The New England Patriots are about to do one thing they haven’t carried out in a really, very, very very long time: conduct a head-coaching search.
The Patriots wasted no time shifting on from Jerod Mayo, firing the first-year head coach after an abysmal 4-13 season. Now, for the primary time since hiring Invoice Belichick, the Patriots will bear a training search.
The early favourite is obvious: All indicators level to former Tennessee Titans head coach and Patriots Corridor of Famer Mike Vrabel being the frontrunner. In some methods, although, isn’t that the identical thought course of — prioritizing a well-known face — what acquired the Patriots on this mess to start?
Going outdoors the “household” so to talk may be the Patriots’ best choice at this level. Many imagine Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a can’t-miss head coach prospect.
The Patriots will in all probability have him on their brief record, and probably hiring the 38-year-old would have positives and negatives.
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Right here’s a fast have a look at the professionals and cons of doubtless hiring Johnson as Mayo’s substitute.
PROS
Brings the offense into the twenty first century
With all due respect to Alex Van Pelt, the Patriots merely haven’t had a kind of fancy, modern-day NFL offenses out of the Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay timber. That’s not essentially a nasty factor, however given the path by which the league is headed, few are as innnovative on offense as Johnson. It may be the easiest way to maximise the skills of Drake Maye, who seems to be like the actual deal after one season as an NFL quarterback.
No threat in dropping your major offensive play-caller
If the Patriots rent a defensive-minded head coach, like Vrabel, that coach will then have to seek out an offensive coordinator. If the top coach hits that rent out of the park, that’s a double-edged sword. It may assist the offense within the brief run, however once you see what number of groups are lining as much as get interviews with a hot-shot OC like Johnson, it underscores the “threat” of getting an excessive amount of success.
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It’s one thing totally different
What’s wild is the Patriots haven’t employed a head coach who hadn’t beforehand hung out in New England since Pete Carroll. Even Invoice Parcells spent a yr with the Patriots within the Eighties earlier than taking on. Invoice Belichick was a well-known face, and clearly so was Mayo. If Vrabel acquired the gig, that pattern would proceed. Given how issues have fallen aside not too long ago, a wholly new voice may be a profit.
CONS
No head-coaching expertise
The Patriots simply went from Belichick, the best coach of all time, to Mayo, a glorified assistant with no expertise within the huge chair. It wouldn’t be surprising, and it might fairly frankly be exhausting guilty the Patriots in the event that they determined to present the keys to somebody with expertise as a head coach. Rebuilding the tradition and people kinds of intangibles are crucial with how the Pats face-planted in 2024.
As Kraft stated at a press convention Monday, “I don’t need to undergo this once more subsequent yr, and we have to do what we are able to to repair it.”
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What can he do with out weapons? Can he construct one thing?
The Lions have been a top-10 offense since Johnson took over to begin the 2022 season. Johnson will get credit score for that, and he helped flip Jared Goff right into a borderline MVP candidate. What the Patriots — and different groups — should determine is simply how a lot credit score Johnson will get for that. The Lions have had one of many NFL’s prime offensive strains for nearly all of Dan Campbell’s tenure, and the Lions have hit on nearly each offensive draft decide. Amon-Ra St. Brown is among the NFL’s finest wideouts. Outdoors of Maye, the Patriots don’t have something resembling that form of arsenal or offensive basis. Can Johnson assist flip that round from Day 1, or is he the product of his atmosphere? That may be the most important query to reply at this level.
