North Carolina coach Bill Belichick had high praise for newly-hired New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, when appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday.
The Patriots hired Vrabel as their head coach on Sunday, a full week after firing Jerod Mayo.
Belichick has coached Vrabel and coached against him. Vrabel won three Super Bowls during his time in New England, and while he was the head coach for the Tennessee Titans, he defeated them in the playoffs and officially ended the dynasty.
That was the same year that quarterback Tom Brady decided to take his talents to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Now, Vrabel is back as the head coach for the Patriots and looking to turn things around for a team that has finished the last two straight seasons with a 4-13 record.
“I have a ton of respect for Mike. I think he does a great job,” said Belichick. “He prepares his teams well. They’re very good in situational football. They’re tough, they’re competitive, they’re smart—just like he was as a player.
“I think the teams that he’s coached and the position he’s coached follow very much in his playing style and his preparation style. I love Mike. I love everything that he stands for as a football coach. I have a lot of respect for him, and I’m sure he’ll do a great job.”
This will be the second time in the last year that the Patriots have tried to find a worthy successor to Belichick. There’s hope that an experienced coach with a winning track record, like Vrabel, will be the right man for the job.