Players and opponents would do well not to go at new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Former Pats QB Brian Hoyer knows that well.

A coaching journey he needed to take, and the former star linebacker uniquely suited to put a faltering franchise back on track.

Aaron Glenn had no doubts about where he wanted to go once the New York Jets’ head-coaching job became available. Home sweet NFL home.

New England has several young options for former No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye entering 2025, but none have the experience Diggs provides. Before suffering a torn ACL in Week 8, the 31-year-old was well on his way to securing a seventh-straight 1,000-yard campaign while totaling over 100 catches.

Now, with O’Brien revitalizing BC and Vrabel looking to do the same with the Patriots, the area’s most prominent football teams are led by men who bonded in Foxborough.

Vrabel made his own path by first serving as a linebackers coach for Ohio State in 2011. He also worked as a defensive line coach for that program in 2012 and 2013 before taking his talents to to NFL, where he worked under Bill O’Brien with the Texans as the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator.

Speaking on his podcast with Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski relayed a time where Mike Vrabel "outplayed" Bill Belichick as head coach.

Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is pictured before a preseason NFL football game against the Houston ... Mike Locksley, Matt Nagy, Ron Rivera, Darren Rizzi, Rex Ryan, Steve Spagnuolo, Jeff Ulbrich and Mike Vrabel for ...

Some wondered whether Eliot Wolf's days might be numbered upon Mike Vrabel's hiring. That doesn't seem to be the case though, as the Patriot coach said all of the right things regarding Wolf during an appearance on WEEI.

Josh McDaniels is back for a third tour of duty as the Patriots' offensive coordinator, but there are a couple of big differences from his first two stints in New England.

The Patriots will not get longtime assistant Mike Pellegrino back for the 2025 season. Pellegrino was part of two Super Bowl-winning teams.

The Patriots’ coaching staff is considerably more experienced than last year’s, the defense is changing, and NFL fans are realizing the dynasty-era Patriots weren’t actually that annoying compared to the Chiefs. Let’s answer some of your questions in this week’s Patriots mailbag.