The New England Patriots officially introduced Mike Vrabel as their 16th head coach in franchise history. He took the podium at Gillette Stadium and ushered in change for the franchise.
Vrabel embodied traits of the first half of the Patriots dynasty in the 2000s and hopes to modernize a new winning tradition in New England. Vrabel enjoyed success as head coach of the Tennessee Titans and returns to Foxboro in hopes of elevating his former team.
Vrabel spoke Monday with conviction and direction for the Patriots to reverse their recent slide over the past five seasons. New England hired him for a reason and the 49-year-old answered the call.
Here’s how we rated Vrabel’s introductory press conference as Patriots head coach:
Charisma
Vrabel opened with jokes for reporters from his playing days and showed off his personality to appeal to those surrounding the Patriots’ modern era in the post-dynastic years in New England.
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Vrabel gave an engaging speech and provided as much clarity as possible to reporters’ questions. He didn’t evade questions for the most part and showed the personality that will help him continue interacting with players in the Patriots locker room.
Direction
From eliminating entitlement to culture and accountability, Vrabel wants to rid the Patriots of the flaws of recent years and crush any remaining egos in the Patriots building. He expects players to buy in and that the team’s interests are always first.
Vrabel also made specific efforts to talk about his goals of reshaping an offensive line in desperate need of improvement as well as improving the talent surrounding young quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots need a lot of fixing and Vrabel has directly laid out his plan to do so.
Information
Sean T. McGuire of NESN.com detailed key quotes from Vrabel’s press conference. He called for organizational accountability and set a precedent for the identity he will ensure his team develops.
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Grade: A-
Vrabel didn’t necessarily have any weaknesses during his press conference, but you can’t set the ceiling after 24 hours. The Patriots’ new coach has his work cut out for him and the roster needs improvement across the board.
For now, Vrabel has said all the right things to reiterate why the Patriots entrusted him with the keys to the franchise in New England.
