The Patriots’ new head coach explained what he is looking for in his OC.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has a long list of to-dos ahead of him. One of the most important items on it is finding an offensive coordinator responsible to leading that side of the ball and developing quarterback Drake Maye.
Several names have been mentioned as potential candidates, and time will tell what direction Vrabel wants to go in. Following his introductory press conference on Monday, he did explain what he is looking for in his OC.
“The versatility. The versatility of scheme,” Vrabel replied to a question from NESN’s Sean T. McGuire. “We need to make sure the players on our team are able to execute what we’re asking them to do. And if they can’t, then we can adjust the scheme.
“We want to be versatile. We want to be flexible. But coming back down to being a great teacher, being a great developer, and then inspiring players to do their job better by making a connection. That’s the point.”
Vrabel did not mention any candidates or targets by name on Monday, but his description brings a familiar name to mind: Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ two-time offensive coordinator is rumored to be high up on the list of candidates to become the team’s next OC under Vrabel.
In his 13 total years running the shown on offense for the Patriots, McDaniels reinvented his unit several times — oftentimes on the fly. Whether it was being at the forefront of the spread revolution of the mid-2000s, incorporating two-tight end sets in the early 2010s, focusing on ground-and-pound during the 2018 Super Bowl run, or designing quarterback runs for Cam Newton in 2020, McDaniels has a deep playbook to offer.
That does not mean other offensive coordinator candidates won’t also fulfill the requirements outlined by Vrabel, of course. However, of the names mentioned as potential arrivals in New England, none offer the same combination of versatility, experience and proven track record (plus a contract still being paid by the Las Vegas Raiders).
Ultimately, though, a versatile scheme will not be the be-all and end-all of finding the next Patriots OC. Vrabel said so himself.
“There’s going to be some good calls; there’s going to be some bad calls; there’s going to be some calls we want back. There’s no perfect call, right? The best call is one that’s decisive and that the players understand, and that they believe in, and that they have answers to,” he said.
“That, to me, is the most important thing — that they can get to the line of scrimmage, or that they can break the huddle on defense, or they can cover a kick and they know exactly what to do. They believe in it, and they have time and there’s no panic under the play clock; or the offense is set and the defense doesn’t have a call. I don’t care how good the call is, it’s not a very good one because they’re not ready and it’s late. So, be decisive and also make sure the players believe in it.”
Would an offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels be able to fulfill those requirements? He was able to during his first two stints in New England, but times have changed at One Patriot Place and in the NFL as a whole since his most recent departure in 2022.
Ultimately, the call is Mike Vrabel’s to made. Based on the criteria he mentioned, McDaniels would seem like a good fit, though.