Why Bill O'Brien believes Mike Vrabel is a great fit as Patriots head coach
FOXBORO -- Bill O'Brien has his hands full as head coach of the Boston College Eagles and is bringing high hopes into the 2025 season. But he still has an eye on his former team, the New England Patriots, and is feeling extremely upbeat about the Mike Vrabel era in Foxboro.
O'Brien and Vrabel have known each other for nearly 20 years, dating back to when O'Brien first joined the Patriots staff in 2006 and Vrabel was still a playmaking linebacker for the then-three-time Super Bowl champs. Vrabel's first NFL coaching job was on O'Brien's staff in Houston, first as his linebackers coach from 2014-16 and then as Texans defensive coordinator in 2017.
In a sitdown interview with WBZ-TV's Dan Roche, O'Brien said that Vrabel is one of the best assistant coaches he's ever worked with. He believes that Vrabel and former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick have a lot in common with their approach, but Vrabel will bring plenty of his own flair to the job.
"Great fit. He's going to be who he is," O'Brien told Roche. "He's going to be himself, but he has a lot of beliefs that are similar to what made that place what it was. Bill built that into a dynasty over 20 years. Mike played in that dynasty.
"Mike has some of those foundational beliefs, but Mike brings his own style to it, which I think is huge and I think it'll be great for the Patriots," added O'Brien.
What makes Mike Vrabel such a great coach?
When O'Brien first joined Belichick's staff in New England, Vrabel made an immediate impact on him. It was the offseason when O'Brien was hired as an offensive assistant, but Vrabel was still around the facilities. Vrabel introduced himself immediately, and O'Brien felt a bond right off the bat.
That is the way Vrabel makes anyone feel after meeting him.
"It didn't matter who you were, you could be the third equipment manager, he knew everybody. He would shake your hand and introduce himself. He had a personality that told you right away that he wanted to know you. 'Where were you from and what was your background?' That always resonated with me, when Vrabel introduced himself right away," explained O'Brien.
O'Brien never forgot that first meeting and the two remained close after their time together in New England came to an end. He tried to hire Vrabel to his staff when he took over as head coach at Penn State in 2011, but their reunion had to wait a few years.
"We stayed in touch and we became really close friends because I think we believe in the same things," said O'Brien. "He's probably one of the best -- if not the best -- assistant coaches I've ever had.
It's Vrabel's ability to connect with players up and down the roster, not to mention the support staff, that makes him such a great leader and coach.
"He really did a good job of several different things. He could coach the position, he could develop the player, he could connect with the player. It didn't matter what the player's background was, whether it was Whitney Mercilus, Jadeveon Clowney, or Brian Cushing. They all came from different backgrounds and he had a way of connecting with those guys -- which I think you'll see at the Patriots -- that made those guys really want to improve for him.
"He was a tough coach. Not a demanding coach, but I thought he did a great job developing players and connecting with players," said O'Brien.
Josh McDaniels will do wonders for Drake Maye
O'Brien is also plenty familiar with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, whom he worked under as New England's quarterbacks coach and replaced at OC in 2011. He said bringing McDaniels back to be Vrabel's offensive coordinator was a no-brainer.
"I think if you have a chance to hire Josh McDaniels as an offensive coordinator, who's better than that? He's very bright, he's a great play caller, and he's stayed up with the trends of the game," O'Brien said of McDaniels.
McDaniels was out of football last year after his second stint as an NFL head coach came to an end in 2023. But he visited with a number of teams -- both pros and college -- in his year away from the game to get some new perspective. That included a stop at Chestnut Hill, and O'Brien believes those trips have only added to McDaniels' vast offensive knowledge.
"I think he's going to bring a lot of different creativity to that offense that Drake Maye will love, and the players around him will love it too," said O'Brien.
O'Brien pumped for his second season at Boston College
While O'Brien is eager to see what Vrabel and company do in Foxboro, he's even more optimistic about his Boston College Eagles. O'Brien went 7-6 in his first season as head coach at BC, and has high hopes for 2025 after a successful recruiting period. And with home games against Clemson, SMU, and Notre Dame on the schedule, believes Boston College football could be appointment viewing on Saturdays in New England.
"[We] play an exciting brand of football, which I think we did this year. We didn't do all that we wanted to do but we put a good product on the field," said O'Brien. "If we continue to do that, I think people will come to watch us play."
O'Brien jokes that he couldn't get into Boston College until becoming the head coach. But he has always had love for the school because his wife, Colleen is an Eagles alumni.
What's crystal clear is that O'Brien takes a lot of pride in his job.
"To be from here, to live here, it's just a great place. These are my roots," said O'Brien, an Andover native. "I grew up north of here. I go to the Cape. I have a lot of great friends here and great friends that played here at Boston College. I take a lot of pride being the head coach of BC, we live about a mile away from campus. Colleen went to school here and we both take a lot of pride being back involved in Boston College. We think we can do something special here.
"We have to do it, but I love coming to work every day," added O'Brien.
