FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Brown's story: One of the keys to the Patriots' return to prominence has been coaching.
Mike Vrabel has built a staff filled with former head coaches, coordinators and up-and-coming teachers whose acumen, attention to detail and experience have sparked a quicker-than-expected turnaround.
Passing game coordinator/tight ends coach Thomas Brown is a significant part of that, which has been a coup for the franchise while also spotlighting a hot-button NFL topic: In an offseason with 10 head coaching vacancies, none were filled by a Black candidate.
"It's a very complex conversation, something that has been a consistent dialogue almost every single year. To say it's frustrating in some ways is probably an understatement," said the 40-year-old Brown, who returns to New England for his second season as a top aide under coordinator Josh McDaniels while working closest with veteran Hunter Henry and 2026 third-round pick Eli Raridon of Notre Dame.
"I've constantly heard this mantra the last six years in the NFL that people hire the most qualified candidates, which I hope is true and accurate. But you're also seeing almost every time that is never a Black coach. Which is frustrating. I've also heard the phrase 'there's not many candidates in the pipeline to choose from.' I do take issue with that, because I've been around some high-level great communicators, great connectors of people, at every stop I've been."
Of the NFL's 32 teams, Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans) and Aaron Glenn (New York Jets) are the lone Black head coaches.
Brown's approach is straightforward: Pour everything into the job, which ideally leads to team success and personal advancement in the future.
"The growth opportunity every year expands if you're about the right stuff," he said.
His perspective is shaped, in part, by the volatile ups and downs he's experienced over the past five years.
In 2021, Brown served as assistant head coach/running backs coach under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams, winning a Super Bowl. McVay credited his "incredible command" as part of the Rams' success.
Brown was a sought-after offensive coordinator candidate in 2023, interviewing for seven to eight vacancies, with the Carolina Panthers hiring him as part of Frank Reich's initial staff. But Reich was fired in November of his first season.
So Brown landed with the Bears in 2024 as passing game coordinator under Matt Eberflus, only to experience more turbulence. He was elevated to offensive coordinator midway through the season, and then interim head coach in late November when Eberflus was fired.
He's found stability again in New England under Vrabel. The two didn't have a connection prior to Vrabel interviewing him last offseason, but Vrabel moved quickly to hire him after feeling an immediate rapport. It opened Brown's eyes to a different approach.
"Almost every coach I've worked under has been a playcaller -- whether on offense or defense. This shows you can be a 'CEO head coach' and be successful; he's involved in every aspect of game-planning in all three phases," Brown said.
"The amount of time he spends on offense, of course on defense, but also being with Jeremy [Springer] and the special teams unit -- he walks in every single room and gives coaching points and feedback to coaches and players. I appreciate that perspective and learning from that."
Brown said Vrabel "does an awesome job being a connector" and refers to him as a "master of majoring in the simple things."
"Football is a very complex game, and there's some complex aspects to it, but when it comes to how we operate in the building every single day -- to the identity of our football team, to our mantras, they don't change," he said. "I appreciate that level of consistency and being able to commit to a process that leads to the ultimate goal of what we all hope for -- to be world champs."
Between Vrabel and McVay, Brown has had a chance to observe how two of the league's top coaches operate.
"Sean is a charismatic speaker and does a really good job of holding guys accountable; you see how both connect to their entire football teams, and inspire those players, in two different ways," Brown said.
"The biggest thing to me is being authentic, being yourself, because at this level guys can see through the B.S. when you're trying to be someone you're not and when you're inconsistent with your communication, leadership and also who you hold accountable. I think both do a great job of holding the best players to the highest standard. Because once you do that, the rest of the team falls in behind."
Those experiences naturally appealed to the Arizona Cardinals, who interviewed Brown for their head coaching vacancy this offseason before hiring Mike LaFleur. Brown also previously interviewed with the Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans for their head coaching jobs.
One point Brown now highlights is that while some might amplify his success with the Rams and Patriots, his experience with the Panthers and Bears was also beneficial.
"I learned a ton about managing tough situations. In two years, it felt like almost 10 years of experience," he said. "Having a chance to go through adverse situations teaches you a lot about yourself. It also helps you appreciate it more when you have success."
Patriots coaches are scheduled to return to work July 20, with players following days after that. Brown looks forward to what's ahead as part of Vrabel's stacked coaching staff.
"I'm excited about it. In my 16 years of coaching, I really haven't had too many situations where I've been in the same spot for back-to-back years. Early on, it was because of something positive with promotion opportunities to go to different colleges, so this is the only time outside of the Rams [2020 to 2022] and University of Miami [2016 to 2018]," he said.
"I think when you talk about building an organization and program, it takes continuity. You'll eventually always have some turnover, but I think having a chance for the staff to return and make some additions personnel-wise is a big part of us building our foundation to hopefully make another run and go win it all this year."
2. Byard's take: Veteran safety Kevin Byard hosted an hourlong segment on Sirius XM NFL Radio with Carolina Panthers long-snapper JJ Jansen last Wednesday. It was part of "Players Point" programming, meant to highlight the players' perspective of football, and here are three nuggets the 32-year-old Byard shared:
Given the choice of playing in the blazing heat or freezing cold, he picked the cold.
Tom Brady's influence, and how he wore scuba suits in sub-freezing temperatures, spread to the Titans in 2017 via former New England cornerback Logan Ryan.
He spends the weeks leading into training camp in Nashville, Tennessee.
3. Jacas timing: Patriots rookies are scheduled to report July 22, which is the next official checkpoint for the team to sign second-round pick Gabe Jacas to a contract.
Jacas remains the NFL's only second-round pick yet to sign after undergoing a knee procedure, according to a source familiar with his recovery, and spending most of the spring away from the team.
4. Top Patriots: For those tracking ESPN senior writer Jeremy Fowler's annual top-10 NFL series polling coaches, personnel executives and scouts, cornerback Christian Gonzalez (No. 3) and defensive tackle Milton Williams (No. 9) have broken through at their respective positions, while running back TreVeyon Henderson was an "honorable mention."
The Patriots didn't have a player in the edge rusher, tight end or offensive tackle rankings.
5. They said it: "I know everybody talks about A.J. Brown, and obviously he's going to be a big part of what we do, but I would say the continuity and cohesion of the offensive line. I think that's something that is always kind of underrated when you look at being a dominant offense. You can't play good offense without a great offensive line." -- Byard, on Sirius XM NFL Radio, on the key to the Patriots' offense outside of QB Drake Maye
6. Did You Know: Henry has logged at least 40 receptions in all five seasons with the Patriots. That is the second-longest streak by a Patriots tight end all time to Ben Coates, who had 40 or more receptions in six straight seasons.
