New England Patriots - NESN.com
There are a lot of reasons for the New England Patriots’ incredible turnaround this season. From Mike Vrabel’s coaching and Drake Maye’s ascendance to an easy schedule and Josh McDaniels fixing the offense, there’s no shortage of factors in play.
One underrated component, however, is the Patriots’ improved chemistry this year. They look like they’re having fun and enjoying themselves, more than any New England team in recent memory.
Tight end Hunter Henry spoke about the Patriots’ tight-knit locker room during his Tuesday morning appearance on WEEI following Monday night’s 33-15 thrashing of the New York Giants.
“We’ve got a special bond in this locker room. I think it started in the offseason,” Henry said. “It’s one of the closest locker rooms I’ve ever been a part of, honestly, at any level. Just guys that care for each other…There’s a good blend of young guys and old guys.”
That means a lot coming from Henry, who’s in his 10th NFL season. The 30-year-old is one of the team’s veteran leaders, so he deserves some credit for helping create that culture.
“Being one of the older guys, just trying to help out the young guys. We’ve grown relationships with everybody,” Henry added. “Everybody is just very close. We’re excited to go out there and play for one another…We feed off of each other.”
That’s been evident throughout the season, as the different position groups are clearly pulling for each other and doing whatever they can to help the team win.
That helps explain how New England has outperformed its talent level so much this season. While the Patriots were considered a borderline playoff team during the preseason, they’ve demolished expectations by putting up the best record in the NFL.
Vrabel deserves much of the credit as well for transforming the culture and locker room, which desperately needed repairing after fracturing in recent years under Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo.
New England will try to extend its historic winning streak to 11 games and continue its historic season when it returns from its bye week against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15.
