Earlier this week, I was on Felger & Mazz and voiced my concerns about how Mike Vrabel had gone about staffing the offensive side of the ball. As I said at the time, it was not an informed opinion - it was my personal opinion from 10,000 feet and based on my experience covering the NFL.
I was concerned that Josh McDaniels had more assistants with ties to Vrabel (three at the time, and now four) than himself (zero). That's highly unusual, especially with a scheme — if McDaniels was indeed running his scheme — that is unique from other NFL systems in that the coordinator and the line coach, especially, work in tandem. And the receivers coach is also vital because of all the different adjustments built into the system. Add in that both Doug Marrone, Thomas Brown and now new receivers coach Todd Downing (Vrabel's OC in 2021-22) were former offensive coordinators and, in the case of Marrone and Brown, head coaches with zero on-field ties to McDaniels, I thought it was fair to question what exactly was going on. The staffing to that point left it very much open to whether or not Vrabel and McDaniels were an arranged marriage by the Krafts, who are big McDaniels fans, and whether or not Vrabel left himself other options in Brown, Marrone and now Downing if things didn't go well.
After speaking with multiple league sources at the Senior Bowl and three team sources, I now have a better grasp on what Vrabel's approach has been and my concerns have been largely alleviated - especially with one familiar face expected to come around more often. We'll get to that, but first the process.
McDaniels and Vrabel
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly where McDaniels fell on Vrabel's list of prospective offensive coordinators but there's no doubt that McDaniels was high on his list as the two talked multiple times last season about the possibility of working together. But with so much in the air — neither probably thought New England was going to come open this hiring cycle — it would be impossible for either to be definitely linked for every opening given McDaniels' family priorities. Also, McDaniels was going to be in the mix for between five to seven offensive coordinator positions when the head coaches were settled, including Jacksonville, Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Seattle and New Orleans.
There's some feeling that Vrabel would have preferred to work with either Arthur Smith or Tommy Rees before McDaniels, but that is partly incorrect. Sources close to Vrabel said his experience with the Titans, where he went through four inexperienced offensive coordinators — Matt LaFleur, Smith, Todd Downing and Tim Kelly — scarred him a bit, and McDaniels was probably higher on Vrabel's list than most knew, if things worked out.
"Mike's never had anyone close to the experience that Josh has and that was really appealing to him," said a team source. "Plus, his work developing QBs is unquestioned. He's perfect for Drake Maye."
"The stability was a big plus this second time around for Mike. That was an issue in Tennessee," said a league source. "Arthur wasn't going to be available. I'm sure there would have been a lot of comfort there, but that wasn't an option. Tommy was inexperienced, he's in a good spot. So then it was always kind of Josh."
As far as Vrabel's perceived preference for the McVay/Shanahan offense, that was simply not true and the effectiveness of that tree has been called into question since the 49ers, Dolphins, Bengals, Colts, Cardinals, Panthers and Titans all missed the playoffs. The Steelers, Packers, Bucs and Vikings didn't make it past the first round, and none of the final four teams used that style of offense.
McDaniels' interview in the building was extensive - it included Eliot Wolf at one point - and McDaniels' trips during his season off to college and pro teams likely didn't hurt. "Josh has definitely expanded his repertoire and that should be an advantage," said a league source.
One thing that wasn't involved was ownership, according to three sources. "That didn't happen, period," said a league source. "It's not a Patriots thing at all. Vrabes wasn't going to be involved with that type of setup."
McDaniels has offsets from his Raiders contract. Because he was announced by the team as the offensive coordinator, McDaniels has to be paid a real NFL salary.
As for the offense, the Patriots will be running McDaniels' scheme and it will be "100 percent" built around all of Drake Maye's many athletic gifts. McDaniels and Maye have been in contact but they are not allowed to talk about football, according to league rules. Like every other player, Maye can open up his team-issued iPad and study the playbook and cutups at his leisure.
And multiple sources said people should expect to see a very evolved McDaniels offense.
"People don't understand how much work Josh did last season, all the places he went, how much he studied," said a league source who has a relationship with McDaniels. "He's added, tinkered with mobile quarterbacks, space, movement plays, motion and all kinds of shit. Add in the new viewpoints on the staff, this has the potential to be pretty cool."
Staffing
One big hurdle that McDaniels ran into as far as filling out his staff with coaches he's familiar with is that almost all of them are under contract elsewhere. Chad O'Shea (Browns), Nick Caley (Rams), Carm Bricillo (Giants) and Bo Hardegree (Titans) were unavailable. It's believed Cole Popovich's previous separation from the Patriots over Covid rules may have prevented his return as a line coach.
"That's good and bad - we'd love to have some of them but Josh trained them so well they're valued by other teams," said a team source. "Josh loves that part of the job and he'll do it again. The other thing is, these guys wanted to be here under Josh - that was a draw. And Josh really wanted people from different backgrounds other than what he knew as well. He's truly excited about this. Trust me, he's not looking over his shoulder."
To fill out the staff, Vrabel and McDaniels worked "in lockstep" on interviews - and some of the positions involved extensive searches and multiple interviews. Both agreed on all the hires, and they set out to find the best and brightest. Thomas Brown could not have been more impressive during his interviews, and the Patriots feel fortunate to have landed him. A source close to Brown said, especially after encountering unfortunate situations with the Panthers and Bears, that the 38-year-old coach is looking forward to some stability and that learning under McDaniels was a big draw. Brown will also bring some of his McVay influence to the equation.
Downing, who was fired by Vrabel after two seasons and spent last year as the Jets' QBs coach and pass game coordinator, coming aboard only recently resolved but they interviewed several candidates, including some from the college ranks. Vrabel wasn't in on the Downing interview specifically to make sure McDaniels liked what he heard and wanted him.
"Mike didn't push anyone on Josh, you can forget about that," said a league source. "It wasn't like Mike went to Josh and said, 'I want Todd, whatever, the role, but I want him on staff.' That just wasn't the case. It was a joint hire and, if anything, it was Josh being like, 'Hey, I think this guy can really help us, especially with game-planning.'
"They saw a lot of this the same way and they are super excited about the staff," said another league source. "Josh seems re-energized by the time off and the new faces and ideas around him."
Vrabel had a little knowledge of QBs coach Ashton Grant with the Browns but his hiring feels very similar to other McDaniels QB coaches like Hardegree and Jerry Schluplinski, who were known to be apprentice-types who were extremely bright, worked hard and fast, and were sponges.
Running backs coach Tony Dews has a sterling reputation around the league and he already reminds some in the building of a young Ivan Fears.
On the offensive line, Vrabel and McDaniels both wanted a veteran who had been in multiple systems, and that led them to Doug Marrone. Jason Houghtaling was Vrabel's final line coach with the Titans and while the results weren't great, he's known to be a "great guy who the players will love" and he'll offset some of Marrone's gruff ways.
Three league sources said don't be surprised if Dante Scarnecchia, who has remained close to McDaniels and Vrabel, is around at times on a very informal basis to assist with whatever McDaniels and Vrabel might need - if they even need anything. Scarnecchia also knows Marrone very well. Since the Patriots are going back to the old system, it wouldn't be a surprise if Scarnecchia is brought in from time to time to help the transition. (My reaction to hearing this was exactly like Jules in Pulp Fiction... "You sending Scar?! That's all you had to say!")
The bottom line is this:
Vrabel was high on McDaniels from the beginning and feels good about having someone with his experience and stability on that side.
Ownership was not involved and McDaniels is getting a true salary.
The Patriots are running McDaniels' scheme with Maye as the focal point, and McDaniels is coaching the coaches, as coordinators are supposed to do.
The staffing has gone smoothly and exactly what Vrabel and McDaniels wanted.
The staff is already pulling long hours since most are living in hotels away from family, so there's not much to do other than study the hell out of football.
This might not be the "vibe" staff like the last one, but the vibes so far are very positive.
"There's a wonderful synergy on that side of the ball," said a team source. "They are all in 100 percent lockstep. It's been great so far."