Few franchises have undergone a more dramatic reset than the New England Patriots, especially after the Tom Brady era. With Brady, they dominated for 20 straight years and built a dynasty, with every chapter etched in the history books. But since the QB’s exit, the Patriots have been anything but their old self, with some assurance now coming from Mike Vrabel taking over as head coach.
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Vrabel had to take over from Bill Belichick after the Patriots’ shocking 8-26 combined record over the last two seasons.
Vrabel inherits a revamped roster that spent more in free agency than any other team in the NFL in his first year. And No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye is entering his sophomore season after showing encouraging flashes as a rookie. Many are expecting New England to make an instant leap back into playoff relevance. But if you ask the head coach, he is not buying into the noise.
Speaking with Dianna Russini, the first-year head coach quickly dismissed the notion that his mere arrival guarantees a turnaround. “Like, yeah, that’s never going to be the case,” Vrabel said flatly.
“We have to work and we have to compete… we’re never going to accept losing, but we have to embrace moving on. Whether we win or whether we lose, we have to continue to move ahead and figure out what the next challenge is,” he added.
While external expectations have soared thanks to Vrabel’s reputation and the Patriots’ record spending spree, the head man is focused on building sustainable habits rather than chasing preseason headlines. Because for Vrabel, the expectation is not tied to a record, but to a standard of execution.
“The expectations are that we compete, that we try to be good enough to take advantage of bad football, that we’re not beating ourselves, that there is a rhythm to what we’re doing, that there’s a flow to what we do,” he explained.
Vrabel also underlined the fact that a team’s true identity comes from the locker room itself, and not the coach.
“The players… they’re the ones that establish the identity. I can talk about it until I’m blue in the face. They are the ones… it’s their identity. And hopefully, once you build something, you protect it. You build a home. You protect it. You build a family. You protect it. And that’s what we talk about,” he said.
Even on the defensive side, where expectations are perhaps highest because of New England’s aggressive offseason spending and Vrabel’s history as Linebacker and DC, he once again reflected a focus on attitude and accountability rather than rankings:
“From the first game, I think that we played hard. I think that we finished. I think guys enjoyed being with each other… wherever we have to play defense, our job is to go play defense,” he said, praising the resilience shown by his new unit.
The Patriots organization has spent nearly $300 million more than the defending champion Eagles this offseason, invested heavily in young talent, and has the benefit of one of the league’s easiest schedules. So, the external optimism feels justified.
But in Vrabel’s eyes, the path back to contention won’t be built on hype. It will be built on competition, discipline, and a collective identity forged by the players themselves.
