Why Mike Vrabel faces a massive task in rebuilding Patriots [Video]

The New England Patriots, apparently, are not in the business of developing coaches. They hired Mike Vrabel on Sunday morning to replace Jerod Mayo, whose tenure as New England’s coach lasted shorter than one calendar year.

The appeal with Vrabel is simple: He is what the Patriots hoped Mayo might someday be. Vrabel is ready-made for playoff-level coaching, but his new team is almost as far from playoff level as a roster can get. 

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he decided to fire Mayo because the team “regressed” over the year, with an upset over the Bengals in Week 1 but then failing to post a respectable win past that point. 

“I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said Monday. “He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first. And now, I have to go out and …