The Patriots’ first-year head coach has a clear message to his team.
Mike Vrabel’s first order of business on his first day of training camp as first-year head coach of the New England Patriots? Talk to the media.
Appearing before a scrum of local and national reporters on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium, Vrabel briefly chatted about a variety of topics on Wednesday morning. And as with his players, he also expected those in attendance for his pre-practice presser to bring their A-game.
That became apparent when he was asked about the goals for this year’s Patriots camp — something he had already talked about the previous day. So, he made sure to pop-quiz the reporter on the spot to repeat what he mentioned on Tuesday.
The answer was semi-successful, but the point still stood. Vrabel has three main objectives for his players heading into training camp: build a team, earn a role and prepare to win.
“I don’t claim to be the smartest person. So, I just try to find some things that I think are important for the team and the individual, and then kind of coming back to the team,” Vrabel said on Wednesday.
The previous day, he had given insight into his objectives and the importance that they carry for the team with camp on the horizon.
“We have to start coming together as a football team. The groups that we’re going to use, the special teams unit, the different personnel grouping on offense and on defense, that all has to come together, and that has to happen,” Vrabel explained. “The other thing is they have to earn a role, and that’s a great time for them to personally earn a role through training camp, is what they can do for the team, how they can help us, how they can help themselves.
“There’s a lot of different levels to what those roles are, and in my 14-year career I’ve had plenty of them: from special teams, multiple-position backup, to starter, a starter that was expected to be productive, to a veteran leader. So, there’s multiple levels of what that role will be, and it’s up to them to earn it. Then obviously, we have to prepare to win.”
Winning has been an issue for the Patriots lately, which is why they are now on their third head coach in the last three seasons. How quickly the newest one can right the ship will be seen, but Wednesday marks an important step in that process.
For Vrabel, it is a time of gratitude and excitement.
“I think we’re grateful. I think we’re excited,” he said. “There’s an energy in the building. The players seem excited. We had a long meeting — that first training camp meeting is brutal, there are a lot of presentations that we have to get in front of them. They stayed engaged, and then came in here this morning, and I’m excited to hit the field with them, and our coaches are ready to work and continue to build what we started on in the offseason.”
At the end of the day, however, the former linebacker is well aware that excitement only can get you so far. At the end of the day, it is his responsibility to make sure the previously-outlined goals are met.
“That will be my job as we work through training camp,” he said. “Make sure that we’re doing those three things.”