New England Patriots followers are understandably excited that Patriots Corridor of Famer and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel turned New England’s new head coach in January.
Nevertheless, Patriots insider Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports activities Journal famous throughout Tuesday’s version of the “All 32 NFL Podcast” that there’s one vital concern relating to Vrabel serving as the primary man for a franchise in 2025.
“His offensive imaginative and prescient in Tennessee wasn’t superior,” Giardi mentioned about Vrabel, as shared by Adam London of NESN. “They by no means have been that form of cutting-edge offense. They by no means pushed it a ton. Clearly, when you may have a quarterback like Drake Maye, there’s a excessive ceiling right here. …I’m simply curious when push involves shove and there are onerous occasions — there all the time are throughout the course of the season — how that workers comes collectively and offers with the adversity.”
Vrabel went 54-45 as head coach of the Titans, guided the membership to one convention championship sport look and turned a one-time Related Press Coach of the Yr Award winner throughout his Tennessee tenure that ran from 2018-23. With that mentioned, Evan Lazar of the Patriots’ web site talked about on Jan. 21 that some may very well be apprehensive “that the Patriots shall be a conservative, run-first offense within the Vrabel period” contemplating how Vrabel closely leaned on star operating again Derrick Henry whereas with the Titans.
Per ESPN stats, the Titans ended the 2023 season ranked twenty eighth within the NFL with a median of 289.0 yards per sport and tied for twenty seventh with a median of 17.9 factors scored per contest. Titans controlling proprietor Amy Adams Strunk parted methods with Vrabel in January 2024.
Giardi’s take serves as a reminder that Vrabel’s largest transfer of the offseason could also be bringing longtime New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels again to the group to function Maye’s new OC. It additionally should not be forgotten that Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft employed Vrabel after New England was allegedly responsible for a “soft” team through the 2024 season.
“He is absolutely the proper man for this group presently,” Giardi added about Vrabel. “There’s no query. They wanted somebody who had been there and performed that earlier than. Somebody conversant in the market. Somebody with previous head-coaching expertise and success. I like that he’s old fashioned however in a new-school approach.”
Former Patriots players routinely credit score McDaniels for serving to Tom Brady develop into arguably the best quarterback in NFL historical past. The expectation is that Vrabel will hand the keys to the offense over to McDaniels.
