January 12, 2024. The New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had envisioned a new era for the franchise. Moving on from Bill Belichick’s ‘domination’, Kraft was “looking for collaboration” as they hired Jerod Mayo. Not even a year has passed after that, 362 days to be precise. And Kraft once again has a shift in vision. Following a miserable 4-13 season that led to the firing of Mayo, Kraft said he wanted to “expedite our return to championship contention.” And he looks to fulfill that by appointing former linebacker of the franchise Mike Vrabel as the 16th head coach. So what does Vrabel bring to the table?

Vrabel, who played for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008, and was an integral member of 3 Super Bowl championship teams, was often credited by coach Belichick for his fundamentals, commitment to team success, toughness, leadership, situational awareness, and intelligence, among other things. All these often reflected in Vrabel’s tenure with the Tennessee Titans, where he coached from 2018 to 2023, posting a 54-45 regular-season record and 2-3 mark in the playoffs. During that stint, his game management, which often has the Bill Belichick touch, has impressed Kraft, according to insiders. Interestingly, as Vrabel puts it, he imbibes much of these from his time as a Patriots player.

In his Patriots Hall of Fame speech in 2023, Vrabel said what he experienced in the locker room as a player in New England remains the standard of his goals as a coach. “We held each other accountable, because there was trust, there was an understanding, a respect that you could say things that needed to be said to each other,” he said. “Every day that’s what I’m trying to recreate wherever I coach. I don’t know if we’ll get it, but every day I’m going to try because nothing was more important than the team.” Former Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski can attest that these are exactly what Vrabel is going to incorporate into the struggling Patriots squad.

Well, the four-time Super Bowl Champion has sent a message to the Patriots Nation from his Fox Studio briefly after Vrabel was announced as the new head coach, “The New England Patriots got their guy this morning in Patriot great Mike Vrabel. And let me tell you, Patriots fans are thrilled. This guy is going to keep everyone accountable in the organization, from the coaching staff to the players.” Now, Gronk didn’t just stop in his first thoughts on how Vrabel’s appointment could probably look like.

He went on to add what Vrabel might actually do, “This guy has knowledge, he has the power, and he’s going to be great. He knows how to discipline players.” And you know what makes Gronk’s take on Vrabel really stand out? Vrabel’s former player, Logan Ryan, who played under him for two seasons, had similar thoughts.

Ryan described Vrabel as the toughest coach you could ever witness, “It’s authentic. He’s demanding and a leader, which is how he was as a player. Players can smell out if a coach isn’t being himself. And with Vrabel, what you see is what you get.” It seems Vrabel already has quite a few fans before he even gets to work in Foxborough. One more notable former Patriot is also among them.

Former linebacker Tedy Bruschi’s critique gave another perspective. For the unversed, Bruschi is one of the franchise’s all-time great players and ambassadors whom Belichick once referred to as the “perfect Patriot.” So, his words on the state of the franchise demand consideration. Moreover, he is also close friends with Vrabel.

Speaking on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, Bruschi said: “It has been bad for the last two years with the New England Patriots organization … Vrabel isn’t going to joke around. Vrabel is going to tighten the screws. 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.'”

“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,” he added.

With all these endorsements behind him, the expectations will be higher than ever for the former Titans coach. As for Gronk, his appreciation of Robert Kraft for choosing the former 3-time Super Bowl Champion is a bit surprising. Anyone who remembers his rant when the Krafts pulled the plug on Jerod Mayo should ring some bells.

Rob Gronkowski lashes out on Robert Kraft for sacking Jerod Mayo

Kraft knew Mayo had no prior head coaching experience before offering him the Patriots job. But he did it anyway. And we all know how that turned out to be. Mayo failed to establish any character in the Patriots’ locker room. Week after week, the Patriots looked like a team ready to hand over wins without showing any character whatsoever. However, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” was the message the Patriots started sending out when everyone started targeting Mayo, even their own fans.

But none of those tactics worked as Kraft decided to sort out the mess of Mayo by letting him go after just one season. Well, that decision didn’t go down well in the eyes of Rob Gronkowski at that time. The former Patriots TE lashed out at the Patriots front office from his Fox studio, “I was shocked by that and to happen that soon was a shocker to a lot of people, especially here at the desk. We were surprised by that. I think it was unfair to coach Jerod Mayo. I mean, he had never had the chance to develop as a head coach.”

Where are those sentiments now, Gronk? We can’t help but ask if the five-time Pro Bowler is still upset with Kraft firing Mayo and hiring Vrabel. It seems he isn’t anymore, and neither are the Patriots fans who questioned Kraft’s authority. So, for now, only time will tell how his appointment will turn out to be after two miserable seasons in the Patriots glorified history.