The New England Patriots are set to get the 2025 NFL started with a new head coach in Mike Vrabel. Gone are the days of consistency under Bill Belichick, with Vrabel being the second coach in as many years since Belichick departed.
Last season, the Patriots suffered through a brutal year under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. Robert Kraft immediately decided to move on from Mayo right after the final game of the season ended.
Kraft and company are hoping that Vrabel can bring New England back to the glory days. Of course, Vrabel was a key part of the Patriots’ defense under Belichick from the 2001 season all the way through the 2008 campaign.
While moving on from Belichick was a decision that Kraft made, he still thinks very highly of his former head coach.
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Recently, while speaking on an episode of Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski’s podcast “Dudes on Dudes,” Kraft opened up about Belichick and made a strong statement about the legendary head coach. He was asked to describe the best move that he’s made in his 30 years of owning the franchise.
“The one that got questioned the most was in 1999. I gave up a No. 1 draft pick for a coach that had only won a little over 40 percent of his games to get him out, I don’t know if there are any Jets fans here,” Kraft said.
“I think getting Bill Belichick to come to the Patriots in 1999 was a big risk and I got hammered in the Boston media, but he was with us for 24 years and we did OK.”
To say that New England “did OK” under Belichick was an understatement. He was clearly making a joke, but the former head coach is arguably the best head coach in NFL history.
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During his time with the Patriots, Belichick led the franchise to a 266-121 record, which is good enough for a 68.7 percent win rate. He also led the team to six Super Bowl wins.
Now, Belichick is preparing for his first season as a college football head coach with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Fans are eager to find out what kind of success he can find in the college ranks.
Even though Kraft made the difficult decision to move on from Belichick, it’s clear that he still has high regards for his former coach. The run that Belichick and New England went on together will never be forgotten.
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