New England Patriots tight end Austin Hooper played under first-year New England head coach Mike Vrabel when the two were employed by the Tennessee Titans during the 2022 season.
While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Hooper addressed what his teammates can expect to see and hear from Vrabel over the next handful of months.
“It was different the first time,” Hooper said about his previous experience with Vrabel, as shared by Conor Ryan of Boston.com. “I’m not speaking outside the family here – a very strong personality, a guy who’s played before, a guy who taught me a lot, and at first, it was a tougher transition. It was my first time being around a head coach in that style. …The guys I worked for in the past were generally offensive guys. To kind of typecast style of coaches – offensive guys are typically more mellowed out. Defensive guys, you have to bring the energy and galvanize the group. There was more energy.”
Hooper and others who were with the Patriots last season worked with Jerod Mayo, a first-time head coach who reportedly embraced a “warmth before confidence” approach while serving as the replacement for Bill Belichick. By the end of October, Mayo had referred to a team that ultimately finished the campaign at 4-13 as “soft.”
Vrabel is no newbie, as he went 54-45 as head coach of the Titans from 2018-23. During that time, he guided the club to one conference championship game appearance and he earned NFL Coach of the Year Award honors for the 2021 season. He’s now attempting to shift the Patriots’ culture, in part by drafting “high-character players” such as offensive tackle Will Campbell and running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Of course, Vrabel is also a Patriots Hall of Famer who earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the team from 2001-08. Thus, he won’t be asking his players to do anything more than what was asked of him by Belichick all those years ago.
“Like any good boss, he’s going to clearly define what his employees need to do,” Hooper added about Vrabel. “If you want to come along this journey, this is what’s expected. It’s something I carry with me.”
