Bill Belichick speaks glowingly of new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel

Vrabel was hired as the Patriots’ new head coach on Sunday.

The New England Patriots introduced Mike Vrabel as their 16th head coach on Monday. The same day, the organization’s 14th HC gave a glowing review of him.

Appearing on ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show, Bill Belichick sang Vrabel’s praises. The two men worked together for eight years between 2001 and 2008, when Belichick coached the Patriots to three of his six total Super Bowl wins and Vrabel appeared in 142 games as a starting linebacker.

“I think Mike’s done a great job,” Belichick said. “Certainly his entry in coaching was no surprise to any of us that knew him. Coached him at New England. I talked to him when he was at Ohio State, and then when he went to the Texans, and then, of course, at Tennessee, and we practiced against them. I’ve stayed in very close contact with Mike.

“I have a ton of respect for Mike. I think he does a great job. 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. Teams that he’s coached and the positions he’s coached follow very much in his playing style and his preparation style. So, I love Mike. I love everything that he stands for as a football coach, and I have a lot of respect for him. I’m sure he’ll do a great job.”

The Patriots hired Vrabel a week after parting ways with Jerod Mayo, who went 4-13 in his lone season as the Kraft family’s hand-picked successor to Belichick.