FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots officially introduced head coach Mike Vrabel on Monday, but the work isn’t done.
Vrabel must complete the rest of his team.
New England has yet to make an official announcement regarding the rest of its current staff, with the new leader now having to decide which assistants he will keep and which ones he will bring in — everyone else having to find new jobs. Vrabel was specifically asked if he had anyone in mind for the offensive and defensive coordinator positions, giving a definitive (if not boring) answer.
“No, it’s far from solidified,” Vrabel said.
Vrabel then went into more detail, sharing the key traits he was looking for in his assistants and how the process would play out alongside Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.
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“We want to put the most talented coaches in front of our players,” Vrabel said. “When they stand in front of these players, I want them to embrace what each coach teaches. I’ll tell you this, as long as I’m the head coach here, our coaches will have three simple jobs – and they seem simple, and they’re probably not as simple as we’d like them to be. They want to teach, they want to develop and they want to inspire our players by connecting.
“Eliot and I will have conversations. Regarding personnel, nothing is finalized. Nothing is determined. As with any staff, there will be turnover. There are going to be new coaches and new faces, some I will have a history with and some I won’t. That’s what the interview process is, and that’s what we’re going to do, as Tom (Curran) mentioned, with the coordinators and being able to sit down with a group of coaches and be able to to get the best and right fit. our players.
The Patriots had some notable names in attendance Monday, as cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino and assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler showed their support for what they hope will be their next boss.
Vrabel has been linked to a few people regarding openings for offensive coordinator (Josh McDaniels, Tommy Reese) and defensive coordinator (Shane Bowen). New England has yet to make a firm decision, although one can be expected to come relatively soon.
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