The New England Patriots suffered through a brutal 2024 NFL season. Led by first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, the team never looked prepared and finished the year with a 4-13 record.
It didn’t take long for ownership to decide that Mayo was not the right coach to lead the team forward. They fired him shortly after the final game of the regular season was played. To replace him, they brought in Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel has already started earning the respect of his players. He is working to build a championship culture once again for the storied Patriots’ franchise.
Head coach Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots is seen during warmups prior to a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on December 28, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Head coach Jerod Mayo of the New England Patriots is seen during warmups prior to a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium on December 28, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Keion White is already loving what he’s seeing from his new head coach. In fact, he spoke out recently and fired off a brutal shot at Mayo.
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“I was training myself, I’m not going to lie,” White said. “Now, I feel like I have a coach.”
He continued on, explaining why he likes and respects Vrabel.
“I like Mike. He leads with work. I can respect that,” White said. “It’s similar to Bill (Belichick), just with a younger face. I think we all know how I feel about that; I liked him. So it’s comforting to know that you have a hard-(expletive) at the helm who will not be afraid to fistfight with you in a back alley.”
During the 2024 NFL season, White was one of the best defensive players on the roster. He showed signs of being a highly impactful pass rusher for New England.
White played in 17 games for the Patriots last season, racking up 56 total tackles to go along with five sacks, two forced fumbles, and five defended passes. Those numbers could take a big jump under New England’s new coaching staff.
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At 26 years old, White has plenty of room to grow and develop his game. Vrabel will be able to get the most out of him moving forward.
Mayo does not deserve the blame for everything that went wrong last season. However, he does deserve blame for not doing his job at a high level.
With Vrabel now leading the way, the sky is the limit for White and the rest of the Patriots. It’s clear that his approach is already landing well with the team, which bodes well for success and turning the team back into a contender.
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