Mike Vrabel Breaks Away From Bill Belichick’s Teachings & Adopts Andy Reid’s Playbook for Patriots

Problems require new solutions. And in the league where strategies become old fast, the new Patriots HC Mike Vrabel is not trying to repeat history. He is carrying the responsibility of changing their fortunes after two back-to-back seasons with a poor 4-13 win-loss record. Moreover, he has to take them into the playoffs after failing in the last 3 seasons. He is trying to pick a leaf out of Andy Reid‘s playbook instead of the homegrown legend, Bill Belichick.

A year ago, the Patriots seemed lost—stuck between following the “Belichick way” and abandoning it completely. With Vrabel, there’s little ambiguity. The Pats RB coach and assistant to Vrabel from 2018 to 2023 at the Titans, Tony Dews, first praised Vrabel for clearly expressing his emotions, “The best thing about Vrabel is you don’t ever have to wonder where you stand with him. When he’s not happy with you, you’ll know.”

But the outside LB coach, Mike Smith, had a more specific observation. He spent 3 years at the Chiefs. While talking about the traits of Vrabel, he said, “All the great coaches I’ve worked for, they might be different, but they have something in common.  And he’s very similar to Andy Reid. Andy might not get out there and put that blocking shield on, and he might not yell as much, but they both are very clear in their plan. There’s no gray area.” That’s the path to greatness. Leave nothing to chance.

Just like the Chiefs HC Andy Reid, Vrabel is assigning roles to everyone in the building. He revealed how Andy Reid used to finish meetings with, “Does everyone know where we’re at and where we’re going?” Similarly, Vrabel also makes his feelings known about everything, from practice to injuries to roster changes. That’s also different from the Patriots legend, Bill Belichick.

Many coaches focus on mastering one aspect of the game. If you’re the tight ends coach, you shouldn’t have time to chat with running backs or mingle with defensive assistants. Focus on your role. Or, as Belichick said, “Do your job.”

The former Pats legend used to target one specific role for one individual. But Vrabel is moving ahead with clarity. It means the players need to take on different roles according to the situation on the field. More than Belichick, that’s a step from his game back in the day. Although he was a linebacker, Vrabel also logged 10 receptions as a tight end, all of which were touchdowns.

It’s showing up in practice when he lines up behind the QB, Drake Maye, and tells the safety teams and his defense what to do. That also made him connect the players to assistant coaches of other positional groups, trying to gain an understanding and edge about the game as a whole.

Well, he may take cues from games of any legend; only one thing matters. Results! Robert Kraft and others have high hopes. And he is trying to fulfill all of them.

Mike Vrabel pumps up his roster

On September 3, he talked to the media about their game preparation. While talking about the role of substitutes, the coach said, ” Everybody will have to play. I mean, everybody has to play every game and be ready to play. And you know, the ones that are in condition and they’re playing the way that we uh expect them to, we’ll stay in there.” That’s the game plan.

Mike Vrabel must sort the QB room and focus on game-deciding 1-on-1 situations. Drake Maye is the preferred starter, but backups Tommy DeVito and Joshua Dobbs haven’t secured their spots. DeVito is 3-5 in two seasons, while Dobbs is 3-12 over eight years.

Moreover, the preseason has left many questions for the former player turned coach. After winning the first two games, they lost to the NY Giants by 10-42. Still, all hope is not lost. Mike Vrabel is fully prepared for the season ahead. When safety Jabrill Peppers joked that the coach was not tough enough to wear his no 5 jersey, the coach immediately quipped, “Go check out the Patriots Hall of Fame.”

That’s the competitive spirit he still carries. And amid the competition, the Pats are like a high school class full of young blood. And Mike Vrabel is taking all the right decisions to assert himself as their leader.