After the Patriots dynasty crumbled post-Tom Brady, things in New England have been anything but stable. Bill Belichick said his emotional goodbye in 2024. And the Pats tried keeping it in the family by handing the reins to Jerod Mayo, Belichick’s longtime assistant and their former player. But after a rough 4-13 season, that experiment ended quickly. Now, the franchise is turning to Mike Vrabel. And the buzz around Foxborough is real. Fans are looking at Vrabel like he’s the savior who’ll drag the Patriots out of their post-Brady slump.

It’s not just the fans who have pinned all their hopes on Mike Vrabel. Former Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe, who helped Tom Brady during his initial years in the NFL, is all in on Vrabel, too. Recently, Bledsoe joined Colin Cowherd on The Herd and had nothing but praise for his former teammate when asked about him. Highlighting Vrabel’s tireless energy, the former QB said, “You know, he would go to practice and run all of the defensive snaps. Then he would play scout team, and then, just to burn off some energy, he would go run down on scout team kickoff. Like, just tireless energy.” That’s infectious.

Drew Bledsoe and Mike Vrabel played together for one year in 2001. Mike had just landed in Foxborough from Pittsburgh as a free agent. That year was Bledsoe’s last as the Patriots’ quarterback, as he would later go on to join the Buffalo Bills. But Bledsoe shared that he had formed a great connection with Vrabel in just that one year.

Drew Bledsoe didn’t just praise Mike Vrabel, he had kind words for Lions HC Dan Campbell, too. The Super Bowl 36 champ pointed out that both Vrabel and Campbell bring incredible energy to the table as coaches. “And then Vrabs is incredibly smart, you know, he’s a brilliant, brilliant guy,” Bledsoe said. He went on to explain that because both coaches were once players themselves, they understand things from that perspective. “I do think that if you have the energy, the intelligence, if you combine that with the credibility that goes with having actually been there and done that and knowing how it feels. I think that’s really meaningful to players.” They definitely do. However, Vrabel is a 3 time Super Bowl champion, while Campbell is waiting for his first one.

So, as Drew gave his former teammate his flowers, the Patriots’ new HC has been making waves for a recent outburst that’s got the whole league buzzing.

Mike Vrabel’s sideline tirades

Ever since his arrival in New England, Mike Vrabel has been putting in all the hard work to rebuild the team. The new HC has one clear purpose in mind, which is to get the Pats back to their competitive state. Mike and the front office carefully picked players in free agency and during the drafts to build a competitive roster. The former LB is confident that he can get the team back to the playoffs as serious contenders.

Recently, a video of the Patriots’ new head coach has gone viral, showing him bringing new energy to the team. In the clip, Vrabel talks about the team’s recent season and puts an end to anyone asking questions about the 2024 season. “Why the (expletive) would I care about what happened last year?” says Mike on Forged in Foxborough. “I’m worried about what’s going to go right today and tomorrow and the next day. We’re not worried about what went wrong. We’re focused on what’s going to go right.” As fans look ahead to the 2025 season with excitement, not everyone is buying into the confidence.

Former Jets LB Bart Scott urges people to pump the brakes on their dreams. On an episode of Get Up, Bart said, “They went out and bought a lot of high-quality ingredients. But that doesn’t make it a good meal. You’ve got to depend on a lot of older guys. Stefon Diggs is coming off an injury.” Scott argues that he doesn’t think the Patriots are a playoff team yet.

“Vrabel? They get a plus-two because of Vrabel. You know you have a dog in the room, somebody who’s not going to be outcoached. But no, I don’t think they’re a playoff team.” Well, Mike has the vote of confidence and a few doubters, too. How his first year as HC turns out remains to be seen.