Former New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi gave a strong endorsement for Mike Vrabel being named the Patriots’ new head coach.
Bruschi and Vrabel were teammates from 2001-2008 and won three Super Bowls in that timeframe. The duo formed a sturdy linebacker group for the organization and helped set the tone for the defensive success in the 2000s.
“He’s the right man for the job … it’s been bad for the last two years with the New England Patriots organization,” Bruschi said on ESPN NFL Countdown, via Mike Reiss. “When they hired Jerod [Mayo], at the press conference, a big word that was used was ‘collaboration.’ Everybody’s input and all that stuff; well, I don’t know how much it is that any more. And I think that’s a good thing.
“Because Vrabel isn’t going to joke around, Vrabel is going to tighten the screws. In my opinion, there are some people in the front office that need to be told, ‘You don’t know what you’re doing and you need to take a step back.’”
Vrabel will reportedly be “the man” making the personnel decisions in New England, along with serving as the head coach. There’s hope that his arrival will be a much-needed wake-up call for a Patriots team coming off three straight losing seasons.
The first order of business is revamping the coaching staff before shifting the focus to the player roster.