To some extent, the Patriots' head coach vacancy could have been viewed as one of the most desirable, due to the massive amount of cap space to spend, high draft picks, and what appears to be a solid quarterback of the future. There's not much more a new coach could ask for, even if it meant following in the footsteps of one of the best of all time.
While a lot of that remains true, Mike Vrabel didn't walk into as rosy a setup as some might have thought, given just how much help the Patriots need to become relevant again.