You never want to be the guy who replaces a legend.

Phil Bengston was a defensive genius. His guidance helped the Green Bay Packers dominate the NFL during the 1960s.

But Phil is best remembered, if at all, as the guy who replaced Vince Lombardi as head coach of the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers finished 20-21 in his 3 seasons as head coach. Those numbers would earn a lifetime contract and new lighthouse in Foxboro these days. But hanging a .488 winning percentage in the shadow of the coach for whom the Super Bowl trophy is named was deemed insufficient. Phil was fired after the 1970 season.

Jerod Mayo was the guy who replaced the legend in New England.

Of course, Mayo was not the first “Phil Bengston” in New England. That would be Phil himself. Bengston coached the woeful 1972 Patriots to a 1-4 record after stepping in as interim coach for the departed John Mazur.

A year ago in this space, we lobbied for the Patriots to hire Mike Vrabel as their next head coach even before Robert Kraft “parted ways” with Bill Belichick.

We’re far too modest to compare ourselves to Nostradamus, Churchill, or Steve Jobs in terms of future vision.

I continue, however, to nurse my wounded hamstrings following that 2-day victory lap after news broke Sunday that the Patriots had indeed chosen Vrabel as their 16th head coach.

Success arrives following just the right mixture of talent, effort, and timing.

For Vrabel, the timing here is perfect. His arrival as coach of the Patriots personifies “better late than never.”

Had the Patriots heeded the words printed here on Jan. 10, 2024, the team may well be in the same situation as it is now – Mike Vrabel as head coach coming off a 4-13 season.

There’s no telling how much better this past version of the Patriots would have fared under Vrabel’s guidance.

And the best part is that we’ll never know.

Vrabel begins his reign as head coach in Foxboro with the Patriots having fully crossed the River Belichick.

While he’s not a Son Of Bill, Vrabel can be one tough SOB when it comes to coaching his players.

Before you bemoan New England not hiring an “offensive-minded” coach, look at the NFL’s Final 8. They offer a mix of offensive and defensive head coaches. There is no “one” formula. Except “leadership.”

You need a Mass General neurosurgeon to find fault in what Vrabel said on Monday.

“People ask what non-negotiables are. Our effort and our finish is going to be the contract that we make with our teammates,” Vrabel told the media throng. “That will be my job to make sure. That’s the greatest compliment that you could ever give a coach, by the way. Not that he has great plays or great blitz, it’s ‘Man, you guys, your players play their asses off.’”

And Vrabel says he won’t be held hostage by the past.

“Just because those banners hang, that’s not going to give us an advantage on the field, but it’s going to give us a blueprint on how hard we need to work and the things that we need to do to be successful,” Vrabel said.

Vrabel kept the media blitz going, yukking it up live on both 985 The Sports Hub and WEEI.

The Patriots gave us all the dysfunction without the fun last season. And in the words of Massachusetts State Police Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam, the SS Mayo had more leaks than the Iraqi navy.

Vrabel returns to Foxboro to find an organization stripped down to the studs, walls, and foundation. The yard is full of debris. But the dumpster is, for now, empty. In a perfect world, Robert and Jonathan Kraft would have gone “Full Corleone” and wiped out everyone but the cleaning and culinary staff.

But Robert Kraft is 83. And no one goes all-in on a rebuild at 83. While we wish Robert another 83 years – hopefully Monday’s press conference concerning his football team’s coach was RKK’s final such appearance as the active owner of the Patriots.

He’s had 4 such pressers in the past 53 weeks after none over the previous 24 years.

Firing Belichick. Hiring Mayo. Firing Mayo. Hiring Vrabel.

When did the Jets move to Norfolk County?

Thus, we’re stuck with Eliot “Lucky DNA Club” Wolf. Vrabel mentioned Wolf’s name multiple times on Monday and even joked about how they both like “good” players. Then, just a few hours later, we learned one of Vrabel’s football BFFs, Ryan Cowden, was leaving his job with the Giants to become Wolf’s No. 2.

Given that the Patriots’ roster played like No. 2 this past season, Cowden’s Patriots Power Ranking can go nowhere but up.

Has the age of accountability returned to One Patriot Place? Vrabel’s hiring is a great start. Patriots and Vrabel won Monday’s press conference. But the season doesn’t commence for another 33 Sundays. And New England hasn’t won a playoff game in 59 months. Triumphant press conferences are no substitute for duck boat parades.

The Kraft Family, too, is on the clock. Robert, Jonathan, and Robyn Glaser must immolate the cash that Mayo never got to burn. Wolf can’t afford any more draft day drops like Ja’Lynn Polk. And Drake Maye needs to exorcise his inner Sam Darnold and stop turning the ball over in game-clinching situations. Never mind diving head-first on those running plays.

33 Sundays to go.

And for the first time in a long time, millions of Patriots fans can’t wait.

Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BillSperos) can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com.