Patriots hire their former standout Vrabel as coach

NEWS+NOTES

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel argues a call during the first half of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 7, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. GEORGE WALKER IV — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

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The New England Patriots have hired Mike Vrabel as their next head coach.

The team announced the hiring Sunday morning. It comes a week after Patriots owner Robert Kraft fired Jerod Mayo after the team’s season finale victory over the Buffalo Bills to finish 4-13 in his lone season as coach.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson also interviewed for the job.

But Vrabel, a fan favorite during eight seasons as a player in New England where he was a member of its first three Super Bowl winners and an inductee into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023, was the preferred candidate because of his long association with the franchise and coaching success during his six seasons in Tennessee.

In hiring the 49-year-old Vrabel, Kraft is turning to another former Patriots defensive standout who, like Mayo, built a reputation as a coach for his ability to relate to players.

Tennis

Day 1 of Australian Open >> Zheng Qinwen’s tennis resume is quite different from what it was when she showed up at the Australian Open a full year ago. No matter everything she accomplished in 2024 — a runner-up finish at Melbourne Park; an Olympic gold medal for China — she felt jitters before entering Rod Laver Arena.

After overcoming some hiccups late in the opening set of her first-round match on a stormy Day 1 at the season’s first major tennis tournament, Zheng came through with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory against Anca Todoni, a 20-year-old qualifier from Romania who has won one Grand Slam match in her career.

It was 12 months ago on Melbourne’s hard courts that Zheng made it all the way to the final before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.

Soccer

FA Cup >> Tottenham endured the humiliation of being taken to extra time by Tamworth, an opponent nearly 100 places lower in English soccer’s pyramid, before winning 3-0 and avoiding one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history.

Defending champion Manchester United also advanced from the third round by beating Arsenal 5-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Joshua Zirkzee converted the clinching penalty for United, which played from the 61st minute with 10 men following Diogo Dalot’s sending-off.

Four days after beating Premier League leader Liverpool 1-0 in the English League Cup semifinals, Tottenham’s team of established internationals toiled against a group of part-time soccer players whose main jobs included bricklaying, selling zippers and being a financial advisor.

A massive surprise was on when fifth-tier Tamworth forced extra time with the score 0-0, only for the hosts to concede an own-goal in the 101st minute and then strikes by Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson to disappoint the majority of the 3,700 fans inside the tiny stadium called The Lamb.

Golf

Britain and Ireland win Team Cup >> Britain & Ireland completed a 17-8 win over Continental Europe in the Team Cup, an event that gave European players valuable matchplay experience ahead of the Ryder Cup in New York this year.

Tommy Fleetwood secured the point that clinched the expected victory for Britain & Ireland, which led 11-4 heading into singles after a dominant first two days at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort.

Britain & Ireland needed just two more points from the singles and after Laurie Canter beat Romain Langasque 5&4, Fleetwood defeated Matthieu Pavon 3&1. Fleetwood also claimed the winning point for Europe when beating the United States outside Rome to reclaim the Ryder Cup in 2023.