Unlike Jerod Mayo, Mike Vrabel will enter his first season as New England Patriots head coach with previous experience leading an NFL locker room.
Vrabel was the Tennessee Titans' head coach from 2018 to 2023, leading them into the playoffs in three consecutive seasons (2019-21). During his tenure in Tennessee, he earned a reputation as a culture builder who was hard on his players, but got the best out of the ones who bought in.
So, what type of culture is Vrabel looking to build in New England? Former Titans and Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan, who played for Vrabel in Tennessee for two seasons, joined Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk Podcast to discuss.
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🔊 Patriots Talk Podcast: Titans writer explains what went wrong for Mike Vrabel in Tennessee | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"Vrabel's saying is, 'I'm going to treat you how you treat the team,'" Ryan said. "He wants players that care about the team. Like, he's not going to deal with the divas and the egos. He doesn't deal with that. But he gets the best out of his players, not always with force.
"I think he loved up on (Jeffery) Simmons a lot. We thought Jeff Simmons got a lot of love. But Jeff Simmons played really well. A.J. Brown was one of his favorites, A.J. Brown played really well. Got the best out of Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry rushed for 2K (yards), I had some good years, Malcolm (Butler) was playing pretty well there.
"He got the best out of his best players, and you need that to win. He understands that as a leader. So, I feel like the Patriots, I think their best players -- hopefully he gets the best out of Drake Maye, Christian Gonzalez, I think all those guys should take steps under Mike Vrabel."
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During his introductory press conference, Vrabel made a point to mention "removing entitlement" from the Patriots locker room. Players will have to earn their roles as leaders on a team that desperately needs a fresh slate.
"He's going to even the playing field, just like (Bill) Belichick did at times," Ryan said of Vrabel. "He's going to take all lieutenants out. Everyone's going to be soldiers, and they're going to have to earn that job in camp to earn that back."
Also in the episode:
- Interview with Titans senior writer Jim Wyatt.
- How quickly can Mike Vrabel turn things around in New England?
- Do the Titans or their fans regret moving on from Vrabel? What went wrong for the head coach in his final 24 games with the team?
- Did Titans players ultimately tune Vrabel's tough-coaching style out towards the end?
- Ryan shares his thoughts on Drake Maye and what went wrong for Jerod Mayo as Patriots head coach.