Daily news and links for Tuesday.
TEAM TALK
- Patriots formally introduce Mike Vrabel as the 16th head coach in team history.
- Evan Lazar picks his top candidates for the Patriots next offensive coordinator.
- Paul Perillo’s NFL Notes: Patriots get their man; Wild card duds.
- Press Conference: Robert Kraft and Mike Vrabel. (40 min. video plus Transcript)
- Highlights: Head coach Mike Vrabel spends his first day in New England. (1 min. video)
- Patriots Unfiltered: Mike Vrabel sits down with the crew to give some insight into his coaching style, and what his plans are with the team going forward. (13 min. video)
- Photos: Mike Vrabel introduced as head coach of the New England Patriots.
LOCAL LINKS
- Taylor Kyles addresses 3 burning questions following Mike Vrabel’s hiring as Patriots HC. 1. Did the Patriots rush their search process?
- Mark Daniels reports Mike Vrabel’s search for an OC will start today; Josh McDaniels is included on what Vrabel says is “a long list.”
- Doug Kyed discusses the realistic goals, future vision and team identity and culture Mike Vrabel laid out yesterday.
- Conor Ryan shares six takeaways from Vrabel’s introduction, including Eliot Wolf’s future and More.
- Chris Mason shares 7 Patriots takeaways from Mike Vrabel introduction. 1. Vrabel has a vision.
- Matt Vautour explains Mike Vrabel is trying to start something new not go back to the way things were.
- Khari Thompson relays what Mike Vrabel said about his plan for developing Drake Maye. “Drake is going to be his own person, but I’m going to give him some things that I feel like are necessary to help us win football games.”
- Ian Logue highlights Josh McDaniels on developing Drake Maye: “There’s no shortcut”
- Karen Guregian agrees Mike Vrabel could motivate a rock, but the team also needs a significant talent upgrade.
- Karen Guregian hears from OT Taylor Lewan, a former Titans Pro Bowler, offering a primer on Mike Vrabel.
- Alex Barth introduces us to Ryan Cowden, Mike Vrabel’s first front office hire. Cowden began his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers as a scout in 2000, and moved up the ranks.
- Bob Socci Socci’s View: At this time, in this place, the ‘ideal Patriot’ player is the ideal coach.
- Zack Cox notes Captain Joe Cardona, one of the Patriots’ longest-tenured players knows he needs to “earn the trust” of Mike Vrabel’s new coaching staff.
- Conor Ryan hears from former Pats QB Matt Cassel who thinks Vrabel will bring some much-needed accountability to a personnel department that whiffed on multiple decisions in recent years.
- Darren Hartwell relays Tedy Bruschi calling out the Patriots front office, “There are some people in the front office that need to be told, ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’”
- Conor Ryan tells us what Bill Belichick said about Mike Vrabel taking over. “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.”
- Lauren Campbell passes along a report that Mike Vrabel told Tom Brady before becoming the Patriots coach, ‘I’m gonna end up going back to New England.’
- Pats Procrastination podcast: Clare and Chudders celebrate the dawn of a new era, the introduction of the new head coach of the New England Patriots – Mike Vrabel! (33 min.)
- Locked On Patriots podcast: Mike D’Abate and Steve Balestrieri discuss whether Mike Vrabel is the game-changer the Patriots need, potential front office shifts and coordinators; More. (39 min.)
NATIONAL NEWS
- Nora Princiotti (The Ringer) For the Patriots, this coaching search was always going to end with Mike Vrabel; After a hasty (and perhaps disingenuous) coaching search, the Patriots have hired Vrabel. Now it’s up to the former New England linebacker to build the team around Drake Maye and lead them back to prominence.
- Albert Breer (SI) Wild-Card Weekend Takeaways: Bills-Ravens game should be electric; Plus, how the Eagles’ defense improved, Jayden Daniels is nails, notes on the Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel, how Vikings-Rams was moved to Arizona and much more.
- Gilberto Manzano (SI) What we learned in NFL Wild-Card Round: Quarterback narratives can change quickly; Plus, the Eagles’ sluggish passing game could cost them and the Buccaneers need defensive upgrades.
- Jimmy Traina (SI) Tony Romo committed the weekend’s biggest broadcasting blunder; More.
- Jeffri Chadiha (NFL.com) The First Read: NFL Divisional Round. Biggest immediate question for advancing/eliminated playoff teams.
- Albert Breer (SI) 10 things to watch ahead of the NFL Divisional Round.
- Gilberto Manzano (SI) NFL’s 2024 stat leaders: Bengals’ trio shines despite disappointing year.
- Kyle Koster (SI) Tedy Bruschi: Jayden Daniels is the best rookie QB I’ve ever seen.
- Henry McKenna (Fox Sports) Why the MVP race between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson is such a tough choice.
- Nora Princiotti (The Ringer) The Steelers are stuck in a time loop of mediocrity. And it’s getting old.
- Nora Princiotti (The Ringer) In bungling the Mike McCarthy breakup, has Jerry Jones once again misplayed his hand?