FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Wearing a steel blue suit and a titanium standard floating on his chest, Mike Vrabel took the New England Patriots’ podium for the first time on day one.
Win the AFC East.
Playoff games (plural) at Gillette Stadium.
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Compete for the championship.
“I want to inspire our football team,” Vrabel said last January after owner Robert Kraft named him Patriots head coach. “I want to inspire this building. I want to inspire our fans.”
As the manifesto goes, it was this message that won the first press conference and put oxygen into ownership’s lungs. At best, Vrabel was issuing a rallying cry that he actually believed in. But the worst-case scenario is — well, this team is just coming off the misery of back-to-back 4-13 seasons. Bill Belichick is gone and the mood has soured. Tom Brady is free to find his next horizon. Everyone knows what the worst feeling is. This is how they live. Get Out might as well be called the Boston area’s next big dig: a project that’s sure to last for years…maybe decades…maybe generations. After all, that’s how long it took the Patriots to prepare for their first Super Bowl victory.
On Sunday night, however, Vrabel had a smile on his face after 363 days on the job, and Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams, who accidentally headbutted the head coach while hugging a bear during the Patriots’ 16-3 wild-card playoff victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, was ecstatic.
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“We talked with them about whether we were willing to bleed out there and let the big dogs come out in January,” Vrabel said Sunday. “I think Milt took that to heart in the way he played the game and the way he finished the game. He came in and made me do a good job. That’s what happened.”
Who can blame Williams? This win established at least something important about the Patriots. Something like that…
Even on a day when the offense falls behind, New England can rely on its defense to beat its playoff opponents. That’s the sign of a team with a legitimate Super Bowl opportunity.
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We can no longer talk about the Patriots’ 14-3 regular season record as if it’s nothing more than a vulture meal of mediocrity. Going beyond your schedule is going beyond your schedule — and no matter how much respect you gain in the process, that should include the playoffs.
Ultimately, when Vrabel laid out the standards he wanted New England to hold last January, it wasn’t just talk or parroting what every coach said on Day One. This isn’t just achievable on the distant horizon, either.
Consider that Vrabel completed two of his three never-ending sacks in New England in less than a year. He won the AFC East title on Day 349. On Sunday, Day 363, the Patriots defeated the Chargers and secured a second home playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers or Houston Texans in the divisional round. That leaves the Patriots with two wins in the AFC playoffs, as every team has some kind of Achilles’ heel.
That’s how you inspire a team, a building and a group of fans: you say what you think, and then you do it.
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That’s what New England did on Sunday. Quarterback Drake Maye had a couple of big moments on the day with two fumbles and five sacks. When the run game isn’t explosive, but is strong and consistent enough to wear down the Chargers’ talented and violent defense. When the Patriots’ own defense racked up six sacks and enough hits against Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert, there were real doubts whether Herbert would make it out of Sunday’s game without a serious injury.
On Sunday, Patriots wideout Stefon Diggs raised his eyebrows and said, “I don’t know how many yards. [the Chargers] That’s true, but our defense looks like it’s back to its rare form. “
For the record, the Chargers had just 207 total yards. New England also limited them to 1-for-10 on third downs and 1-for-3 on fourth downs.
“[The defense] Maybe you’re tired of hearing me talk about it [the Chargers] To be fourth in the league on third down and how well they performed offensively,” Vrabel mused.
Despite Meyer’s two turnovers, it’s easy to tell that Vrabel is encouraged by his defense and the play of inside linebackers coach Zach Kuehl, who became the team’s de facto defensive coordinator earlier this season amid Terrell Williams’ battle with prostate cancer. Vrabel believes it was Kuhl who made different looks on Sunday that continually upset or pressured Herbert.
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“Zach ended up being able to change some calls, and I felt like that was a mixture of pressure because that’s what we felt we needed,” Vrabel said.
Few will recall this from his introductory press conference, but in a way, Vrabel foreshadowed Kuhl’s expanded role and performance. He teased Meyer’s MVP-caliber improvement, as well as the veteran contributions of Diggs and running back Lamond Stevenson, as well as a host of depth and role players — both rookies and veterans. Not by actually predicting them, but by simply stating the mentality of this Patriots team, inside and out.
Leaders are not developed. They will be found.
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“We’re going to have leaders,” Vrabel predicted in January. “Leaders will show who they are. I know our people and our ability to create winners and competitors [is] Probably easier than developing leaders—and leaders identify themselves. Leaders will be the ones who define culture. Culture will be the driving force and deliver you the results we seek. “
“We’re just trying to get good enough to take advantage of bad football,” Vrabel said. “That’s where we start. That’s what I try to tell all the players [the situation] Now. I don’t know if we’re good enough to take advantage of bad football. I have no idea. … But if we can try to take advantage of bad football and be good enough that — when someone makes a mistake — take advantage of it and not be the one making the mistake, focus on the little things and details and help them do their job better, that’s a great place to start. “
This is where things begin. Continues on Sunday. From exploiting bad football to forcing it.
Along the way, outline goals that seem farther away than they actually are.
