Bill Belichick thinks Mike Vrabel will do a great job as Patriots head coach
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots are receiving heaps of praise for hiring Mike Vrabel as the franchise's next head coach. Even Bill Belichick appears to be a fan of the move.
Or at least Belichick is a big fan of Vrabel, as he made abundantly clear during his Monday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. Belichick and Vrabel had a great relationship during their eight years together in New England, when Vrabel played a key role for the Patriots defense during the franchise's first run to three Super Bowl titles.
Belichick always loved Vrabel's versatility and attitude as a player, and has enjoyed watching Vrabel become a respected and successful coach, first as an assistant at Ohio State and with the Houston Texans and then as head coach of the Tennessee Titans for six years. Vrabel's run in Tennessee included a postseason win over Belichick and the Patriots in Foxboro during the 2019 NFL playoffs.
Belichick sounded confident that Vrabel -- a Patriots Hall of Famer -- will succeed on the sideline in New England.
"Mike has done a great job. Certainly his entry in coaching was no surprise to anyone that knew him," Belichick said Monday. "Coached him at New England. I talked to him when he was at Ohio State, and then when he went to the Texans, and then, of course, at Tennessee. We practiced against them and I've stayed in very close contact with Mike. I have a ton of respect for Mike. I think he does a great job. 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.
"I think teams that he's coached and the positions he's coached follow very much in his playing style and his preparation style," Belichick continued. "I love Mike. I love everything that he stands for as a football coach, and I have a lot of respect for him. I'm sure he'll do a great job."
While Belichick didn't outright praise the Patriots for hiring Vrabel, that is more confidence than he ever expressed after the team hired Jerod Mayo just a year ago. Granted, Mayo was the man to replace Belichick after he was let go in New England (the franchise framed it as a mutual parting of the ways), so it's easy to understand why he was feeling some sour grapes throughout the 2024 season.
But Belichick is clearly on board with Vrabel taking over the New England franchise and putting his own stamp on the organization.
Mike Vrabel on his relationship with Bill Belichick
Vrabel said during his introduction on Monday that he wants everyone in the building to feel comfortable to share their own opinions. He said that strong organizational communication from the top to the bottom is key to success.
During his playing days, Vrabel was one of the few players that wasn't afraid to speak his mind to Belichick. That earned him loads of respect in the New England locker room (and from Belichick, too) and was an early glimpse of what would make Vrabel a good head coach.
But Vrabel said that while his relationship with Belichick is special, it won't do much to help the Patriots win in 2025 and beyond.
"It is unique. Let's be real for a minute and say, having played for him and competed against him, and also having a friendship with Bill along the way, it's special and unique having played here," Vrabel said Monday. "We're going to have to focus on things that are going to help us win now, help our players, and like I said, galvanize the building and the team and our fan base.
"There are things that are interesting and important. Me having played for Bill is interesting, but I don't know if its important to helping our players," added Vrabel.