This isn't the first time the Patriots have ignored the rules and played with speed.
MMQB's Albert Breer thinks about how New England is handling the head coaching search is “fake” and “complete garbage”.
Breer's frustration stems from the Patriots' interviews with Byron Leftwich and Pep Hamilton (two minority candidates) on Tuesday, which satisfied the NFL's Rooney Rule. The team was able to move forward with hiring quickly.
Patriots great and former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who met with the team on Thursday, is the clear frontrunner for the position.
“It looks like it's fake. I mean, I'm going to call it what I think it is,” Brier told NBC Sports Boston. “Those two, with all due respect to Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich, I think they’re going to have a hard time getting coordinator jobs this year.”
Breer said Hamilton, a former NFL offensive coordinator, and Leftwich were selected because they are not currently on NFL teams, so the Patriots will have direct access to both players as required by the Rooney Rule. He said he believes interviews can be held soon.
If currently on an NFL staff, candidates must wait until after the Divisional Round to interview with other teams.
“…So the reason we're hiring two people this way who aren't currently working on the team is because it's the only way to check the box so that we can actually move forward with hiring someone.” Breer said.
Vrabel met with the Jets last week and is scheduled to talk with the Bears on Wednesday, but it would be surprising if he ended up anywhere other than New England.
The Patriots fired Jerrod Mayo after going 4-13 in his first season as head coach, which owner Robert Kraft called “one of the hardest decisions I've ever made.”
It has been speculated that the Patriots could announce Vrabel as their next head coach as soon as this week.
“I think it's complete garbage,” said Breer, who has covered the Patriots for years for the Boston Herald and Boston Globe. “What gives you the right to skip the process that, say, the Raiders, Bears and Jets have to go through? Teams competing for him. What gives you the right to jump the line?
“…Again, it's like putting yourself in a different position. It should be noted that this organization has had problems in the past, saying, 'We're not subject to the rules.' That’s it.”
The Patriots hired Mayo, a former Patriots player like Vrabel, last January, a day after parting ways with Bill Belichick after 24 years and six Super Bowl appearances.
Mr Blair is concerned that rushing the process again could prove costly.
“If Mike Vrabel is the coach and I think he's the No. 1 candidate — don't get me wrong, I think he'd be a great hire — if you take the coach, he's in a better situation. “It's going to be a full two-week process and we can see how the other teams do,” Breer said. “Instead of hiring him on Thursday, we tried to get a PR win because the owners don't like how he looks right now.”
