FOXBOROUGH – Bob Kraft made the right decision, admittedly a tough. He was wrong.
Jerod Mayo wasn’t ready. As in not even close.
Rather than wait two or three years, the New England Patriots owner, hearing the loud, frustrated voices the past few months, realized his “gut” decision a year earlier was a bad one.
He was close with Mayo, calling him family.
But Kraft will find out real soon, within a week or two, if the other decision he made, to keep the “collaborative” process of player procurement in place, was right or wrong.
The Patriots have started the interview process for head coach, as in setting up the meetings with arguably the top candidates, Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Vrabel and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
One has a boatload of experience with tremendous ties to the Patriots organization, and the other has been right there, in the middle of the newest, best transformation for laughable to Super Bowl favorites in the NFL, the Detroit Lions.
Both ooze leadership and tough decision-making.
Better yet, both have the ability to say “no” if offered a head coaching job if they don’t like what they see or hear.
While the consensus was Mayo wasn’t close to being ready to lead a multi-billion dollar, highly competitive organization, the other consensus is the people – whomever they are – that picks players, through draft or free agency, aren’t up to snuff either.
Kraft, though, hinted that that side of football operations is on target, despite some bad misses in 2024 outside of Drake Maye and, possibly the surprising Joe Milton.
“I think that the department evolved a lot, and a lot of things were changed,” said Kraft. “We changed our grading system this year and have done things.”
The collaboration appears to include Eliot Wolf and, recently mentioned, Alonzo Highsmith, both of whom will be “part” of hiring a new head coach.
Personally, Vrabel and/or Johnson will have no part of answering to a collaboration of people.
If we are getting technical, the Patriot Way, which was really a football operations department run like a military operation, overseen by one individual is over.
In fact, Kraft said it a few times that Bill Belichick’s power, while earned over time, was a thing of the past.
While it’s tough to blame one bad or so-so offseason on the vice president of player personnel (see Eliot Wolf), getting off to a good start in securing even a few potential starters was tantamount.
Kraft did hinted that the new coach would be involved in “buying the groceries,” like the collaboration, there was no clarity.
“Obviously, (the new head coach is) going to have big input on who the players are and who the coaches are,” said Kraft. “It’ll be his decision.”
Vrabel or Johnson, each of whom would be coup in this early process, are going to demand it.
If both of them beg out of leading the Patriots, that would be telling.
Can’t wait to find out.
You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.