Ever since the New England Patriots fired Jerod Mayo, the biggest question in everyone’s mind was who next? Well, the answer to that question was Mike Vrabel. The Pats have hired the former Titans HC hoping that he brings back the glory days back to Gillette stadium. Everything seems in line for this to happen, with Vrabel expected to bring that winning mindset back to the team. It won’t be an easy job, though.

The last two seasons for the Pats have been very poor, with both ending with a 4-13 record. And while there have been several issues that have caused this, a lack of good offense certainly is one of them. This means that hiring a great OC will be the key for Vrabel and one name that has been in the mix for the same is Josh McDaniels.

Mike Reiss talked about whether Vrabel will go the McDaniels’ way. During his appearance on the Toucher and Hardy podcast, he said, “Josh McDaniels has never coached with Mike Vrabel, and I think that’s significant.” An interesting conversation ensued as Mike Felger and Tony Massarotti both gave their takes: “I don’t think Josh McDaniels would be Mike Vrabel’s top choice right now.” “I don’t have any firm reporting on what direction (Mike Vrabel) wants to go.”

Well, why would the Patriots’ new HC not want to go with McDaniels? There seems to be only one reason and it might be that Vrabel does not want to go back to the ‘Belichick path’. McDaniels was the OC at the Pats during Belichick’s time. Well, this might affect Vrabel’s thinking, as he might not want to bring that same mentality back to the Pats.

Mike Vrabel won’t be focusing directly on the offense or defense. The former Super Bowl winner will be more about overseeing the entire team. Because of this, he must hire coordinators he can trust, especially the offensive coordinator, who will work closely with Drake Maye. The big question is, could Josh McDaniels be the right choice for that role?

It does make sense, though, doesn’t it? The former Raiders HC has that experience and has shown he can develop QBs. McDaniels has worked with young quarterbacks like Mac Jones, Derek Carr, and Cam Newton and has helped them get ready for a higher level of play. McDaniels’ best seasons were indeed with Tom Brady as QB, but his work with these youngsters is a testament to his ability as an OC. Well, while Vrabel deals with this dilemma, there are also questions about what the team’s thoughts were on Mayo getting fired.

The Pats cornerback Jones talked about it on the Pats Interference Football Podcast: “Everybody kind of views it their own way. And so you have a little bit of people who are shocked, some of them say, ‘Hey, I kind of expected that,’ you know? Just a little bit of everything in between.” Well, everything is done now and Mayo is out while Vrabel is in. And if the Pats need to get back on top, the new HC will need the support of everyone on the team.

If not Josh McDaniels, who will the Patriots go for?

Well, McDaniels seems like a perfect choice, and some reports do suggest he is the front-runner for the role. But the question remains, if not him, who do the Patriots look toward? Well, the Browns’ tight ends coach Tommy Rees was being touted as one who could take up the role. But it seems like the Pats were a bit late and Stefanski realized Rees’ worth and promoted him to the OC role at Browns.

Vrabel might have missed out on the Browns’ man, but there are a couple of Rams coaches that could fit in that Pats OC role. The Rams TEs coach Nick Caley and their OC Mike LeFleur are amongst the possible names. Vrabel has worked with the elder LeFleur brother, as Matt was Vrabel’s OC during his time with the Titans. Well, will one see something similar happening with the younger brother?

Todd Downing, Tim Kelly, and Pep Hamilton are among the other names that can be potential OCs for the Pats. There are a plethora of options that Vrabel can look into. The 49-year-old though needs to take a call season. He will be hoping to fix his coaching well in advance so that he can then work on the other issues. Well, we will soon find out more about the same. For now, McDaniels does look like one heading to the Pats. We just have to wait and see.