The Next Coach in New England Should be the Guy You'd Most Want To Have a Beer With & for Me That's Mike Vrabel...

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Obviously, that title was written in jest, and that's not my criteria or anyone else's for hiring a head coach in the NFL…

Over the years, I've had a love-hate relationship with Bill Belichick. I loved all the winning but wasn't all in on some of his ego-inspired, arrogance-filled moves. As head coach of the Patriots, he's won 17 division titles and 13 AFC Championship games and made nine trips to the Super Bowl, winning six Super Bowl titles. His record is undeniable and makes for one hell of an NFL résumé.

But as one of his detractors, I think back to the famous 4th and two, Wes Welker's benching for making light-hearted remarks about Rex Ryan's foot fetish, the benching of Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII when he just might've made a difference, and changed the outcome, and the benching of rookie running back Jonas Gray in 2014 after he became only the third Patriot to gain 200 yards in a game, and seemingly for oversleeping when his cell phone died. And, how he stuck with his guy Laurence Maroney even after it was obvious he would never reach his potential. 

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Add in those post-game pressers where Belichick refused to give any meaningful information, and all the elite players he let walk over 24 years, and there's good reason not to buy into bringing him back in 2024, especially after going 4-13, the most losses by a Patriot's team since 1992, and finishing 12-22 over the last two years. 

Belichick recently said he'd like to stay in New England as head coach, and he'd be willing to give up his GM position. In that scenario, his kids would stay, Jarod Mayo might leave, and Josh McDaniels could be recycled as Offensive Coordinator. It could be déjà vu all over again…

Or, Kraft may decide that this is the perfect time for a change. He has options, but the window of opportunity is closing rapidly. There's pressure to wrap up because the draft is fast approaching, and he needs to have his next GM in place. And, the available coaches of interest aren't gonna sit around and wait. Some believe Kraft might be waiting until after Wild Card weekend to make his decision when more coaches, the ones who made it to the playoffs, get axed.

Recent reports say Kraft is looking for some compensation for Belichick and that the Bears, who have the number one pick in the 2024 draft, are a potential trading partner. It comes down to paying Belichick's 20 million dollar salary and parting with a draft pick, potentially a number two in 2025.

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Despite a Week 18 loss to the Jets 17-3 and a record of 4-13, Bill Belichick continues to dominate the NFL news cycle

Even with Wild Card weekend on the horizon, Bill Belichick has dominated the NFL news cycle, and the media is eating it up. Talk radio hosts are hoping the announcement comes during their watch so they can be the voices that break the story. Journalists and bloggers have to type quickly because our articles may be irrelevant before they're ever published. Everyone's feeling the pressure…

I would like to see Belichick and his kids move on, with or without compensation, and the Patriots hire recently fired Mike Vrabel. 

Vrabel played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes from '93 to '96, where he was a member of the All-American team twice, '95-'96, and became the first player named Big 10 Defensive Lineman of the Year, twice. He was a very successful linebacker in the NFL and played for Belichick from 2001-2007, where he recorded eight receiving touchdowns lining up as a tight end in goal line situations, and earned one Pro Bowl in 2007, the 18-1 season. He knows how to win, having been on three Patriot's Super Bowl teams.

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As a head coach of the Titans, Vrabel has to his credit one NFL Coach of the Year award in 2021 when he finished 12-5. His record with the Titans is 54-45 over six years. In 2019, his Titans finished 9-7, were a sixth-seeded Wild Card team, and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, 20-13. After beating the highly favored and top-seeded Baltimore Ravens 28-12 in the divisional round, the Titans advanced to the AFC Championship, where they lost to the Chiefs 35-24. Vrabel made two other playoff appearances with the Titans. 

Over the last two years, amidst some philosophical disagreements with Titan's ownership regarding collaboration between the coaching staff and the front office, Vrabel was fired one day after Black Monday. This comes after the Titans finished 6-11 in 2023 and 13-21 over the last two years. Because he was fired, Kraft can hire him without having to pay any compensation.

The time is right to hire Mike Vrabel to be the next head coach of the New England Patriots. 

Let's have that beer, Mike…