Sportsnaut
One month out from the team’s regular season opener, the New England Patriots have already accomplished an offseason goal.
Structure is back in New England, and that’s thanks to having a competent and experienced coaching staff led by new head man Mike Vrabel. The Patriots dominated the Washington Commanders in the team’s first preseason game, 48-18, last week. While the scores of preseason games are meaningless, style points still matter, and the Patriots played with an edge that was missing for most of last season.
Vrabel had his team ready to go from the opening kickoff, which TreVeyon Henderson returned 100 yards for a score. The Patriots played physical, disciplined football all night long, which resulted in a lopsided victory. The performance backed up what observers of training camp have been saying for weeks: the 2025 Patriots will be better than last season because of Vrabel and his staff.
Patriots beat writer Greg Bedard is one pundit who’s a Vrabel believer. Appearing on his weekly radio hit on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger and Mazz show, Bedard explained how even after a single preseason game, he believes Vrabel’s addition should lead to an improved 2025 campaign.
“Where the Patriots have been the previous couple of years, I just think Vrabel brings the floor up so much for this team,” Bedard said. “I think talent determines the ceiling, but I think with Vrabel and the coaching around him, it’s fair to expect a lot out of the team. From what I can tell from being at practices and watching the film from the preseason game, I think they’re off to a really good start. I look across the board when I look at this team, and I would be hard pressed to find somebody who hasn’t gotten better from the offseason practices and into training camp where you’re seeing people improve on a daily basis. You’re seeing the technique and the fundamentals be much stronger in the game, and I think that’s because of Vrabel and his coaching staff.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft took a big swing when he hired Jerod Mayo last year, an unproven first-year head coach who didn’t have many contacts around the league. Mayo and his staff’s inexperience led to the Patriots going 4-13 for the second consecutive season and having two six game losing streaks. It was ugly.
While New England won’t be a Super Bowl contender in 2025, Vrabel and his staff are establishing the foundation for a turnaround, which after 2024 is really all fans could ask for.
It’s very early, but Vrabel’s Patriots are clearly on the right track.
More must-reads:
