Deron Mayo, 36, has been with New England since 2018, serving as an assistant strength coach under Moses Cabrera until he was elevated into the head role last season. Before that he was playing the game as a linebacker, spending the summer of 2011 with the Broncos before heading to the CFL from 2012-17.

The "Patriot Way" was a phrase we heard a lot during New England's dynasty, with the team winning six Super Bowls over a span of two decades. The exit of head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady changed the identity of the team, but at least one player is expecting those old ways to come back with the addition of their new head coach.

I’m curious, who has the final say on hiring assistant coaches? Vrabel has an “all-star” staff of coaches, while Mayo was allowed to hire a lot of first-timers. Was he set up to fail?