A coaching journey he needed to take, and the former star linebacker uniquely suited to put a faltering franchise back on track.

Williams might not be a familiar name to Patriots fans, since he's never been a defensive coordinator before. But he is very familiar to Vrabel—Williams spent six seasons under

As a former player, coach Mike Vrabel always had connections to the New England Patriots organization, and that was probably enough to get him a coaching job with the team earlier. However, he felt a need to leave New England and build his own path to an eventual