Mike Vrabel wasn’t Bill Belichick’s chosen successor in Foxborough. After parting ways with the Tennessee Titans, though, he spent a year consulting for the Cleveland Browns, biding his time and watching from the sidelines.
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When Jerod Mayo (Belichick’s replacement) was let go shortly after a 4-13 season, Vrabel seized the opportunity. And just a week later, he was named the new head coach of the New England Patriots … and so far, it’s been a perfect fit.
The Patriots are 5-2, back on their familiar perch atop the AFC East, where they haven’t been since Tom Brady left. They are playing better than Josh Allen‘s Bills, whom they upset in prime time. Vrabel is finding ways to win with a top-10 defense, strong quarterback play, and a mix-and-match approach at the skill positions. Sound familiar?
Vrabel was a three-time Super Bowl champ during his eight years playing under Belichick from 2001-2008. One could call those formative years.
So, it’s no surprise that when two other Belichick disciples—Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski—discussed Vrabel’s style of coaching and roster construction, they compared it to their old football shaman. Edelman, however, argued that Vrabel is a mix of Belichick and Los Angeles Rams wunderkind Sean McVay.
“The only reason we say Belichick is because he came from that foundation. He learned a lot of football through Coach Belichick. That’s what Coach does. He teaches football. You can see a lot of his fundamental team-building and how he wants his team to be the same as our teams because that was his team! But also, he’s a defensive coach, but he has the IQ of like Sean McVay,” Edelman explained.
Edelman, who was drafted by Belichick and the Patriots in the seventh round in 2009, just missed playing with Vrabel. A couple of months before the 2009 draft, the veteran linebacker was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs along with Matt Cassel for a 2009 second-rounder. The Pats used that pick on safety Patrick Chung. He went on to start 112 games for New England while helping them win three Super Bowls.
But despite having never actually played with Vrabel under Belichick, both Edelman and Vrabel will have likely gleaned a lot of the same messages and lessons about the game from the wily and experienced head coach.
Vrabel’s focus on defense and good quarterback play is reminiscent of Belichick’s. But the love the big 6’4″ former linebacker has garnered from his players sets him apart from his surly mentor.
“You could tell that guys like playing for him, guys are all engaged, you see Drake Maye gave him the game ball after because they got the win in Tennessee. Those moments are fun and they seem genuine and they seem authentic.”
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It was a nice moment from Maye to give Vrabel the ball: the 2007 First-Team All-Pro had been an excellent head coach for the Titans from 2018-2023, but his tenure there ended acrimoniously.
The fact that the team went out and played as hard and as dominantly as they did shows that this 5-2 start is no fluke and that Vrabel has some real team unity going on in Foxborough again. Opposing fans, tormented for two decades by the success of New England, will be exasperated that the Patriots’ post-Belichick era of futility seems to have already ended after just a couple of seasons.