I Could Listen to Mike Vrabel Say He Came to New England to Coach Drake Maye All Day

Anthony Nesmith. Shutterstock Images.

There times when things are going your way, and you're sitting on top of the world, the envy of all you survey, when it helps to take a look back at where you came from. Not to complain in a Monty Python "The Four Yorkshiremen" sketch kind of way about how tough you had it. But more in the way of keeping things in perspective. To see how you got to this point and appreciate how good you have it. 

For example, at this time last year the Patriots, coincidentally enough, were coming off a Week 14 bye just like they are now. Which is where, through the grace of God, the similarities end. They were 3-10, losers of three straight, and with a head coach who was batting about .500 when it came to making public statements he had to apologize for:

And with just under 12 hours to go in the Year of Our Lord 2024, I was desperately clinging to the hope the Krafts would make a change at head coach:

[W]hile Mike Vrabel's interest in the job is still only in the rumor stage, it's a rumor that has been around for weeks and refuses to go away. Despite the fact he's also been linked to Ohio State, the Bears, Raiders and Jets, every credible report is that the New England job is his first choice. The fact it's currently occupied, notwithstanding. … Vrabel would sooner spend 2025 driving Ubers than take the Jets job. But he wants the Patriots. There's simply too much smoke for there not to be a raging fire of interest here. 

As far as Mr. Kraft wanting to stick by Mayo, it's understandable. No one wants to fire someone they've been interested in hiring for five years or more. …

But this isn't about emotional connections, relationships, respect or human levels of anything. This is the NF frigging L. When you get the chance to hire a successful coach with a track record of winning and who actually wants the job, all the feelings no longer apply. You make this move and don't look back. …

Vrabel is the best, most [Bill] Parcellian hope we have going forward. All I want for early 2025 is for this to happen.

As the one who always wears pink in the movie your girlfriend dragged you to where the two witches sing puts it, "Happy is what happens when all your dreams come true." And when you get everything you've asked for as I have, it's good to take a moment to reflect on how it all came to be. In this case, why Vrabel chose the Patriots over all those other job openings:

Dave: "How important was the quarterback being there? Drake?"

Vrabel: "Vital. It's vitally important. You better - when you take a job, if you have a choice, you better have a quarterback or you better have a path to one. Drake was special. … With his athleticism, but also being able to function and operate inside the pocket I think has been really cool to see."

So as we look back at the fetid compost piles that were back-to-back 4-13 seasons, we're now seeing what grew from all that decomposition. Losses to the Bills and Jets to end the 2023 season led to Bill Belichick getting fired. But it also locked up the No. 3 pick that became Drake Maye. Six straight losses down the stretch in 2024, ending with a 40-7 beat down at home to the Chargers, sealed Mayo's fate. Maye's future couldn't be trusted to Mayo and Alex Van Pelt, so Mr. Kraft did what practically no one - certain not I - thought he would do, which is fire Mayo after just one year. If any of those 26 from 2023-24 didn't happen, we might not have exactly the right quarterback, precisely the correct head coach, and clearly the bang-on offensive coordinator we need to dominate pro football once again. 

As for how it's going, beyond "just" the 11-2 record and 10 straight wins, Maye so far ahead of schedule in terms of his development that it defies logic. Consider the following:

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… in EPA/Play 

4th in Success Rate 

Definition of Ethical Baller. 

During the bye, he was passed by Dak Prescott in passing yards. Despite having almost 100 fewer attempts. 

And even the NFL's own Propaganda Ministry is acknowledging the MVP is very much within his grasp:

But those are just stats and potential awards. What counts is that the Patriots once again find themselves with a quarterback everyone fears, a coach everyone respects, and a future that everyone outside of New England dreads. And I will never grow tired of hearing Vrabel talk about how his 23 year old signal caller led him to this job.

Looking back, the past two seasons of abject failure and humiliation were exactly what we needed. Thanks, universe.