FOXBOROUGH – No change from Jan. 12, March 12 through March 25, March 28, May 1, May 20, May 28 and June 9-10.
Those are all key dates in Mike Vrabel’s early tenure as head coach of the New England Patriots.
And other than a minor glitch that had major glitch written all over it – see Stefon Diggs boat video in late May – every date is trending the same … onward and upward.
From his hiring on Jan. 12 to yesterday’s public finale of mandatory minicamp, and everything in between, the Patriots ship appears been righted.
Finding faults that have be felled this organization for six seasons, post-Tom Brady, has been a tough task.
Of course, the Patriots haven’t really been punched in the mouth just yet, and the pads haven’t really been put on, but the future, micro and macro, continues to appear to be rosy.
Thanks to Vrabel.
The post-Brady drama we’ve come to expect, be it with coordinators, contract squabbles and gaping roster holes has been basically quelled.
The final two Bill Belichick years and, of course, the Jerod Mayo Experiment were all of the above and, of course, there where more questions heading into training camp at this time than there were answers.
With the players being off – though, non-mandatory Organized Team Activities (OTA’s) will continue – for the next five weeks, this team is a good-to-very-good season by quarterback Drake Maye from being, well, maybe pretty good.
Maye is a discussion for another day. We didn’t see or hear enough out of him to predict his immediate future. We’ll know a lot more in July and August, possibly, when the pads are on and the hitting in front of him is real.
But everything around the franchise QB hopeful is 180 degrees where it was his rookie year, including the head coach and that word “accountability” he’s been spewing since Day 1.
“I think Coach Vrabel has kind of set that tone when he came in here when he got hired, ‘Hey, if you’re not doing the right thing for a period of time, there’s going to be some consequences,’” said Maye. “And I think that’s something we need to establish.”
Vrabel, who isn’t afraid to throw his weight around, was all over the field the last two days, be it offense, defense and special teams, usually in the middle, talking to various players.
At one point on Monday he spent at least a minute talking to first round pick Will Campbell, physically “coaching” the new prospect.
“Just trying to help him each and every day,” said Vrabel. “I feel good about the offensive line coaches that are working with him … I just try to provide any input that I can and help. Just helping him become a pro, helping him acclimate himself to this league, what’s going to happen and how we need to be ready for it.”
Second year wideout Pop Douglas has noticed Vrabel’s experiences as a player, chasing players down after a drill or play.
“It just shows us we have a coach that’s all in, he knows offensive side and the defensive side, we go to bench and he already knows, ‘You know you can do better than this,’” said Douglas. “That’s what we need a coach that’s going to push us.”
Vrabel’s best work, though, was cleaning up the Diggs incident from a few weeks ago. That distraction was short-lived and according to Diggs was dealt with properly.
The Patriots best player on offense has been engaged before, during and after his drills-only time the last two days as he tries to get back to 100 percent after knee surgery.
“I had a conversation with Vrabes, obviously, (and) I’m going to echo everything he said,” said Diggs, who wouldn’t elaborate about the substance seen in the bag on the boat. “He told me, ‘I’m hoping everybody is making good decisions.’ … Everything will be kept in-house.”
Message delivered, apparently.
The Patriots culture, which appears to be trending in the right direction, is still a work in progress with so many new rookies, free agents and coaches.
The offensive line depth and defensive front seven is light years ahead of last year, in terms of talent. So is the wide receiver room and really the defensive backfield.
It usually takes time for these issues, maybe even a full season, for everything to fit.
But then again the Washington Commanders, which are coming to Foxborough for a joint practice on Aug. 6 before their exhibition game on Aug. 8, seemed to figure it quicker than usual under a new head coach Dan Quinn in 2024, going from 4-13 to 12-5, and getting to the conference championship game.
There is a lot of time between now and late January, with several punches to the mouth coming – see injuries and close losses.
Vrabel is keenly focused, he says, on the next big, offseason date on his calendar, July 23, when Patriots training camp officially opens.
“I don’t think it’s a downtime,” said Vrabel of the next five week. “It’s time away from the facility. I think it’s important. It’s probably the five most important weeks of the offseason as far as I’m concerned, just in my history as a player and a coach.
“It’s critical that they come back in shape, that they’re ready to go for training camp, that we’re prepared as coaches with the schedule, the installation and what we’re doing,” said Vrabel. “The players have to hold up their end of the bargain to prepare for training camp.”
That’s really, beginning July 23, when it starts getting real.
You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.