New England Patriots - NESN.com
Patriots defender Keion White was not a fan of the coaching — or lack thereof — he received during his all-important second season.
White hinted at a disconnect with former head coach Jerod Mayo and his staff late in the 2024-25 campaign. With Mayo and the vast majority of his staff now out the building, White took the opportunity to make it crystal clear.
“I was training myself, I’m not going to lie,” White told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, per a team-provided video. “Now, I feel like I have a coach.”
White was complimentary of recently hired outside linebackers coach Mike Smith, specifically. White reportedly has been spending more time on the edge this spring and has been seen working with Harold Landry and others on pass-rush moves, receiving guidance from Smith.
“I also have a really good coach telling me — coach Smith telling me steps, alignment, things like that that I haven’t traditionally heard,” White said. “Just that next step of having that coach behind me has been good for me.”
White added: “It’s helpful for me because it slows it down for me. It trains me like — he’s (Smith) doing a good job of saying, ‘This is what you did,’ ‘This is your thought process.’ And that’s something I don’t think I had before and what I was missing.”
A second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, White started his career under head coach Bill Belichick. He appreciated Belichick’s style during their one season together and sees similarities in Vrabel.
“I like Mike. He leads with work. I can respect that,” White said. “It’s similar to Bill (Belichick), just with a younger face. I think we all know how I feel about that; I liked him. So it’s comforting to know that you have a hard-ass at the helm who will not be afraid to fistfight with you in a back alley.”
White and the Patriots conclude their mandatory minicamp Wednesday and report to training camp July 22.
