FOXBOROUGH - Back in August, before the season started, former Patriots great Vince Wilfork made a bold prediction about the team.
He told MassLive the Patriots were going to “take the league by storm” and “shock” the world with how good they were going to be.
The Patriots Hall of Famer, who was in attendance for Thursday night’s 27-14 win over the New York Jets, was one of the few who saw it coming.
What did he base his prediction on?
Mike Vrabel.
Wilfork played with Vrabel as a Patriot, and was in Houston during his final years when his former teammate was there initially as a linebackers coach, and then defensive coordinator.
Knowing him both as a teammate and coach, Wilfork had a pretty good idea what was in store, and what that meant for the 2025 Patriots.
Vrabel, one of the favorites for Coach of the Year honors, has established a culture, and secured complete buy-in from the players.
The Vrabel Way has helped turn a four-win team into a Super Bowl contender almost overnight.
Heading into Sunday’s Week 11 games, the Patriots are an NFL-best 9-2, have ripped off eight straight wins, and are on track to capture the AFC’s top seed with six games left to play thanks in part to the efforts of the head coach.
During the week, Stefon Diggs called him the “perfect parent.”
The description fits.
“(He gives) tough love when you need that positive reinforcement,” Diggs said. “(He) wants you to work hard, wants the best for you, is going to demand it from you each and every day, but he’s also a player so he understands, too.”
As a former player, Vrabel has a keen perspective about what the players need, and what they want. He gets how they think, what’s important to them.
His training camp dive into a pile of bodies when hostilities boiled over during joint practices with the Washington Commanders, and getting bloodied in the process, is one example.
That was a message to let the players know he has their backs. He was willing to do something most coaches wouldn’t dare do to defend and support his players.
During last Sunday’s game in Tampa, Vrabel held Christian Barmore’s hand out on the field, as the trainers tended to the defensive tackle, who had suffered a back injury.
That was a sign that he genuinely cares about his players.
Standing outside the locker room, shaking hands with all of the players and assistant coaches after every game is another component of the Vrabel Way.
Little things like that make even bigger impressions. The players have certainly noticed.
Whatever the move, Vrabel is pushing all the right buttons, and taking no credit. He’s giving all of that to the players. He’s allowing them to shine.
“[Vrabel] has done an amazing job. Even just coming in from OTAs, he stood in here and told us what we were going to do, and building a team and building connections and coming together, and getting close,” Patriots All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez said following the win over the Jets. “As not just a former player, but a great player, he knows how to get people going. He knows how to get us going, and we call it getting under our skin a little bit. He likes to talk, but I mean, it’s fun. It’s good energy. We love playing for him, and we’ll do whatever we got to do to go out there and get wins.”
Every vow, every goal he set forth in his opening press conference, as well as his first session with the players, Vrabel has delivered on.
Then, there’s the impact he’s had on Drake Maye. While Josh McDaniels has done wonders getting Maye to the next level, Vrabel has also had a hand in his second-year quarterback’s development.
Following the Jets win, Vrabel waxed poetic about Maye, who was sitting right next to him during TNF’s post-game interview.
Vrabel told the hosts he came to New England because he wanted to coach Maye, and build a program around his quarterback.
“It’s about putting great people around your really good players,” Vrabel said. “That’s what Drake is for us.”
There are coaches - Bill Belichick in particular - who aren’t fond of showering their quarterback with praise. Vrabel held back earlier in the year, but of late, hasn’t muted his compliments.
Maye, who has become a bonafide franchise quarterback and leading MVP candidate, appreciated hearing those words from his head coach.
Then he shared what Vrabel has meant to him.
“It means the world. It goes both ways,” Maye said of Vrabel’s praise. “I can’t thank coach enough for what he’s done, what he’s gonna do for my career, for my life. He brings it every day.
“He said this, and he’ll text me later tonight about something I could have done better in the game. He’s constant, he’s awesome, and we love playing for him. I love playing for him.”
To a man, that’s the sentiment of every player in the locker room. They love playing for Vrabel, and love what he’s doing for them, and their careers.
They’re committed and focused every week. Playing on a short week against the Jets, they didn’t miss a beat.
Vrabel leaves no stone unturned. He’s big on the little details. He’s also created a family environment inside Gillette Stadium. It’s one where his players have thrived.
“It’s not fake, it’s real,” Diggs said. “He’s the overseer of the whole thing. He kind of built it from OTAs til now. He’s not going to be irrational or ever try to make you feel less. He’s the perfect parent to me.”
Wilfork knew that when he made his prediction before the season started.
He knew that along with having Maye, and a good coaching staff, the Vrabel Way would pay dividends. He knew it would prove a winning lottery ticket.
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