FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Not even a full year ago -- 362 days to be precise -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft spoke of a new structure within the organization.
Instead of the power running primarily through legendary coach Bill Belichick, it would be distributed more broadly, starting with head coach Jerod Mayo and the personnel staff led by Eliot Wolf.
"We're looking for collaboration," Kraft said that day.
Sunday's hiring of Mike Vrabel as the franchise's 16th head coach signals a shift away from that approach after Kraft, in a statement after he fired Mayo, stated that he wanted to "expedite our return to championship contention.