Despite not being with the New England Patriots since the end of the 2024 NFL season, Bill Belichick continues to catch strays for his 24-year tenure with the AFC East franchise.
It happened with Nick Saban criticizing Mac Jones’ lack of development during his time with the Patriots and continued with Colin Cowherd praising Mike Vrabel while dragging whatever Belichick left when he exited the team.
The Patriots improved to 3-2 after an upset win over divisional rivals, the Buffalo Bills, on Sunday. Drake Maye had a solid game, going 22 of 30 for 273 yards and zero touchdowns.
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson took care of the scoring, finding the end zone twice, while recording 14 yards on seven carries. It took the Patriots 10 weeks to win three games last season, and they are on a completely different trajectory this campaign, the first under Mike Vrabel. The positive start has caught a lot of attention and Cowherd credited Vrabel, who previously coached the Tennessee Titans, for changing the team’s mindset.
Colin Cowherd praises Mike Vrabel while bringing down Bill Belichick
During Monday’s edition of his “The Herd” show, Cowherd lauded Vrabel’s impact on the Patriots’ culture.
“His game was about the culture that Mike Vrabel has built and about Drake Maye now with a legitimate head coach quickly becoming a franchise star,” Cowherd said. “Despite being bad last year, Vrabel is the opposite of Mike McDaniel in Miami. He is all function and no flash. His brand. His scheme is toughness. He’s a 260-pound pair of work boots, and that is what Vrabel is all about.”
The Patriots don’t need their second-year quarterback to play hero ball to win games. They have a balanced team that can get the job, and Vrabel is instilling that never-give-up mindset that can help them compete against anybody.