BB with his second go-round I think he will have learned from his mistakes...with the state of the Pats right now I think the fact he is not a first-year HC, has an alpha-personality and understands the Boston Market are all big pluses...while I would definitely be excited for Johnson I do think this job is a bit risky to be handing over to a first-year HC.
The things you mentioned are plusses . . . but I am not sure those are things that would translate to building a championship team. IMO, those are things that would prevent them from winning only 3 games, but I am not sure that contributes to them winning 13 games. Maybe I am way off base, but the hard-nosed style of coaching and on-field strategy seems to have dissipated, and more like the NBA, the players are starting to get their way a lot more.

Even if Vrabel wasn't really an option in NE last year, no other team jumped at the chance to bring him in. Also, Kraft being concerned that teams would poach Mayo was likely misguided. How often are newly minted head coaches guys that never were a head coach or coordinator in the NFL or college before? If another team had interest in Mayo, it may have been at the DC level. All the Pats needed to do was lock him up as their DC. After having Mayo on the coaching staff for 5 years, I am curious after the fact as to what his role actually was all this time. It doesn't sound like he ever called plays, was involved in game day prep, or was much of a player development guy teaching proper form and technique.

If we look at Vrabel's tenure post-playing days, he was the DC for the Texans . . . who allowed the most points in the league the one year he was in that role (allowing 100 points more than the season before). I can't say that I actively followed the Titans, but they were a playoff team the season before Vrabel took over. It seems like their fortunes changed when they decided to run Henry into the ground. Adding Tannehill and Brown certainly helped. Related or not, things took a turn for the worst after they traded Brown. The defense also started going in the wrong direction. IMO, there's a big difference in taking over a playoff team vs. taking over a dumpster fire. Truth be told, we have no idea who would be a good coaching fit to pull NE out of the muck they are in.

As far as Johnson goes, as long as he surrounded himself with savvy, seasoned assistants and coordinators, I expect he will do fine wherever he lands. One of the key reasons the Mayo experiment didn't work out is literally everyone on the staff was in a role they never were in before and were asked to do things that there weren't very familiar with. Given that the front office gave them hardly any talent to work with, it's no surprise things didn't work. But that was easy to predict. Let's see if they learned anything and if they change their ways.

In other news, NFL.com mentioned that the GOAT has inquired about potentially bringing in BB to coach the Raiders (and that other teams may also be interested in Bill). I have no idea if any of that is accurate or if Bill is just trying to stay on the radar.
 

In other news, NFL.com mentioned that the GOAT has inquired about potentially bringing in BB to coach the Raiders (and that other teams may also be interested in Bill). I have no idea if any of that is accurate or if Bill is just trying to stay on the radar.

Unbelievable.

Where were these idiot owners when Bill B. was surveying the landscape?

I bet he wants back in, but at this point the horse has left the barn. Too bad.
 

In other news, NFL.com mentioned that the GOAT has inquired about potentially bringing in BB to coach the Raiders (and that other teams may also be interested in Bill). I have no idea if any of that is accurate or if Bill is just trying to stay on the radar.

Unbelievable.

Where were these idiot owners when Bill B. was surveying the landscape?

I bet he wants back in, but at this point the horse has left the barn. Too bad.

I think Brady just wants to be his Boss.
 

In other news, NFL.com mentioned that the GOAT has inquired about potentially bringing in BB to coach the Raiders (and that other teams may also be interested in Bill). I have no idea if any of that is accurate or if Bill is just trying to stay on the radar.

Unbelievable.

Where were these idiot owners when Bill B. was surveying the landscape?

I bet he wants back in, but at this point the horse has left the barn. Too bad.

He has a pretty low buyout on his UNC contract. You only put that in there if it's something you're thinking about.
 
The nonsense of the Mayo era is starting to come out...when you read stuff like this it makes me feel pretty strongly that Vrabel should be the next HC...to get this franchise back on track it's not just about x's and o's but a complete cultural overhaul and I think Vrabel is the right fit for that job.

 

In other news, NFL.com mentioned that the GOAT has inquired about potentially bringing in BB to coach the Raiders (and that other teams may also be interested in Bill). I have no idea if any of that is accurate or if Bill is just trying to stay on the radar.

Unbelievable.

Where were these idiot owners when Bill B. was surveying the landscape?

I bet he wants back in, but at this point the horse has left the barn. Too bad.

He has a pretty low buyout on his UNC contract. You only put that in there if it's something you're thinking about.
BB is said to be solely focused on UNC. Not sure what is a little or a lot for a buyout. It's $10 million if he leaves before 6/1 and $1 million thereafter. Not sure who would pony up $10 million to hire him now (if Bill was even interested).
 
The nonsense of the Mayo era is starting to come out...when you read stuff like this it makes me feel pretty strongly that Vrabel should be the next HC...to get this franchise back on track it's not just about x's and o's but a complete cultural overhaul and I think Vrabel is the right fit for that job.

Greg Olsen calls it the ping pong table rule: if there's a new head coach and there's a ping pong table, it gets taken away. If there wasn't one, it gets added. Sounds like under Mayo it was ping pong table time. Vrabel is exactly the kind of coach who commands respect and would help reset the locker room culture a bit. I hate missing out on the offensive upside of Ben Johnson but I feel like Vrabel is probably more well-equipped to manage the team in its current state than he would. The Bears would be a better fit for Johnson since they already have a better looking roster with promising young players on offense.
 
The nonsense of the Mayo era is starting to come out...when you read stuff like this it makes me feel pretty strongly that Vrabel should be the next HC...to get this franchise back on track it's not just about x's and o's but a complete cultural overhaul and I think Vrabel is the right fit for that job.

Greg Olsen calls it the ping pong table rule: if there's a new head coach and there's a ping pong table, it gets taken away. If there wasn't one, it gets added. Sounds like under Mayo it was ping pong table time. Vrabel is exactly the kind of coach who commands respect and would help reset the locker room culture a bit. I hate missing out on the offensive upside of Ben Johnson but I feel like Vrabel is probably more well-equipped to manage the team in its current state than he would. The Bears would be a better fit for Johnson since they already have a better looking roster with promising young players on offense.

Great way to describe it...Johnson is a fantastic candidate but as you say, with the state of the franchise Vrabel makes a ton of sense as opposed to a first-year HC who will be working with about 5% of the talent he currently has outside of Maye.
 

In other news, NFL.com mentioned that the GOAT has inquired about potentially bringing in BB to coach the Raiders (and that other teams may also be interested in Bill). I have no idea if any of that is accurate or if Bill is just trying to stay on the radar.

Unbelievable.

Where were these idiot owners when Bill B. was surveying the landscape?

I bet he wants back in, but at this point the horse has left the barn. Too bad.

He has a pretty low buyout on his UNC contract. You only put that in there if it's something you're thinking about.
BB is said to be solely focused on UNC. Not sure what is a little or a lot for a buyout. It's $10 million if he leaves before 6/1 and $1 million thereafter. Not sure who would pony up $10 million to hire him now (if Bill was even interested).
That money sounds like a drop in the bucket compared to some of these player contracts.
 
The nonsense of the Mayo era is starting to come out...when you read stuff like this it makes me feel pretty strongly that Vrabel should be the next HC...to get this franchise back on track it's not just about x's and o's but a complete cultural overhaul and I think Vrabel is the right fit for that job.

Greg Olsen calls it the ping pong table rule: if there's a new head coach and there's a ping pong table, it gets taken away. If there wasn't one, it gets added. Sounds like under Mayo it was ping pong table time. Vrabel is exactly the kind of coach who commands respect and would help reset the locker room culture a bit. I hate missing out on the offensive upside of Ben Johnson but I feel like Vrabel is probably more well-equipped to manage the team in its current state than he would. The Bears would be a better fit for Johnson since they already have a better looking roster with promising young players on offense.

Great way to describe it...Johnson is a fantastic candidate but as you say, with the state of the franchise Vrabel makes a ton of sense as opposed to a first-year HC who will be working with about 5% of the talent he currently has outside of Maye.
Maybe I am in the minority, but as I have touched on already, I think Vrabel with McDaniels as his OC (at least that sounds like the plan) is a good way to avoid getting 3 wins again . . . maybe they get to 6. But I don't see the upside other than they won't be grossly incompetent. Yes, Vrabel would be tougher nosed than Mayo, and McDaniels has more experience than Van Pelt, but I think both MV and JM may suffer from the same thing BB did . . . that was then, and this is now. The game is different than 10 years ago.

IMO, Johnson offers a lot more creativity and can push the right buttons to modernize the offense quickly. Look what Kingsbury did in WAS. I think if they filled out the rest of the coaching staff with savvy, seasoned guys (and a couple young guys that could move up the ranks), they would be way better off than this past season. The biggest problem is the talent funnel . . . and Wolfe and company have not excelled on bringing in capable players. If they build the coaching staff properly, they should be able to indicate to the front office the types of players they want to have brought in . . . and that would accelerate the team growth and development process even faster.

But as we all have been saying for a while now, until they bring in more talent, the coaching staff (no matter who's on it) will be hamstrung to work miracles.
 
That money sounds like a drop in the bucket compared to some of these player contracts.
But that's different than coaches. Pretty sure BB wouldn't be the one ponying up $10M to get out of his contract, so a team would have to pay UNC on top of paying Bill to coach. I'm pretty sure he will still expect to be paid as the highest coach in the league. If he got in as HC and de facto GM somewhere again like he was in NE, that team could be on the hook for $25M+ each season plus the $10M buyout (if BB got his way). Bill would likely demand a 3-year contract. I know it's not our money, but money is still money. Can't say that I see a team chomping at the bit to invest $85M on a soon to be 73-year-old said to be power hungry, controlling, and hard to work with.
 
The nonsense of the Mayo era is starting to come out...when you read stuff like this it makes me feel pretty strongly that Vrabel should be the next HC...to get this franchise back on track it's not just about x's and o's but a complete cultural overhaul and I think Vrabel is the right fit for that job.

Greg Olsen calls it the ping pong table rule: if there's a new head coach and there's a ping pong table, it gets taken away. If there wasn't one, it gets added. Sounds like under Mayo it was ping pong table time. Vrabel is exactly the kind of coach who commands respect and would help reset the locker room culture a bit. I hate missing out on the offensive upside of Ben Johnson but I feel like Vrabel is probably more well-equipped to manage the team in its current state than he would. The Bears would be a better fit for Johnson since they already have a better looking roster with promising young players on offense.

Great way to describe it...Johnson is a fantastic candidate but as you say, with the state of the franchise Vrabel makes a ton of sense as opposed to a first-year HC who will be working with about 5% of the talent he currently has outside of Maye.
Maybe I am in the minority, but as I have touched on already, I think Vrabel with McDaniels as his OC (at least that sounds like the plan) is a good way to avoid getting 3 wins again . . . maybe they get to 6. But I don't see the upside other than they won't be grossly incompetent. Yes, Vrabel would be tougher nosed than Mayo, and McDaniels has more experience than Van Pelt, but I think both MV and JM may suffer from the same thing BB did . . . that was then, and this is now. The game is different than 10 years ago.

IMO, Johnson offers a lot more creativity and can push the right buttons to modernize the offense quickly. Look what Kingsbury did in WAS. I think if they filled out the rest of the coaching staff with savvy, seasoned guys (and a couple young guys that could move up the ranks), they would be way better off than this past season. The biggest problem is the talent funnel . . . and Wolfe and company have not excelled on bringing in capable players. If they build the coaching staff properly, they should be able to indicate to the front office the types of players they want to have brought in . . . and that would accelerate the team growth and development process even faster.

But as we all have been saying for a while now, until they bring in more talent, the coaching staff (no matter who's on it) will be hamstrung to work miracles.
I'm all in on Vrabel.

I'm not all in on Vrabel and McDaniels for reasons you outline.

Is it possible that Vrabel hires one of these "modern" OCs while maybe McDaniel is hired specifically to be a quarterback coach? Maybe McDaniel wouldn't mind that position at this point in his life/career.

May not be realistic but think that this scenario would give us the best of all worlds.
 
Is it possible that Vrabel hires one of these "modern" OCs while maybe McDaniel is hired specifically to be a quarterback coach? Maybe McDaniel wouldn't mind that position at this point in his life/career.
McD signed with LV for 6/$60. He still is due half the money (unless he already got the money). I can't see any reason he would stoop to the level of taking a position he had 20 years ago. That's like asking BB to be a LB coach somewhere (which he last was 40 years ago).

The configuration that I came up with that would likely work out (which will never happen) would be Johnson as HC, McDaniels as OC, and Vrabel as DC. That way they would get a blend of NE ties, old school ways, and new school creativity. Pipe dream, I know, but fun to think about. If RK really wanted to make it happen and pay all 3 guys top of the market for their roles, maybe in an MCU universe they could get that to happen.
 
Is it possible that Vrabel hires one of these "modern" OCs while maybe McDaniel is hired specifically to be a quarterback coach? Maybe McDaniel wouldn't mind that position at this point in his life/career.
McD signed with LV for 6/$60. He still is due half the money (unless he already got the money). I can't see any reason he would stoop to the level of taking a position he had 20 years ago. That's like asking BB to be a LB coach somewhere (which he last was 40 years ago).

The configuration that I came up with that would likely work out (which will never happen) would be Johnson as HC, McDaniels as OC, and Vrabel as DC. That way they would get a blend of NE ties, old school ways, and new school creativity. Pipe dream, I know, but fun to think about. If RK really wanted to make it happen and pay all 3 guys top of the market for their roles, maybe in an MCU universe they could get that to happen.
Yup. Ideal. But that's fantasyland.
 
The nonsense of the Mayo era is starting to come out...when you read stuff like this it makes me feel pretty strongly that Vrabel should be the next HC...to get this franchise back on track it's not just about x's and o's but a complete cultural overhaul and I think Vrabel is the right fit for that job.

Greg Olsen calls it the ping pong table rule: if there's a new head coach and there's a ping pong table, it gets taken away. If there wasn't one, it gets added. Sounds like under Mayo it was ping pong table time. Vrabel is exactly the kind of coach who commands respect and would help reset the locker room culture a bit. I hate missing out on the offensive upside of Ben Johnson but I feel like Vrabel is probably more well-equipped to manage the team in its current state than he would. The Bears would be a better fit for Johnson since they already have a better looking roster with promising young players on offense.

Great way to describe it...Johnson is a fantastic candidate but as you say, with the state of the franchise Vrabel makes a ton of sense as opposed to a first-year HC who will be working with about 5% of the talent he currently has outside of Maye.
Maybe I am in the minority, but as I have touched on already, I think Vrabel with McDaniels as his OC (at least that sounds like the plan) is a good way to avoid getting 3 wins again . . . maybe they get to 6. But I don't see the upside other than they won't be grossly incompetent. Yes, Vrabel would be tougher nosed than Mayo, and McDaniels has more experience than Van Pelt, but I think both MV and JM may suffer from the same thing BB did . . . that was then, and this is now. The game is different than 10 years ago.

IMO, Johnson offers a lot more creativity and can push the right buttons to modernize the offense quickly. Look what Kingsbury did in WAS. I think if they filled out the rest of the coaching staff with savvy, seasoned guys (and a couple young guys that could move up the ranks), they would be way better off than this past season. The biggest problem is the talent funnel . . . and Wolfe and company have not excelled on bringing in capable players. If they build the coaching staff properly, they should be able to indicate to the front office the types of players they want to have brought in . . . and that would accelerate the team growth and development process even faster.

But as we all have been saying for a while now, until they bring in more talent, the coaching staff (no matter who's on it) will be hamstrung to work miracles.

I real don't think you are being fair to me Vrabel...he has zero connections to BB since he became a Coach...sure he played for him and probably learned a ton from him (and I see that very much as a positive) but he is not part of the BB coaching tree...also, you are pigeon-holing him as an old school HC because of the offense he ran at Tennessee...he had Ryan Tannehill as his QB and Derrick Henry as his RB...what should he have done different? I do know he was BS when they traded AJ Brown instead of paying him...I don't think that is very old-school...actually from what I know about him I think he is one of the better football minds in the game and my guess he will be even better in his second-time around, especially having a potential franchise QB like Maye playing for him.

As for Kingsbury I'm not totally sure of the point...he was not successful as a first-time HC and right now is doing a great job for an HC that was a former DC in Dan Quinn...if you are saying Vrabel should hire an OC like Kingsbury as his OC I totally agree and there is no reason he shouldn't...overall, regardless of who gets hired (and I hope it is either Vrabel or Johnson) this is going to be a pretty long rebuilding process...Vrabel has a track record (former Coach-of-the-Year and taking a team to an AFC Championship game) and I think he would be a great hire to help get this team back to being a contender.
 
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Vrabel interviewed in-person yesterday and Johnson virtually today…hopefully the next HC is one of those two…Glenn turned down an interview…playing detective does that mean he thinks the Pats have already decided…also, I can’t believe either Vrabel or Johnson would come here if Wolf still had control of personnel…they have too many options to be good with that.
 
Vrabel interviewed in-person yesterday and Johnson virtually today…hopefully the next HC is one of those two…Glenn turned down an interview…playing detective does that mean he thinks the Pats have already decided…also, I can’t believe either Vrabel or Johnson would come here if Wolf still had control of personnel…they have too many options to be good with that.
Apparently Johnson and Wolf have some kind of relationship so maybe in the Johnson scenario he sticks around for some reason.

Will be interesting to see how quickly they move. With Glenn declining, nobody else in the queue so it could be quick.
 
Vrabel interviewed in-person yesterday and Johnson virtually today…hopefully the next HC is one of those two…Glenn turned down an interview…playing detective does that mean he thinks the Pats have already decided…also, I can’t believe either Vrabel or Johnson would come here if Wolf still had control of personnel…they have too many options to be good with that.
Lots of varying opinions on where things stand. Bedard says there's a 90%+ likelihood it will be Vrabel and it will be soon, based on the Kraft's not wanting to rookie coach again. Curran thinks MV is the most likely and leading candidate, but until there is an agreement, it means they are still looking at other options. Schefter still saying it could end up being Vrabel eventually, but NE will explore a lot more options and don't want to just go with the first thing that comes along without doing more due diligence (especially after last year where they didn't even interview anyone). He hinted at it could take weeks for them to decide.

Flores apparently has indicated he would like to be interviewed for the NE job, but I am not sure if his lawsuit makes him toxic for another HC position right now. I've seen other names suggested as options besides Johnson (but haven't heard anything about them pursuing any of them) . . . Joe Brady, Kliff Kingsbury, Adam Stenavich, Todd Monken, Liam Coen, Josh McCown, and old friend Bill O'Brien. Like I said, mostly people just spit balling potential options. As has been discussed already, they seem less likely to go with someone that is a complete outside with no ties to the NE organization.
 
Well, a bit of good news...Gonzalez made Second Team All-Pro...very well-deserved...the kid is a stud and along with Maye they are the only two legit high-end talents on this roster (unless Barmore can figure it out)...if the Pats are to get out of this mess he will be a big piece of it...the fact they are in such bad shape but have a potential franchise QB and a legit #1 CB almost doesn't make sense as they are two of the most important positions in football.
 
Well, a bit of good news...Gonzalez made Second Team All-Pro...very well-deserved...the kid is a stud and along with Maye they are the only two legit high-end talents on this roster (unless Barmore can figure it out)...if the Pats are to get out of this mess he will be a big piece of it...the fact they are in such bad shape but have a potential franchise QB and a legit #1 CB almost doesn't make sense as they are two of the most important positions in football.
I always wondered how guys could make All Pro teams but not make the Pro Bowl.
 
Well, a bit of good news...Gonzalez made Second Team All-Pro...very well-deserved...the kid is a stud and along with Maye they are the only two legit high-end talents on this roster (unless Barmore can figure it out)...if the Pats are to get out of this mess he will be a big piece of it...the fact they are in such bad shape but have a potential franchise QB and a legit #1 CB almost doesn't make sense as they are two of the most important positions in football.
I always wondered how guys could make All Pro teams but not make the Pro Bowl.

One is a popularity contest.
 
Rumors that Vrabel wants too much money. McDaniels said to likely be his OC. Johnson said to have had a very impressive interview.
 
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Rumors that Vrabel wants too much money. McDaniels said to likely be his OC. Johnson said to have had a very impressive interview.
I think McDaniels is too big a presence. Vrabel isn't a spotlight sharer type.

Yahoo reiterated Curran's thoughts-

"Curran elaborated on his point Thursday on Boston Sports Tonight while pointing out that it may benefit both Vrabel and the Patriots to strike a deal sooner than later to allow Vrabel time to choose his new OC and hit the ground running.

"I think he has plenty of options and has probably vetted them to a degree, but as far as I can tell, I don't know if he has one riding sidecar, and I don't blame him," Curran said of Vrabel. "Find out what Tommy Rees, who's been with him in Cleveland, what Josh McDaniels, who he knows well, what Nick Caley can do with Drake Maye. You have to sit down with those individuals and have it vetted out"
 
I like it.

Now, please no Josh McDaniels.

Let's get an OC who can bring something new to the table.

Now get rid of Wolf and we can start thinking about a bright future...I feel like I'm the only one who's not down on McDaniels (and I fully understand why and don't blame anyone for not wanting him)...not saying it gets me all fired-up but I do understand the thinking as he has done a good job in the past as an OC and because he will never be a future HC it brings stability for Maye...I would probably prefer someone coming out of the Shanny-O'Connell-McVay-Coen world but I'm not gonna be upset if it ends up being McDaniels.
 

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