Most coaches preparing for the Super Bowl focus on the opposing team, but Mike Vrabel is focused on the halftime act. With only about 24 hours remaining, the team had a new approach to finish their final open practice on Friday. HC Mike Vrabel took an unorthodox approach in training, ensuring Bad Bunny’s halftime performance does not derail their momentum in the second half.

“Patriots HC Mike Vrabel did his best during Friday’s practice to simulate Sunday’s Super Bowl conditions,” reported NFL insider Adam Schefter on X. “One hour into practice, Vrabel sent his team back to the locker room, blared Bad Bunny over the stadium speakers for 14 minutes, and then summoned his team back to the field to finish practice, per pool reporter @bylindsayhjones.”

While most franchises train in the betterment of the players’ footballing abilities, the Patriots look to intensify their focus. However, that does not mean they spend their time entirely doing that. They did have a normal 60-minute game, with four quarters. The only addition was the sound boxes playing Bad Bunny.

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The Patriots put in one final, hard-charging practice ahead of Super Bowl LX, and most of the key players showed up ready to go. Drake Maye, Morgan Moses, Thayer Munford Jr., and Joshua Farmer all practiced fully, signaling they’re ready for Sunday.

Even with knee and ankle concerns, Harold Landry III and Robert Spillane got in work, proving the team is determined to stay sharp. With Maye’s shoulder concerns behind and a simulated practice session now over, the franchise will hope to be ready for the big Super Bowl Sunday.

Surprisingly, it is not the first time a franchise has taken such a weird approach to training. The Seahawks under Pete Carroll would do meditation and yoga to relax their minds. The Seahawks also reached two consecutive Super Bowls, winning one, with that approach. Coincidentally, the Super Bowl they lost was against the Patriots.

Vrabel has played under former Patriots HC Bill Belichick, who preferred doing rigorous training sessions. He even used VR to train the squad mentally during rehab. Seems like Vrabel has carried on his former HC’s creative training approaches. While the HC is helping his team get ready for the ultimate prize, he earned a major award as head coach.

 AP NFL Coach of the Year Vrabel consults elite coaches ahead of first Super Bowl appearance

Mike Vrabel is about to face the biggest test of his coaching career. A four-time Super Bowl player and first-time head coach in the championship spotlight, Vrabel is leading a Patriots team aiming to reclaim glory and isn’t leaving anything to chance.

Mike Vrabel has completely transformed the New England Patriots. The most dominant franchise of the 21st century failed to qualify for the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. It was the first time since 1993 that the franchise had such a playoff drought. However, enter Vrabel, and the Patriots are back where they belong. In a couple of days, they will face the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

As a result, the NFL awarded him the 2025 Coach of the Year award. The nominees were Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers), Liam Coenn (Jacksonville Jaguars), Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears), and Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks). All of them have reached the playoffs, and Macdonald even topped the NFC. Ahead of his big game, Vrabel has decided to seek out the help of some of the other iconic coaches over the years in the NFL.

To prepare, reports suggest Vrabel reached out to football royalty Bill Belichick and Andy Reid for guidance on game-day strategy and leadership under pressure. He’s also leaning heavily on Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who’s heading into his 10th Super Bowl.

With advice from two of the game’s winningest coaches and an experienced mentor on staff, Vrabel is stacking every advantage before Sunday’s showdown.

This is the second time Vrabel has won the AP Coach of the Year award, and these are perhaps the reasons why. The first time was in 2021, when he was still the Tennessee Titans‘ head coach. The NFL awarded him for helping the Titans earn the top seed in the AFC for the first time since 2008.

Despite leading the AFC in 2021, the Titans failed to reach the Super Bowl. The Titans lost in the Divisional Round. But this time, Vrabel has a chance to win it. It will be interesting to see whether the new practice method proves fruitful, or he will have to think of something else for next season.