Current and former Patriots weren’t surprised Sunday when news broke that New England hired former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel as the 16th head coach in franchise history.
Multiple players remain a little miffed as to how things were handled in the hours after the regular-season finale — many found out about the firing of Jerod Mayo via TV and social media, and remain upset they weren’t able to say goodbye to their coach.
But many expressed excitement about what the future holds with Vrabel in charge, noting that the decision to turn the page so quickly — the move from Mayo to Vrabel is the fastest coaching changeover since Washington named Ron Rivera head coach two days after the end of the 2019 season — is a positive.
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“I appreciate Coach Mayo for believing in me, and I’m excited to work hard to earn Coach Vrabel’s respect and trust,” said running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
“It’s a chance to write another chapter in the story,” said punter Bruce Baringer. “Each year is its own. I’m looking forward to working with Coach Vrabel. It’s fortunate that the hire was so quick, and that we can get to work quickly.”
“I’m excited for Coach Vrabel, and excited for the organization,” said linebacker Christian Elliss, who will be a restricted free agent this offseason. “Honestly, I was surprised they were able to find someone so quickly. I thought it would take longer. But it’s exciting.
“Time to get the ball rolling.”
Many former players were excited about the addition of Vrabel. On ESPN Sunday morning, former New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi lauded the choice of Vrabel while taking a shot at the Patriots’ power structure last season, one that celebrated “collaboration” when it came to the team-building process.
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“I love the hire. Of course, this guy is a friend of mine,” Bruschi said. “But there’s 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.”
Other former Patriots hardly sounded surprised, especially given the way the coaching search played out over the past week.
“This guy is going to keep everyone accountable in the organization, from the coaching staff to the players. He’s going to keep himself accountable. And even the front office,” said Rob Gronkowski, speaking on the Fox pregame show. “Let me tell you, once again, this guy has the knowledge. He has the power. He’s going to be great.”
This is Vrabel’s second stint as a head coach. He served as head coach of the Titans for six seasons, and went 54-45. For the most part, the players he favored mirrored his playing style when he was a linebacker with Pittsburgh, New England, and Kansas City: smart, tough, and physical.
In New England, he’ll inherit a roster coming off back-to-back 4-13 seasons, which means it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a serious amount of roster turnover. Cornerback Logan Ryan, who played for Vrabel in Tennessee after a stint with the Patriots, says it’s easy to find Vrabel’s favorite type of player.
“I would say Mike likes to coach players who are serious about winning,” Ryan said. “I do think he can relate to the locker room. He was a guy who had a lot of roles in the NFL. He was a role player at the start, he was a star player, and then, he was the veteran.
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“My biggest point with him is that he got the best out of the players when he was coaching them. Derrick Henry. A.J. Brown became a superstar. Ryan Tannehill had a second coming. And there were others. I think when you see your best players playing their best ball, that’s in large part because of the coaching.”
Former Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan posted a video on social media Sunday after the news broke, offering some insight for players into what it’s like to have Vrabel as head coach.
“If you’re a player, you need to keep your [expletive] head on a swivel. OK? You need to understand that [expletive] is about to be really hard for a little bit. And it’s going to be OK,” he said. “Just know, you’re about to go into hell for a little bit. … [But] boys, I’m telling you, it’s going to work out.”
Ryan said he laughed when he saw Lewan’s video.
“I think it was a rude awakening for Taylor, because he’d never seen anything like it,” Ryan said. “Mike saw him in practice, and he put plays together on tape that showed what Taylor looked like when wasn’t at his best. And Taylor might not have been used to that.
“For players who have never had a New England-style coach, it’ll be a wake-up call” Ryan added, alluding to Bill Belichick’s coaching influence on Vrabel, “that shook guys up in Tennessee. He didn’t know what to expect. It was funny knowing what was coming. Those guys had no idea.”
In the end, Ryan said Vrabel’s coaching style can be boiled down to one word: accountability. And that starts with putting a good performance on tape.
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“The teaching tape that he puts up there, there’s good and bad,” Ryan said. “There can be good things you learn from. But if you are going to coast through practice, he will put that up there.
“A lot of guys are so used to hearing all the good things they do, so it can be embarrassing. But it can also work in your favor. He’s going to have the good, the bad, and the ugly on there.
“In the end with him, it’s all about accountability.”
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.