DENVER — Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel will probably hate this story.
Moments after his team won the AFC Championship and advanced to Super Bowl LX to play the Seahawks, Vrabel deflected credit from himself.
That’s been Vrabel’s modus operandi all season — it’s all about the players.
“I do this for the players,” Vrabel said. “I’ve been in their position. I have. I’ve been there, and it’s amazing and I want other people to feel that feeling and it’s for our families who make a lot of sacrifices and the excitement and the joy that they have. Trust me, I’m fine. I’ll be OK. I do this for the players, to be able to experience this with their families and our coaches, to be able to experience it with their families.”
But Vrabel’s coaching, leadership and message are a massive reason why the Patriots went from finishing back-to-back 4-13 seasons to now playing the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.
The Patriots won just 16 of 51 games from 2022 to 2024. After Sunday’s 10-7 AFC Championship Game win over the Broncos, the Patriots have now won 17 games this season alone.
After advancing to the first Super Bowl of his career, wide receiver Stefon Diggs said Vrabel is “probably the best coach I’ve ever had.”
“He’s stayed the same and consistent the whole time,” Diggs said. “When we lost to the Steelers, and we lost a couple of those games early, it was easy to count us out and put us in that spot, and nobody believed in us, let alone like us, for any matter. I feel like our coach believed in us. He helped us build this identity that he speaks of. He holds everybody to the same standard — something I’m super thankful for. And I realize that it starts at the head.
“When you hold everybody to the same standard, and you hold everybody to the same requirements each and every day, you hold your teammates accountable. You start looking at your teammates, like, self-policing, self-accountability. And you don’t want to let your teammates down, so the team camaraderie and the team chemistry he’s built from the head coaching position is second to none. Hopefully he wins coach of the year.”
Defensive tackle Christian Barmore shared a massive embrace with Vrabel as they exited the field after the Patriots’ AFC Championship trophy presentation and went into the locker room.
Barmore was asked about that moment after the game.
“I play hard for that man. The things that man taught me and how he coached me, I respect that man all of my life,” Barmore said. “And just, I play hard for that man. That’s what I do. I play hard for my coach. I really respect that man.”
Players all season have praised the culture Vrabel has built around the Patriots, and players have bought into his message.
Drake Maye’s second-year leap, and the reshaping of the Patriots’ roster also played a major part in the team’s impressive turnaround, but this team wouldn’t be going to the Super Bowl if not for Vrabel’s leadership.