Pats fall short in awards

In his first year on the ballot, former Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri was not elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week.

Vinatieri was one of 15 modern-era finalists for the 2025 Hall of Fame class, but only four received enough votes for enshrinement. That marked the smallest Hall of Fame class in 20 years. Vinatieri is expected to be a strong candidate in next year’s cycle, as the NFL’s all-time leader scorer with 2,673 points and leader in most career field goals made and attempted, including a league record 44 consecutive makes.

Defensive end Jared Allen, tight end Antonio Gates, wide receiver Sterling Sharpe and cornerback Eric Allen were elected this year. The 2025 class was determined by the Hall’s board of selectors in January.

Maye finished seventh in Rookie of the Year voting with nine points. He received three third-place votes from the panel of national media, out-pacing Chargers offensive tackle Joe Alt and wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who finished eighth and ninth, respectively, while Chicago quarterback Caleb WIlliams finished in 10th. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels won the award, receiving 49 out of a possible 50 first-place votes.

Maye completed 66.6% of his passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season for a passer rating of 88.1. He also rushed for 421 yards and two touchdowns.

Former Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt received a single fifth-place vote for Assistant Coach of the Year, an honor that went to former Lions offensive coordinator and new Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Van Pelt was not retained under new head coach Mike Vrabel.

O’Brien talks up Vrabel

Ex-Patriots assistant and current Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien sat down for an interview with WBZ this week and spoke about the future of his former team.

Specifically, Vrabel.

O’Brien and Vrabel first crossed paths in 2007, when the former joined the Patriots as a lower-level assistant. Vrabel was a player at the time, and while the team traded him to Kansas City two years later, O’Brien stayed in touch.

That relationship eventually led to Vrabel joining O’Brien’s coaching staff in Houston, where Vrabel worked as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator following a brief stint at Ohio State.

“He’s probably one of the best, if not the best, assistant coaches I’ve ever had,” O’Brien said. “He was a great assistant. He really did a good job of several different things. He could coach the position, he could develop the player, he could connect with the player. It didn’t matter what the player’s background was, whether it was Whitney Mercilus or Jadeveon Clowney or Brian Cushing, all came from different backgrounds.”

O’Brien continued: “He had a way of connecting with those guys, which I think you’ll see at the Patriots, that made those guys really want to improve for him. He was a tough coach, not demanding, but I thought he did a great job developing players and connecting with players.”

After his first and only season as the Texans’ defensive coordinator in 2017, Vrabel left to become the head coach in Tennessee. He lasted six years, leading the Titans to four winning seasons and three playoff berths. Vrabel served as a hybrid coach/consultant in Cleveland last season, which led him back to New England all these years later.

“Great fit. He’s going to be who he is,” O’Brien said. “He’s going to be himself, but he has a lot of beliefs that are similar to what made that place what it was. Bill (Belichick) built that into a dynasty over 20 years. Mike played in that dynasty. Mike has some of those foundational beliefs, but Mike brings his own style to it, which I think is huge. And I think it’ll be great for the Patriots.”