Mike Vrabel won three Super Bowls as a New England Patriot and isn’t afraid to mix it up.
The Pats’ new head coach saw a fight break out in joint practice against the Washington Commanders and didn’t hesitate.
Per multiple reports, Vrabel jumped straight into the pile to break it up and came out with blood on his face.
“Mike Vrabel is bleeding from his face after diving into a pile to try to prevent a fight,” Zack Cox of the Boston Herald reported. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen that before.”
In true Vrabel fashion, the former tight end is never one to shy away from a good camp fight or scrum.
The longtime New England Patriot as a player is in his first year as head coach in Foxborough.
Vrabel played for the Patriots from 2001-2008, helping win three Super Bowls with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
The franchise that was once seen as the example around the NFL has had a few down years as of late, and it’s now up to the 49-year-old head coach to turn it around.
If anyone knows how to win in New England, it’s Vrabel. He’s taken the organization back by storm and is establishing the culture he wants. The culture he knows that will help lift this team back to the glory days.
Sure, they probably won’t win six Super Bowls in a span of 18 years, but they can at least get back to their winning ways.
Before Wednesday’s joint practice with the Commanders, Vrabel spoke to the media about what he wanted to see out of his team, facing an opponent other than themselves for the first time this season.
“Well, the goal is just to be able to put the identity out on the field against another team,” Vrabel said.
“To put the fundamentals that we put out there, the installation, to be able to do it against another defense, to be able to adjust to different play styles of players, players that maybe are longer or quicker or stronger, just different play styles of each player throughout this league.
“Worked with a team that we have a lot of respect for, a team that was very good and played their best football late in the season, which is why they had an opportunity late in the season in the tournament, a lot of respect for DQ (Dan Quinn) and his coaching staff, so it just is a good fit.”
Joint practices are usually a breeding ground for fights, so it was no surprise when the two teams broke out into a brawl. It was also no surprise that Vrabel was one of the first to jump in and squash.
Ironically enough, he was asked before the practice about the possibilities of fights breaking out. This is what he had to say,
“We want to practice the same way we’ve practiced against our team and that’s by playing physical and aggressive and not doing stuff that hurts the team and certainly don’t expect any of that and if it does,” Vrabel said.
“We’ll have to handle it accordingly. You have to be able to play competitively and physically without letting your emotions get the best of you.”
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He was also asked about how much the starters would play in their first preseason game against Washington on August 8.
“Again, focused on today and they’ll get a lot of reps today, different situations and again,” Vrabel said.
“I would say most everybody that’s healthy should expect to play in the game. How long they’ll play, I don’t know, but we have to prepare to play in football games and prepare to win football games. So, that’s the mentality that we’re going to take.”
Vrabel is ready to turn it around for the once proud franchise. Even if that means getting dirty himself every now and then.