For Spillane, a three-time captain with a blue-collar mindset, this is the environment he thrives in—and the kind of leadership Vrabel embodies. Spillane's intensity from the moment he runs onto the practice field is a window into how the formerly undrafted player rose to new heights.
"He's very transparent, intense, straight to the point," Spillane said of his head coach. "All you want as a player is clarity. It's who he is, so he doesn't have to fake it. He gets to be his true self every single day."
Spillane is applying those same principles as he helps mentor a young linebacker group.
"I tell the guys that aren't starters to train as starters," Spillane said. "They don't expect undrafted guys to make it in this league. But that's my story—and I'm going to stay true and help other guys reach their dream too."
In Vrabel's view, those relationships—between players, coaches, and roles—are what this spring is all about.
"This process of playing this game is about building relationships and connections with players and coaches alike," Vrabel said. "The ability to work with another player out on the field…that's important."
Even with the pads still off and the intensity carefully managed, Vrabel is finding ways to push the tempo and demand urgency.
"I like to see guys running off the field, coming out on the field, breaking the huddle, lining up, having an urgency with which we practice," he said. "All those things, hopefully, will lead to better execution."
For now, it's a work in progress. But there's no mistaking whose team this is—and whose voice is leading the way.
"He needs to stop wearing my number," Peppers joked of Vrabel, whose penchant for wearing practice jerseys and hopping into team drills is becoming an every-practice occurrence. "I told him he wasn't tough enough for it."
If these first four OTAs are any indication, Vrabel's toughness—and his style—are already rubbing off.