FOXBORO — The 2025 Patriots have something special brewing in their locker room.
Head coach Mike Vrabel relayed a story Tuesday, highlighting the commitment of his team’s leaders.
Since the Patriots are on a short week, he wanted to find a pocket in the weekly schedule to give his players more rest. In a meeting with team leaders, Vrabel offered to shorten a full-team meeting on Thursday by 25 minutes.
“The leaders were like, ‘That’s an important meeting. We do the mental performance. We like the questions and all that.’ I said, ‘OK, then we’ll figure out a way to make the schedule.’ I just use that as an example that it wasn’t a set up question, it was me just trying to find some extra time to give them in the meetings, but also come in a little later,” Vrabel said. “I appreciated that, that they thought that was an important part of their day, as well.”
So, why did players feel it was still important to use that time?
“People want to get the information,” linebacker and defensive captain Robert Spillane said. “They want to get (expletive) right. They want to be able to have all the information they need to go out there and make plays. So, meeting time is crucial for us to go out there and be successful on Sunday, and we’re going to continue with what we’ve been doing.”
What the Patriots have been doing is working. The Patriots are 8-2 and riding a seven-game winning streak.
The schedule lightens up in the next three weeks, facing the 2-7 Jets, 3-6 Bengals and 2-8 Giants before their bye week, but they still need to avoid a letdown game.
“Just think the accountability in front of the whole team,” tight end and offensive captain Hunter Henry said about why the time was important. “We just have very specific squads where we’re really on guys to keep the guys accountable, and know what they got that week, or the previous weeks, whatever it is. Just felt like we needed that, not only for — I mean, honestly, ourselves, keep ourselves accountable — but also the young guys.”
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talks with quarterback Drake Maye during the first half of an NFL game against the Atlanta Falcons in Foxboro. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)
It speaks to Vrabel’s leadership that he was willing to offer that time to his team and listened when the captains felt it was too important to take off.
Vrabel has been very complimentary of his team’s buy-in all season, and it’s evident on the field and in the locker room with players’ selflessness.
Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs described Vrabel as “kind of like that perfect parent.”
“Tough on you. Tough love, that positive reinforcement, wants you to work hard, wants the best for you, going to demand it from you each and every day. But also he was a player, so he kind of understands too,” Diggs said. “Sometimes in football, we get lost a little bit in the business side of it, but this team’s still got that family-oriented feel. We’re really playing for each other. … He’s hard on you — don’t ever get it confused — but he’s not going to be irrational or ever try to make you feel less than.”
Vrabel felt like his players were locked in and prepared this week, despite a quick turnaround from Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers to playing the Jets at home on Thursday night.
Because of his team’s buy-in and focus, Vrabel said he hasn’t had to “fabricate some conflict” or “run around here slamming everything, yelling” to get players back on task.
“I think it’s the leadership,” Vrabel said. “I think that the guys that we have here — I think it starts with the coaches being able to give them a clear message. I think what the expectations are, and I think the consistency, they’ve appreciated that.”
The Patriots were expected to be improved this season, but no one anticipated them being first in the AFC East and third in their conference entering mid-November. The Patriots’ roster is better, and a second-year leap from Drake Maye has been enormous for the team’s success. But they’re also playing as a unit and have clear leadership from Vrabel to his assistant coaches to the team captains and other veteran leaders.
Ten weeks into the season, it’s paying off.