The New England Patriots officially hired Mike Vrabel as their next head coach on Sunday, bringing back one of the team's Hall of Famers and Super Bowl champions to lead the franchise. As Vrabel takes over for the storied franchise that has dominated 21st-century football, his former Patriots coach, Bill Belichick, has since reacted to the hiring.

Speaking on the "Pat McAfee Show," Bill Belichick offered up a ringing endorsement for Mike Vrabel as Patriots head coach.

Head coach Mike Vrabel isn't interested in comparisons between himself and New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick. "I'm not Bill (Belichick)," Vrabel

"I love Mike. I love everything that he stands for as a football coach." Mike Vrabel was endorsed by Bill Belichick during this UNC coach's "Pat McAfee Show" appearance.

When asked how it felt to coach Belichick’s former team, Vrabel offered a nuanced response.

Legendary New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has spoken out for the first time about Mike Vrabel's appointment as the team's new head coach-and he couldn't be more supportiv

While Bill Belichick's first replacement didn't work out ... "I've stayed in pretty close contact with Mike Vrabel and I have a ton of respect for him.. He's a great football coach and I'm sure he'll do a great job in New England" ~ Coach Belichick# ...

Mike Vrabel is officially the new head coach of the New England Patriots and will look to take the franchise back to the glory days that they experienced under

Now, with O’Brien revitalizing BC and Vrabel looking to do the same with the Patriots, the area’s most prominent football teams are led by men who bonded in Foxborough.

Finally, the New England Patriots have Mike Vrabel as head coach after much speculation about his arrival, but it appears that Bill Belichick, albeit indirectly, was the one who delayed the former player's return to the franchise.

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick had high praise for newly-hired New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, when appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday. The Patriots hired Vrabel as their head coach on Sunday, a full week after firing Jerod Mayo.

FOXBORO — Bill Belichick has already said more positive things about Mike Vrabel in his one day as the Patriots’ head coach than he did about Jerod Mayo in a full year. Vrabel was officially introduced as the Patriots head coach on Monday at Gillette Stadium. He was hired Sunday morning.