It looks like Robert Kraft got lucky. The Patriots owner probably should have hired Mike Vrabel a year ago, when the former Titans coach was unexpectedly available. But he’d already made his ill-fated contractual promise to Jerod Mayo which left him stuck.

This is a defining moment, one Kraft needs to align more with boldly stealing Bill Belichick from the Jets than pushing Mayo to the top spot before he was ready.

When Robert Kraft hired Jerod Mayo a year ago, he felt he’d identified the right person to follow Bill Belichick.

Mayo, named Bill Belichick’s successor a year ago, was fired on Sunday after the Patriots’ 23-16 win over the Bills in the regular-season finale. The former Patriots linebacker, 38, posted a 4-13 record as head coach. Kraft added Monday he “went back and forth” on the situation over the past month.

Kraft did the only thing he could do after the Jerod Mayo firing. He took blame for the "situation" and set out to fix his fallen franchise.

The Patriots turned to Vrabel after their quick coaching search wrapped up just seven days after the team fired Jerod Mayo.

Bill Simmons sounded off on Patriots owner Robert Kraft for his decisions that led to the team blowing the No. 1 overall pick.

He fired Mayo, his hand-picked successor to Bill Belichick, and leapt back into the unknown; a leap that left the rest of the Patriots hanging, with the future of every coach and front-office member suspended until further notice. With all eyes on him, Kraft must now stick the landing.

Watch Patriots CEO and chairman Robert Kraft's press conference after decision to fire New England head coach Jerod Mayo.

After trying to move on from the Bill Belichick era, the Patriots are now going right back to a successor much more like him.

FOXBORO — Robert Kraft stepped up to the podium and took accountability for Jerod Mayo’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tenure as Patriots head coach that lasted just under one year.

Robert Kraft had some interesting comments when it comes to the Patriots rumored interest in Mike Vrabel.