Patriots
“Respect the football team and the people that are here.”
With the Patriots’ voluntary offseason program already underway in Foxborough, Mike Vrabel is looking to build an environment of accountability in his first year at the helm.
In a video initially posted by the Patriots of Vrabel’s initial address to the team at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots’ new head coach mapped out several requests for his players as they look to build a new foundation moving forward.
“One, respect the team,” Vrabel said. “Respect the football team and the people that are here. The second, when we’re in a meeting, I know what the style may be — just pull your hood down. That’s all I ask. Be on time. …If I can’t be on time, what’s the easiest thing to do? You would just call, right? You would communicate. All you have to do is say, ‘Hey, something came up. I’m gonna be a little bit late.’ Now, after about four or five times that starts wearing off. This is just once in a while.
“And the cell phones. We all got cell phones. Most of you have more than one, as a matter of fact. Just leave the cell phone in your bag. Put the phone away. If it rings, don’t start coughing. I’ve been in this league for 25 years. We all know when a cell phone goes off. We don’t need to start coughing and doing that (expletive). Just put it on silent and we’ll move on. The cell phones in the weight room — leave it on the counter or leave it in your locker. You don’t need to do a set and then check your cell phone.”
The most daunting task for Vrabel and the Patriots this season is to execute on the field and claw out of the basement of the AFC standings.
But Vrabel already preached in his first press conference as Patriots head coach of the need to remove “entitlement” from the team in 2025.
That sentiment has been a staple of Vrabel-coached teams during his extended tenure in Tennessee — as former Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan noted on social media just hours after Vrabel was announced as the team’s new head coach.
“You need to keep your (expletive) head on a swivel. You need to understand that (expletive) is going to be really hard for a little bit,” Lewan said on X of Vrabel’s mentality as a head coach in January. “And it’s going to be okay. But just know, you’re about to go into hell for a little bit. You’re going to be sitting there in the locker room, you’re in small groups, ‘Who the (expletive) is this guy?’ ‘Why is he talking to us like this?’ ‘Who does he think he is?’
“Yeah, he played in the league, whatever … By the way, in that first team meeting, he’s going to tell you how many years he played in the league. And he’s going to reference it forever. Not a bad thing, boys. I’m telling you, it’s going to work out. I was a part of it. While I was in those small little groups, and you start to get away from it, and it’s ‘Yeah, this dude knows what the (expletive) he’s talking about.’”
Sure enough, new Patriots center Garret Bradbury noted on Thursday that Vrabel is already putting the players on notice during team meetings.
“A big thing I was told coming in, was Coach Vrabel will ask a bunch of questions in team meetings,” Bradbury said. “Like, you have to know your stuff, which I love.
“I think that if you have to be ready to answer any questions, whether it’s about rules, whether it’s about goals, whether it’s about individual plays, coaching points, I think everyone in that meeting room understands they have to be on top of their stuff. and when you do that, if you’re the left tackle, and you know what the right guard is going to do, you play faster.”
Sign up for Patriots updates🏈
Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during football season.
