Phil Perry talks with James Palmer on the Next Pats Podcast to discuss the biggest differences between Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson as head coaches.
Logan Ryan won two Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots and played two seasons for the Tennessee Titans while Mike Vrabel was their head coach. So the former NFL defensive back is uniquely qualified to assess whether Vrabel would be a good fit for the Patriots as their next head coach.
And his answer couldn't be more emphatic.
“I think he’s the best coach for New England. It’s a perfect fit,” Ryan told MassLive's Karen Guregian on Wednesday. “I thought they should have hired him last year. But I respected Kraft for keeping his word to (Jerod) Mayo. I don’t love the decision to let go Mayo, what more could he have done? But Kraft realized he had to get out of it, and this is his opportunity to get Vrabel.
“(Vrabel) knows what he’s doing. He knows how to win games and he’ll do what it takes to win games. If New England wants a winner, they’ll go get Vrabel.”
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Vrabel, who won three Super Bowl titles during his eight seasons playing for the Patriots, is a free agent after taking a year off from coaching, and he reportedly will interview with New England on Thursday. He's not the only potential candidate, though.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson reportedly will interview with the Patriots as well. The team has already interviewed Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton, and it has requested permission to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Vrabel spent six seasons as Titans head coach from 2018 through 2023, a tenure that included three playoff appearances and a 54-45 regular season record.
The Patriots sunk to a new low this season. They finished with a 4-13 record for the second straight year, but more alarming was the fact that so few players, particularly those in the 2024 rookie class, developed at a positive rate. The offense ranked 30th in points scored and 31st in total yards. The defense finished 22nd in yards allowed, 28th in third down conversions allowed, 31st in takeaways and 32nd in sacks.
Outside of rookie quarterback Drake Maye and second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, there weren't many encouraging storylines for the Patriots in 2024.
Whoever steps in as the next head coach will take on a massive challenge to get this rebuild going in the right direction.
“I feel like that job can only go to a certain amount of people," Ryan told Guregian. "Vrabel just checks all of those boxes for that job in terms of just leadership. He’s been there, he understands what it means to the fans, he understands how to handle the expectations and he’s a leader of men.
“He’s exactly how he was as a player, as a coach. A great leader of men in the locker room. Very demanding, but it’s nothing he doesn’t demand of himself.”
