The stage was set early in training camp.
On Aug. 6, the Patriots were practicing with the Washington Commanders when a small skirmish broke out. When Mike Vrabel saw rookie TreVeyon Henderson on the ground with the other team’s player on top of him, the coach dove in to break up the fight.
After other players rushed into the fray, Vrabel emerged from the pile with a streak of blood running down his face.
The Patriots’ new head coach never backed down from a fight. He expects his players to do the same, so that day, he joined one.
Fast forward to Sunday: Vrabel had his team ready for another. Throughout the week, the coach warned his players and explained how hard it was going to be to win in the Dolphins’ home stadium.
His players came to Miami ready for a fight. They left victorious.
“Coach got our minds right before the game, [saying], ‘It was going to be a dogfight. Sign up for it. Accept it,’” Patriots center Garrett Bradbury said. “He’s a part of that dogfight. We love going to war with him. It’s awesome to work with that guy.”
Sunday’s 33-27 win over the Miami Dolphins showed signs that the Patriots are on the right path with their new coach.
“I felt like we were willing to get into a street fight,” Vrabel said. “We had a little lull, and we didn’t pack it up and quit.”
A new era
The win was more than just the first victory for Vrabel in New England.
On Sunday, the Patriots beat the Dolphins in Miami for the first time since 2019 when Tom Brady was under center. It also marked the first time the Patriots defeated quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was 7-0 in his career against New England.
In this game, the Patriots offense scored over 30 points for the first time since quarterback Bailey Zappe & Co. did so against the Cleveland Browns in 2022.
When Robert Kraft hired Vrabel, he ushered in a new era of Patriots football. On Sunday, the Patriots exorcised several demons of past teams. They also won a game that in the past, most Patriots teams would lose.
“Winning in this league is hard. It’s obviously been hard for us the last few years, but it’s a new year,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “We’ve got a lot of good football players. That’s a good football team too. It’s obviously been a long time since we won here. It’s big for us.”
After the game, screams could be heard from the visiting team’s locker room. Players were celebrating their coach’s first win. Vrabel pushes them hard. It’s results like Sunday’s that reinforce his message and add to the culture he’s trying to build.
“It’s proof of what the work you put in can result in,” quarterback Drake Maye said. “It’s proof of why you work so hard, why you have extra meetings, why you get treatment on time, why you do the little things. At least you have proof now of a good turnout and come up in the win column. I think that’s why and just proud of these guys.”
“It’s been hella fun,” right tackle Morgan Moses added. “He gets it from a player’s perspective because he’s played and from a coach’s perspective because he’s coached at a high level as well. Just being here, it’s been fun.”
Patriots fought back
Vrabel was right, the Patriots went into Hard Rock Stadium and needed to fight to survive.
The offense started hot, getting out to a 12-0 lead. Before anyone knew it, defense and special teams struggled, and the Patriots’ lead was down to two at halftime. In the third quarter, Miami took a 20-15 lead.
It was around this time where Patriots teams, post Brady, would fail. After decades of getting used to comeback victories, Belichick’s teams from 2020 through 2023 often showed little fight when it mattered. Last year’s team, led by Jerod Mayo was even worse. There was little fight — if anything, disappointment became the expectation when the Patriots fell behind.
In the fourth quarter, when the Patriots lost another lead after a Malik Washington punt return touchdown, it felt like Vrabel’s team would follow a similar story. Instead, Antonio Gibson took the returning kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.
Miami’s lead lasted 12 seconds.
“There’s a lot of things on display that coach preaches that we want to see,” Bradbury said. “Coach always says you can have an identity. You can have some pillars that you want to live by, but if you don’t do those, it’s just a sign on the wall. When you turn on the tape, I think there are some things that exemplify who we are, who we want to be as a team. It’s a step in the right direction.”
The Dolphins had several other opportunities to win Sunday’s game. They didn’t go away quietly. Like Vrabel predicted, they punched back.
Down three, they made it to midfield following Gibson’s touchdown. That series ended with a Marte Mapu interception. Then, down six, the Dolphins were 26 yards away from the end zone with 1:15 left on the clock. The game ended with back-to-back sacks on Tagovailoa from Robert Spillane and Milton Williams.
After the game, Vrabel explained that it’s important “to be willing to take some punches” in the NFL. At the end of the day, he explained, teams need to give more than they take.
That’s what the Patriots did on Sunday. As they saw from their coach in training camp, they didn’t back down from a fight.
“That’s how the game is. You swing. They’re going to swing back. You’ve got to keep swinging,” receiver Stefon Diggs said. “At the end of the game, we’ll see where the chips lay, but there’s no give up on this team.”
Not with this head coach.
Story by Mark Daniels, MassLive.com.
