He had been vocal throughout last season about the lack of proper coaching from Jerod Mayo's inexperienced staff, which might have led to his underwhelming year and firmly put him in the hot seat this offseason. However, he wasn't able to impress Vrabel and Co. in the weeks leading to the season opener on Sunday and was quickly moved down the depth chart because of it.
Depending on who you asked, there was a fit for any of the three players on the team, and the new regime could potentially pull off a trade for any one of them, regardless of the steep price. That was made apparent when Parsons was the last one standing, and it was clear the Cowboys weren't going to let him go easily. Because of his age and trajectory to becoming a future Hall of Famer, he became a front-runner in the eyes of Patriots fans, as he would drastically elevate the defense to new heights and address one of their weakest groups over the last several years.
For decades, nobody really knew what former New England Patriots "Football Research Director" Ernie Adams actually did for the greatest dynasty in sports history. All we know is that Adams played a pivotal role as Bill Belichick's childhood right-hand man, first leaving Wall Street to join Belichick's staff with the Cleveland Browns in 1991, and eventually following him to Foxboro.
Morning Sports Update "We'll figure that out." Mike Vrabel is not a fan of media leaks: Following his team's final preseason game (a loss to the Giants), Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was in a somewhat feisty mood. Having already sparred with Patriots announcer Scott Zolak prior to the game about a Thursday report that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk would have season-ending surgery on his shoulder, Vrabel was asked about it again following the 42-10 defeat in New York.
For much of the past week, there have been a lot of rumors surrounding the players on the Patriots most competing for a spot on the 2025 roster. The conversation was kicked into high gear on Wednesday, when reports from NFL insiders suggested that two starters, safety Kyle Dugger and linebacker Anfernee Jennings, were being dangled on the trade market.
Mike Vrabel conducted a masterful off-season, adding better players everywhere. He beefed up a low-ranking defense by adding playmakers at every level from the D-line and edge, to the linebacking corps and defensive backfield.