FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. Scar’s view: Few have earned the respect of the Patriots’ fan base like longtime offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2023 after a decorated 34-year career with the franchise.

It has been five seasons since Scarnecchia retired, and while he says he doesn’t miss the grind of coaching, after back-to-back 4-13 seasons, he misses the days when the Patriots were a perennial playoff contender. Scarnecchia is optimistic things could be trending back in that direction.

Specifically, he’s a believer in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. So much so, in fact, that he said he probably wouldn’t have come out of retirement from 2016 to ’19 if not for McDaniels being the coordinator those years.

“He leaves no stone unturned. If it’s not the way he sees it, he’s going to let you know about it, which is fair. Or we’re going to have a discussion about it, which is fair. He’s always prepared situationally and will never come into a meeting unprepared,” Scarnecchia, 76, said.

That is one area where quarterback Drake Maye said he hopes to grow in his second NFL season.

“Situational football is huge,” Maye told SiriusXM NFL Radio at the Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Florida. “Playing my position, you have to be in tune in every situation. The other 10 guys on the field, it’s your job to get things going and get things on the right page.”

In Scarnecchia’s view, Maye can expect to receive a Ph.D. in situational football from McDaniels, who returns to New England for his third stint — this time under head coach Mike Vrabel.

“[McDaniels will] be with the quarterback a big part of every game. He’s going to be there with him on the sideline, making sure they’re seeing the game through one set of eyes, and that they’re on the same page with everything,” Scarnecchia said.

“He’ll coach fair and he’ll coach hard, and he’ll get the most out of him — just like he’s done with every quarterback he has coached since I’ve been around here. That’s Tom [Brady], but there have been others. Matt Cassel. Jimmy Garoppolo. Cam Newton. Mac Jones. He’s had a lot of different guys and they’ve all done pretty well. I think that speaks volumes for him — as a quarterbacks coach and coordinator.”

In games not started by Brady when McDaniels was coordinator, the Patriots posted a 31-23 record.

One thing that stood out to Scarnecchia in those situations is how the Patriots’ offense changed when playing without Brady. He envisions something similar unfolding with Maye.

“Few quarterbacks could take the load on his shoulders the way Tom did, because he had been in the system so long, he was so smart and knew how to fix problems. We all appreciated that a great deal about him,” Scarnecchia said.

“What Josh will do is get to know the quarterbacks he has in the room — what does this guy do well, what doesn’t he do well? He’s not going to set limitations on them, but he’ll adapt and try to get them to go to the highest point he can possibly get them to do to.”

In doing so, McDaniels will be relying on assistant coaches to help tie things together, similar to how he worked with Scarnecchia.

Along those lines, Scarnecchia views the hiring of two-time NFL head coach Doug Marrone — who will work with the offensive line — as critical.

The expectation is Marrone will adapt to McDaniels’ system as a key cog on the coaching staff.

“I really like him. I think he has a great temperament,” Scarnecchia said of Marrone. “He’s been a line coach. He’s been a lineman; played all three positions — center, both guards, either tackle. So he has a lot of experience.”

And, of course, Scarnecchia knows more about Vrabel — from both his playing days in New England (2001-08) and also competing against his teams as a coach.

“It’s a great hire. I’m really happy they got him in there,” Scarnecchia said. “He’s a very, very smart guy and very demanding. His team is always prepared and plays hard.

“He doesn’t ask any of them to do what he wouldn’t have done as a player, which was a lot. I think he’ll really get the most out of the team; that’s the type of guy he is. It will be fun, it will be hard, and he’ll have high expectations of the players because he has high expectations for himself.”

Drake Maye notes from @SiriusXMNFL interview:

🏈 On Mike Vrabel: “He reached out to me, we got on the phone. He’s been awesome. Obviously a guy who has done it, played in the league, won a Super Bowl [3] — you have a respect of what he’s done and seen what he’s done. I think… https://t.co/1TJ0wj2B1d

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 31, 2025

2. WR coach void: Vrabel’s initial coaching staff is coming together, with one notable hole yet to be filled: Who is coaching wide receivers?

Vrabel’s receivers coach for six seasons with the Titans, Rob Moore, is under contract with the Panthers. McDaniels’ longtime receivers coach in New England, Chad O’Shea, is under contract with the Browns.

Wes Welker, who coached receivers in San Francisco (2019-21) and Miami (2022-24), is among the options the Patriots have considered, according to league sources. Welker’s coaching career began in Houston under Bill O’Brien in 2017, when Vrabel was defensive coordinator.

And, of course, he played for McDaniels in New England. So, there’s history there if both sides feel it’s a fit.

3. Maye’s salute: In his SiriusXM NFL Radio interview, Maye noted how Matthew Slater was a top mentor to him during his rookie season, which included “all aspects of life.”

That leaves a significant void for Maye in 2025. Slater was serving as the special assistant to former head coach Jerod Mayo, a position that didn’t carry over to the new regime.

4. Senior Bowl: Vrabel’s presence at the Senior Bowl was arguably the top Patriots-based storyline last week in Mobile, Alabama. Not all head coaches attend (Mayo didn’t last year), and it reflects, in part, how heavily involved Vrabel will be personnel-wise.

The team’s website posted a video with Vrabel, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf and newly hired vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden — presenting a unified vision between the three.

No player at the Senior Bowl is expected to be under consideration for the Patriots with the fourth overall pick in April’s NFL draft, so the trip focused more on what the team will be doing after its initial pick.

5. Secondary shuffle: Vrabel’s decision to move on from cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino and safeties coach Brian Belichick, and hire Scott Booker — one of his former secondary coaches with the Titans — spotlights an area some around the NFL were watching closely.

Because first-year defensive coordinator Terrell Williams‘ primary expertise is the front seven, and he hasn’t had extensive experience calling coverages, more could initially fall to either Vrabel or Booker as Williams grows into the role.

Booker played safety at Kent State (1990-2002), then began his coaching career there (2003-08) under former Patriots assistant Dean Pees while overlapping with Julian Edelman’s playing career. After stops at Western Kentucky (2009), Notre Dame (2010-16) and Nebraska (2017), he was hired by Vrabel in Tennessee. Booker, 44, spent last season as a senior defensive assistant/nickel coach for the Bills.

One notable tie Booker has to New England football: His father, Ed, was the first Black captain of the University of New Hampshire football team in the 1970s.

6. McAdoo sticks: Senior offensive assistant Ben McAdoo is expected to return to the Patriots’ staff in 2025, according to team sources, but his role may shift as the staff is finalized in the coming weeks.

One possibility discussed is McAdoo’s offensive background be tapped to help the defense, highlighting areas he would attack as a playcaller to help fortify that unit.

7. Schooler’s absence: Core special-teamer Brenden Schooler‘s absence from the Pro Bowl Games was a result of undergoing hernia surgery, according to a team source.

Schooler played 378 special teams snaps and 49 defensive snaps in 2024.

8. They said it: “He has just done a tremendous job wherever he’s been. All-Pro guard. Probably making a case to be a Pro Bowl tackle with the job he’s done this year. Who does that? Logan [Mankins] did it one time for us. He’s one of those guys where nothing is too big for him — he’ll go out there, compete, and play his butt off.” — Scarnecchia, on Joe Thuney, the 2016 Patriots third-round pick now in his fourth season with the Chiefs

9. Did You Know, Part I: The Patriots’ 45-game streak of scoring fewer than 30 points is the longest in the NFL, according to ESPN Research.

10. Did You Know, Part II: When quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, defensive lineman Chris Jones, kicker Harrison Butker and snapper James Winchester play in Super Bowl LIX, they will make the Chiefs one of just three teams in NFL history with five teammates who all played in five Super Bowls together.

The Cowboys (Larry Cole, Cliff Harris, D.D. Lewis, Charlie Waters, Rayfield Wright) and Patriots (Tom Brady, Patrick Chung, Stephen Gostkowski, Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater) are the others.