The New England Patriots have had a couple of abysmal seasons. The 6-time Super Bowl champions looked like a shadow of their former self as they ended yet another season 4-13. A string of poor performances meant hard decisions had to be taken, and they were. HC Jerod Mayo was let go at the end of the season, with Mike Vrabel being hired as his replacement. But was that the only issue with the Pats?

Well, according to recent reports by the Boston Herald, it seems not. A Patriots staff member has revealed that things were not great in the locker room. He said, “You get selfish guys like that being the ‘leaders,’ or at least influencers within the locker room,” the staffer said, via Doug Kyed and Andrew Callahan of The Boston Herald. “It’s (expletive).” With how the season progressed, it was clear that things were not right with the Pats. With certain players complaining about their roles to Mayo criticizing his team in public, it was evident there were cracks in the team. All of this seems to have culminated in a poor season and the firing of Jerod Mayo.

NFL insider Tom Curran mirrored the same sentiment as he talked about what went wrong with Jerod Mayo at the Pats. Speaking on the Rich Eisen Show, he said, “I would start with bad roster.” Curran also talked about how Mayo’s appointment as HC had to be accelerated; something the Patriots did not want to do. “That was not the timeline the Patriots anticipated,” he said.

There is no doubt that poor performances and the lack of real talent on the field led to such a poor result for the Pats. It must be noted though that things were not good on the backend as well. It seems like there was a toxic culture in the Pats’ locker room. No one took up that leadership role to stand up and guide the team through the tough phases.

Will Mike Vrabels’ hiring change the Patriots’ fortune?

Back in 2018, no one would have thought that 6 seasons later, the Patriots would be in such a bad place. They have made the playoffs just once in the past 5 seasons. The question now is, will Vrabel be able to help the Pats reach their former standards? Well, the former Titans head coach has set some clear goals that he wishes to achieve at the earliest.

The first thing that Vrabel will certainly concentrate on is the development of Drake Maye. The Patriots’ offense this season, was poor, to say the least. But if there was one bright spot for them, it was the rookie QB’s performance. Maye completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 2,576 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He is certainly someone who can become the ‘ACE’ for the team. Vrabel knows that and in his introductory presser shared how he will go about helping Maye.

“Put great people around him,” Vrabel said. “I would say that my involvement will be as it relates to game management and situational awareness and where we are on the football field, and trying to develop him as a leader of the offense. And when our quarterback, when they call the play, you want to say it like everybody’s going to believe it’s going to score a touchdown. With that type of emphasis on how everything is going to operate.”

The Patriots have been one of the most dominant teams in the league since the turn of the century. Everyone expects them to put up great performances and at least be around during the playoff stage. Well, with the departure of Mayo, the ownership is sending the same message. There are still some things off the field they need to work on. Getting the locker room together would be the first step in the right direction.