Recreation Changers: How an 'Organized Marriage' Fueled the Patriots' Tremendous Bowl Run

[ad_1] As quickly as he may get away from his introductory press convention, Mike Vrabel made his technique to the scouts' workplaces in Gillette Stadium — Eliot Wolf’s a part of the constructing. Vrabel had informed the media that he was excited to sit down down with Wolf and the scouts. And he meant it. So he modified out of his go well with and tie and nearly instantly jumped right into a dialogue with the scouting employees, which was on-site to arrange for the offseason.

It was this time final yr, and the Patriots had greater than $120 million in cap area and a top-five draft decide.

What they didn’t have had been wins.

They’d gone 4-13 in two straight seasons, and Vrabel was the group’s third head coach in 25 months, following Invoice Belichick and Jerod Mayo.

"[Vrabel] simply sort of got here in and began speaking ball," Wolf, the Patriots' de-facto normal supervisor, informed me in a cellphone dialog. "I neglect what place we had been watching. As an instance it was linebacker. We launched into linebackers. He began speaking about what he appears to be like for in a linebacker. A few of the guys that had been profitable for him previously and the explanation why."

Wolf added: "He took an curiosity from day one. … And actually simply coming off the tough yr that we had the yr earlier than, simply a few of the optimistic enthusiasm that he had was necessary for these guys [in the scouting department] to listen to."

You already know the place this story ends: at Tremendous Bowl LX, with the Patriots getting ready to face the Seattle Seahawks. And with Vrabel successful the NFL Coach of the 12 months Award.

Mike Vrabel went straight from his introductory press convention final January to a gathering with the Patriots' scouts. (Picture by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe through Getty Pictures)

New England is the primary group ever to rise from 4-13 one season to a Tremendous Bowl berth within the subsequent. There have been some groups that ascended into the massive sport after a four-win season, together with the 2020 and 2021 Bengals and the 1998 and 1999 Rams. However the Patriots are in uncommon firm.

It began in that assembly on Vrabel’s first day of labor, when he started to speak what he wished his group to seem like with the individuals who had been answerable for getting the gamers that match the coach’s preferences. scouting employees will get transcendent abilities. An excellent scouting employees will get transcendent abilities who convey a coach's imaginative and prescient to life. That kind of communication is way more tough than you’d anticipate — all of the extra motive for Vrabel to begin immediately.

"I simply suppose that me being round is necessary, having conversations with these guys," Vrabel stated at a press convention when requested about that preliminary assembly. "After I was a place coach, to have the ability to hyperlink up with the scouts, speaking about post-draft or speaking with them. That is an open line of communication with our coaches and our personnel division."

That kicked off what Wolf known as an "organized marriage" with Vrabel, the place the coach arrived as a brand new rent with Wolf holding over from previous iterations of the group (going again to Belichick).

There have been rumblings that Wolf was dropping energy upon Vrabel's arrival, provided that the coach was prone to have the ultimate say on personnel selections, which had been Wolf's position with Mayo. On the time, Wolf dismissed the transition. Now, it is simple to see why.

"On the finish of the day, you need to win. I need to win," Wolf informed me this week. "So I felt like Mike actually gave us an ideal alternative to win, which clearly he has. And that is the place you'll be able to put your ego to the facet. And it is by no means been about having essentially the most energy. For me, it is all the time been about successful."

Eliot Wolf speaks to the media in the course of the 2025 NFL Mix shortly after the group employed Mike Vrabel. (Picture by Brooke Sutton/Getty Pictures)

Previous to working collectively, Wolf and Vrabel had been pleasant, having run into one another at professional days and the NFL Mix. However the two didn’t actually know one another when Vrabel started interviewing for the job. Patriots homeowners Robert and Jonathan Kraft put aside time for the 2 males to talk in the course of the interview course of, and so they had been instantly in lockstep.

"He believes in a variety of the identical issues that I imagine in," Wolf stated.

The priorities had been apparent.

"Put the group first, do what's proper for the group, deal with folks the suitable means, create a program that we are able to all be pleased with and that folks need to be part of," Wolf informed me.

Wolf and Vrabel then went out and overhauled the teaching employees and roster. Among the many coaches, solely particular groups coordinator Jeremy Springer stayed. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams (and his understudy Zak Kuhr) arrived to guide the opposite teams.

Then the brand new gamers arrived on protection: defensive finish Milton Williams, linebackers Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, defensive lineman Okay’Lavon Chaisson and rookie security Craig Woodson. The Patriots additionally addressed their wants on offense, rebuilding the road with 4 new gamers: rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson and veterans Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses. Lastly, they added veteran receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, rookie receiver Kyle Williams and second-round working again TreVeyon Henderson.

New England had a large draft class of 11 gamers, with a strong quantity of draft capital: 4 picks within the prime 100 and 5 within the prime 106. The group additionally spent $209 million in assured cash on free brokers in 2025, essentially the most within the NFL final offseason.

If Spillane (ankle) and Landry (knee) can play within the Tremendous Bowl, the Patriots may have six starters on offense and 7 starters on protection who're new to the group in 2025. And do not forget two of the three specialists: kicker Andy Borregales and lengthy snapper Julian Ashby.

The free-agent headliner was Williams, whom New England satisfied to defect from the Philadelphia Eagles with a four-year, $104 million deal, the biggest in Patriots historical past by common annual worth — sure, even greater than any contract Tom Brady inked. Williams was and is a man Wolf and Vrabel each liked. He’s the man Vrabel approached in the beginning of the postseason and posed this problem: "Large guys eat in January.

And if the Patriots are fortunate — in February, too.

"Philadelphia, to their credit score, had actually too many good gamers at a place, and he was obtainable the place in all probability 9 instances out of 10, that participant would not be obtainable. We felt like he was a precedence," Wolf informed me.

Milton Williams sacked Justin Herbert twice within the Patriots' 16-3 wild-card win over the Chargers. (Picture by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe through Getty Pictures)

The fascinating factor isn’t simply how a lot the Patriots modified by altering gamers. It’s additionally fascinating how a lot they modified by elevating the gamers who had been part of the 2024 group.

"I do not suppose these guys get talked about sufficient," middle Garrett Bradbury informed me at follow final week. "I feel they went by means of some darkish instances with some robust seasons, some robust losses. And for these guys to purchase in, and the free brokers and the rookies like this, speaks to Vrabel’s management and what he wished this group to seem like."

The obvious participant is quarterback Drake Maye, who went from a uncooked passing prospect in 2024 to an MVP finalist in 2025. That’s due largely to his onerous work and his traits. It is also a credit score to the teaching employees, from McDaniels to quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant.

What’s fascinating is seeing Maye develop into his head coach’s picture. You’d hear Maye speaking trash across the locker room an entire lot extra this yr, not not like Vrabel. Maye provided to let new guys, together with Bradbury, crash at his home — similar to Vrabel as soon as did with teammates when he was a participant. Maye holds his gamers accountable and particulars his preferences on routes and pre-snap communication.

You'll be able to see Vrabel shaping Maye, the participant Wolf drafted with the No. 3 total decide in 2024.

Drake Maye has made an enormous leap in his second NFL season, turning into a finalist for the NFL MVP award. (Picture by Andy Lyons/Getty Pictures)

The identical is true of cornerback Christian Gonzalez, arguably the group’s finest defensive participant. He's so soft-spoken that he will be tough to even hear within the locker room, and but he’s discovered his voice together with his teammates.

"Within the DB room, within the defensive assembly room, [I’m] listening to that after I say one thing, folks pay attention," Gonzalez informed me. "Guys have informed me that, and informed me I can use my voice to talk up. And I imply, not even simply soccer stuff. However being a man. Folks come to speak about off-the-field stuff."

Reshaping the Patriots' tradition additionally meant transferring on from gamers who didn’t match.

New England traded key contributors from years previous in security Kyle Dugger and edge Keion White. It’s not precisely truthful to say it was a case of addition by subtraction, however the Patriots had been someway sellers on the commerce deadline. They moved Dugger to the Steelers and White to the 49ers.

"Each gamers had skilled heavier roles previously than they had been getting on the time," Wolf informed me. "[Kyle] wished a bigger position, and we had been in a position to make that occur for him, whereas not hurting ourselves.

"Keon had actually sort of wished extra of a possibility to possibly do a few of the inside rush stuff that he had had some success on previously. We had Milton and Christian [Barmore] who had been enjoying rather well."

Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, right here defending a go supposed for Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman, was an All-Professional final season and a Professional Bowler this yr. (Picture by Michael Owens/Getty Pictures)

Once you add up all of the motion from Vrabel and Wolf, you'll be able to see how the group went from 13 losses in 2024 to 17 (and possibly 18) wins in 2025.

"We deal with [players] the identical means they deal with the group," Vrabel informed me earlier this season. "And so meaning we will in all probability deal with them in a different way, however we will deal with them the identical means they deal with the group."

It began with compassion and honesty, with gamers standing in entrance of one another at group conferences to share their "4 H’s" — hopes, historical past, heroes and heartbreaks. Vrabel blended these team-building workouts with brutal honesty, which the coach makes use of to carry gamers accountable.

And there have been so many alternative Vrabel techniques alongside the best way, together with common showings of WWF clips from the "Highway Warriors" and the Nineteen Seventies film "The Warriors." These had been supposed to encourage the gamers to keep up their undefeated streak on the highway, which stands at 9-0. (And technically, it may attain 10-0 this week, with the Patriots set to put on their white "away" uniforms in Santa Clara.)

When coaching camp begins each summer time, all 32 NFL groups need to win a Tremendous Bowl. However, realistically, just a few are seen as having a real shot on the title. There weren't many individuals who thought the Patriots had an opportunity this season. However they obtained thus far as a result of Wolf and Vrabel discovered inventive and collaborative options to the group's many issues.