Following the Patriots’ loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, Mike Vrabel made comments that caused some people to speculate about the relationship between the coach and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“I’ve never really tried to second-guess the play-calling,” Vrabel said during his WEEI appearance after Week 15. “I always think that the best plays are ones that are decisive, and that the players know and that they trust. And obviously there’s some better ones, but I don’t think there’s a perfect call. And so we get back and we look at it, and I’m sure there’s always going to be some ones that we’re going to want to have back.”
Reports of a rift existi ng between Vrabel and McDaniels surfaced leading up to New England’s game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. But Vrabel dispelled those rumors on Monday morning.
“There’s no issue with any one of our coaches and me. If there’s a problem, they know about it,” the Patriots coach said on “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday. “We’re trying to win games. What this coaching staff — Josh, Zach (Kuhr), (John Streicher), Jeremy (Springer) — what they’ve been able to accomplish, again, when we win, this is on our players, but our coaches have gotten a group of guys ready, and it’s it’s a blended group, and it’s a group that they try to bring together. And we have really done a nice job of coming together as a coaching staff, and then focused on the players.”
McDaniels, in his third stint with the Patriots, was hired to join Vrabel’s staff in January. The offensive coordinator has played a big role in helping turn New England’s offense around, and is a big reason Drake Maye has taken a big step from year one to year two.
After Sunday’s win over the Ravens in primetime, the Patriots punched their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. They now will try to lock up the AFC East and dethrone the Buffalo Bills, who have won five straight division titles.
Story by Lauren Campbell, masslive.com