Well, that was predictable.
I run a deeply reported column on the dynamics between Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels and the offensive staffing, and critics — namely Felger & Mazz, and also Boston Sports Tonight — pushback the next day because most of it runs counter to what they've talked about the past week. Some of it was my fault. I certainly contributed to it with my appearance last week. And latched on a couple of the admittedly weaker parts of the story to gaslight you from the pertinent facts. That was my fault. Silly me, I have the everyday reader in mind instead of talk show hosts who put everything into their washing machine to make sure it supports their previously held positions.
Let me counter and clear a couple of things up, and I've done some more digging as well — especially on exactly what offense (if any) Vrabel prefers that will shed some new light.
1. Why I changed my position on the staffing.
That's pretty simple: I didn't really have one, I just had an opinion, and I admitted early last week that it wasn't informed at all. I just had an opinion reading the tea leaves from covering the league for over 20 years, and knowing some of the particulars involved. When I said early last week that I would have loved to push back on the talk radio narrative that McDaniels was an arranged marriage orchestrated by the Krafts and that Vrabel looked like he was leaving himself some outs, I admittedly was talking out of my rear end, like a talk show host. I didn't have any real information. Trust me, I tried like heck to get it — the last thing I want to do is go on F&M without informing my opinion. I always strive to tell you all the truth about the Patriots - good, bad or ugly - and I think I've been successful at it. It's why my segments are among the highest rated at the station. This was not one of those times. It was a rare occasion I was flying blind, and I thought I made that clear — no matter how many times they played my clips subsequently that probably didn't include that. I don't like being in that position, but sometimes it happens. My job is to get you answers and real information. Sometimes the timing - and the Patriots have been going nonstop on staffing since announcing the coordinators - just doesn't work out. Unforunately, this was one of those cases.
The bottom line is last week I gave an uninformed opinion.
I have since become educated on what has gone down, mostly on background from multiple sources. Being at the Senior Bowl certainly helped, and upon my return, I was able to ask more pointed questions of people closer to the situation. I have talked to a variety of sources. Some have been intimately involved. Some are close to Vrabel. Some are close to McDaniels. Some know one or both of them well. I believe I now have a good understanding of the process and where they are.
Because that runs counter to conventional wisdom or previously held opinions, it gets attacked. Predictably.
2. I put out Patriots propaganda.
Thanks Mazz, for that one. I mean, I don't even know what to say about that.
Did a few team-related sources (none from PR or connected to ownership) reach out to me to set the record straight after hearing my segment last week? Yes. Is that unusual? Absolutely not. When I offer a wrong opinion on the radio, I usually hear from sources who respect the information I put out and want to help me be more fair and accurate in my reporting. They want the fans to have the right information as well.
The bottom line is I talked to several sources — inside and outside the Patriots — to make sure my reporting was well-rounded and as accurate as possible. I have never, ever just run something from one or two sources with the same possible motivation, like putting a happy face on things.
I think my history covering the team and this league reflects that. Don't think many people have ever accused me of carrying water for the team I've covered. In fact, probably the opposite is true.
3. Vrabel, McDaniels and the system
Felger latched on to a couple of things big-time, to throw you off from the bottom line. He's really good at that. So are Michael Holley and Chris Gasper. They're great at pointing out the weakest part of the story in an attempt, in some ways, to discredit the rest of the story or opinion. Again, I need to be more careful about that. Felger, Holley and Gasper are probably three of the smartest people in this business, and I can't match them on that level. But I need to be better.
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.
Felger kept pulling this out. I mean, I'm just being truthful. How am I supposed to know when Vrabel, despite my efforts, wouldn't talk to me? I can't read his mind.
All I can tell you, through my reporting, is that I think Arthur Smith was No. 1 on Vrabel's list, but that wasn't going to happen. His name came up multiple times. Tommy Rees' name didn't come up in my reporting so I can't tell you if he was No. 2 over McDaniels or not. I do know McDaniels and Vrabel talked multiple last season about working together. One source told me McDaniels was always going to be the choice.
"When Arthur was under contract, it's like, 'Okay, let's get Josh,' because he knew Josh and what he can do, especially with the QB," the source said. "The narrative that ownership married them together or whatever, that's not the case."
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.
I don't know exactly how many teams McDaniels was going to be in the mix for, but it was multiple teams (McDaniels was being linked to Robert Saleh, if he got a head coach job). The reason his name wasn't out there was because McDaniels was being selective about which teams he might be serious about due to family considerations, and because many teams didn't even have head coaches yet. McDaniels got the coordinator job on Jan. 21, and Vrabel wanted it done before McDaniels had other options. Here's when the other head coaches were hired:
Bears: Ben Johnson, Jan. 21
Jets: Aaron Glenn, Jan. 22
Cowboys: Brian Schottenheimer, Jan. 24
Jaguars: Liam Cohen, Jan. 24
Raiders: Pete Carroll, Jan. 24
Saints: TBD
McDaniels was already hired before any other team hired a head coach. How is his name supposed to be out there for non-existent jobs?
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.
This was probably my weakest part of the story, and Felger has pounded it 24/7 since. Again, my fault. I gave him the opening.
Basically, I was just trying to say that style of offense isn't end-all, be-all. Really, McDaniels' offense runs on many of the same principles including a reliance on running the ball, playaction and - now that he has an athletic quarterback - boot-action.
But the bottom line - and what I should have written - is any of this talk about Vrabel wanting the McVay/Shanahan offense is absolutely 100 percent false now that I have done further digging.
Do you know how Vrabel landed on Matt LaFleur as his first offensive coordinator? It was an arranged marriage, it had nothing to do with preference. Vrabel's first choice as offensive coordinator was Ryan Day, but he chose to stay with Ohio State and later became acting head coach when Urban Meyer took a leave of absence. That's not the McVay offense. That's the Chip Kelly offense.
Titans general manager Jon Robinson interviewed LaFleur, Steve Wilks and Vrabel for the head coaching job. Robinson ultimately hired Vrabel and when Day declined the Titans' offer, Robinson suggested LaFleur. Vrabel didn't know LaFleur at all, and it was Robinson who "arranged the marriage" between LaFleur and Vrabel. Robinson reached out to McVay, got his blessing and that's how that came about.
"Mike believes in the line of scrimmage, winning on the offensive line, running the ball matters, running playaction passes matters - all the stuff that takes pressure off the quarterback," said a source who has worked with Vrabel and McDaniels. "I mean, it allowed (Ryan) Tannehill to revive his career and take off because there was less pressure on his shoulders. ... Josh has done the same things with Mac (Jones), (Matt) Cassell, (Jimmy) Garoppolo so they should see things the same way.
"But the personality mix should be interesting with them. Mike's going to assert his authority and he likes to test people, see if they stand their ground and what they believe in."
4. Do I think things are totally copacetic on the offensive side of the ball?
It seems that way right now but, no, I don't 100 percent buy it. I've covered this league too long to completely ignore my gut when something seems off. And the lack of McDaniels hires smells funny (but more on that in a minute)
Do I think McDaniels is here for the long term? Yes, but I wouldn't say it's totally guaranteed - it depends on how Vrabel and McDaniels work together under the stress of the season. Vrabel really does like the stability that McDaniels is going to bring to Drake Maye. To believe that Vrabel is just going along to get along with ownership about McDaniels - which I did mention last week when I was uniformed - you would have to believe Vrabel would be just fine upending Maye's development again after Year 2, giving him three coordinators and three systems in his first three years. I just don't believe that.
But I'm also not comfortable with McDaniels having zero of his assistants. However, that has more to do with no one being available. It's just the way it worked out. Does that rule out the additions of former Patriots/Raiders coaches down the line? No. Rarely are coaching staffs great right off the bat. There's normally some attrition.
By the way, if you think McDaniels is threatened or feels vulnerable because former coordinators Thomas Brown, Todd Downing (fired by Vrabel with Titans), Doug Marrone and Ben McAdoo (moved to defense), you can forget about that as well.
"Josh wouldn't care if Sean McVay was on the staff, he's that confident - especially with what he's learned the past year," said a source close to McDaniels. "Look at his resume compared to theirs - combined. It's not even close."
The bottom line is the Patriots are excited about the staff they have put together. Brown (who became McVay's assistant head coach after just one pro season) and Ashton Grant are bright, young, ascending minds. Jason Houghtaling is young and affable, and will counter Marrone's crankiness. Marrone, Downing and Tony Dews bring a wealth of experience. Yeah, a lot of them were with Vrabel in Tennessee but guess what? He had a pretty good staff, he trained them well and the Titans were usually well-coached.
It's a very well-rounded group and, as I reported, no one was forced on McDaniels. Whether that runs counter to someone's opinion or not, that's the truth.
"If anything, it was Mike telling Josh, 'Hey, what do you want?' and leaving the final decision up to Josh," said "Would Mike be doing that if he was forced to hire Josh? Heck no. It doesn't make any sense for Mike to do that, and he could have picked any job. He's here and he's doing it his way."
