A little over an hour after Jerod Mayo and the Patriots exited the field Sunday following their 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills, the team announced that the rookie head coach would be fired.
Sure, there were signs, reports, and speculation in the preceding weeks and months that Mayo could be fired, but the speed at which Kraft decided to announce the move still left many stunned.
One of those caught off guard by the sudden move was former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich.
“I was surprised,” Ninkovich said Monday morning on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show.
“I didn’t think that was going to happen. [There were] rumblings throughout the season, there were moments, and I know the fanbase, they were pretty upset. It just didn’t feel like it would be a one and done type deal,” he continued.
Ninkovich, who won two Super Bowls with New England, noted how Mayo’s firing indicated a shift in the team since the ‘Dynasty’ years under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
“It’s definitely sad. It’s crazy to think that 10 years ago we were four days away from playing in a divisional playoff game and beating the Baltimore Ravens [and] going on to win a Super Bowl,” Ninkovich said.
“And now that we're at this point, we're firing coaches after one season … a full season, but not even a full year, calendar year,” he continued.
Ninkovich also questioned Robert Kraft’s decision to make the announcement on Sunday instead of waiting until the traditional ‘Black Monday’ like teams usually do.
“Today seems like usually a time where people make that decision. I know that Jacksonville just fired their coach. So just coming out, not even an hour or two hours after the game just seems kind of odd,” he said.
The search for New England’s next head coach will begin this week when coaching candidates can start taking virtual meetings with owners and front offices. A presumptive target like Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, could utilize his bye week to meet with the Patriots.
But Patriots Hall of Famer Mike Vrabel is currently the odds-on favorite between team insiders and fans to get the job. Ninkovich, who took over as linebacker when Vrabel was traded to Kansas City in 2009, sees the former Titans coach as a favorite.
“I think Vrabel being available is probably the most glaring option for them considering he has the history and had been here for so long and [is] such a legend here in New England,” Ninkovich said.
Ninkovich believed that part of the problem with Mayo was his inability to bring in his own coaching staff, something he worries could carry over to Vrabel or any new coach in New England.
“[Mayo] didn’t really have that opportunity to bring in all his own people. There’s a lot of holdovers from Bill and when he was here,” Ninkovich said.
“Now the question is, will the new head coach have [that] ability? And I think that's the biggest question: Can they bring in all their own people? Because if you look at every other head coach that was hired somewhere else, they brought their whole package with them. Is that going to be the case now? I would assume that whoever is going to be the new head coach, that would be something that they would have to demand.”