Change has begun in New England, and many -- including at least one former Patriots player -- believe that's a good thing.
The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach Sunday, just one week after firing Jerod Mayo following a 4-13 season. Vrabel was widely viewed as the favorite to land the job thanks to his deep ties to New England -- he won three Super Bowls over eight seasons with the Patriots and is a member of the team's Hall of Fame -- and no-nonsense personality.
Ex-Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who spent eight seasons as Vrabel's defensive teammate in New England, gave a strong endorsement of Vrabel's hiring Sunday on ESPN's NFL Countdown.
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"He's the right man for the job," Bruschi said, via ESPN's Mike Reiss. "It's been bad for the last two years with the New England Patriots organization.
"When they hired Jerod, at the press conference, a big word that was used was 'collaboration.' Everybody's input and all that stuff; well, I don't know how much it is that any more. And I think that's a good thing. Because Vrabel isn't going to joke around. Vrabel is going to tighten the screws."
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Bruschi then appeared to take a shot at the Patriots' front office, which is currently led by executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.
"In my opinion, there are some people in the front office that need to be told, 'You don't know what you're doing and you need to take a step back,'" Bruschi said.
"...I love the hire. Of course, this guy is a friend of mine. But there is going to be a change. I'm a little bit surprised that this happened because there are some people upstairs in the organization that want to be heard. And sometimes they're going to have to take a bite of 'humble pie' and understand 'your opinion doesn't matter on this one' because there are people in the building that know more.
"I hope that is what happens this time around, because the collaboration project did not work. I'm glad it's going to change a little bit to a coach that has more experience and they know what they're getting exactly with Mike Vrabel."
The Patriots have touted a "collaborative" front office approach in the last several years, with Wolf, director of player personnel Matt Groh and others supposedly having input even when Bill Belichick was head coach. The results simply haven't followed, however. The Patriots have one of the NFL's least talented rosters, and outside selecting Drake Maye at No. 3 overall, their 2024 NFL Draft was an abject disaster, highlighted by an ill-fated trade that resulted in New England selecting Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker while the Los Angeles Chargers landed wide receiver Ladd McConkey and cornerback Tarheeb Still.
What the front office looks like with Vrabel in charge remains to be seen. While team owner Robert Kraft said in a press conference last week that Wolf will be "staying on," Phil Perry reports there's "no guarantee" that Wolf will be leading the team's personnel department.
Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported Sunday that New York Giants executive Ryan Cowden, who was Vrabel's head of personnel with the Tennessee Titans, is expected to join the Patriots' front office. So, perhaps Vrabel brings in more of his own people while Wolf takes on a different role.
That would appear to be the preference of Bruschi, who is hoping Vrabel takes charge in more ways than one in his new job.