"I think it's going to be about the players. I think that's the most important thing, is to make it about the players. ... They put a lot of work in. We ask a lot of them, and then I feel like the games are their opportunity to go play. And I want to make sure that we exemplify that. That we give them what they need to be ready, but also prepared."
That was Mike Vrabel, on the Friday before his first regular-season game as the 16th head coach in Patriots history. It was evident during the spring and summer that Vrabel had taken the defibrillator paddles to an organization that, from the outside looking in, appeared to fall fast. But the reality painted a different picture, one of an organization that had come undone years prior by infighting and egos, by poor personnel decisions and even worse drafting. Vrabel and his merry men set out to change that. Man, have they ever.
The Pats are enjoying the bye week, armed with the best record in the NFL and owners of a 10-game win streak. Drake Maye is the frontrunner for league MVP. Damn near every free agent signing has hit - in some cases, big - and this draft class has 39 starts divvied up among four of its top five selections, while also getting contributions from three others (Kyle Williams, Julian Ashby, Andy Borregales and UDFA Elijah Ponder). Everything is coming up Patriots.
Of course, to Vrabel's point, the players deserve the spotlight. They are the ones who put their bodies at risk daily, who play four games in 22 days (their most recent stretch) and even on their days off, find themselves in the facility for one reason or another.
But I can't help but come back to Vrabel as the underlying reason why this season has breathed new life into this franchise, and, even to the biggest of homers, has surpassed expectations to this point.
Yes, Vrabel is emotional. He can be confrontational and will give the needle to anyone and everyone. Don't get it twisted either; he has a sizable ego. But Vrabel has a