FOXBOROUGH — DeMario Douglas has been playing football for almost 20 years. At this point, there aren’t many things that surprise him on a practice field.
However, at mandatory Patriots minicamp on Monday, he still experienced something that had never happened to him before.
“Not even in high school,” Douglas said.
Douglas’ head coach, Mike Vrabel, popped on a No. 25 pinnie and covered him in a drill on a crossing route — and didn’t relent when the wide receiver caught the ball.
“That was the first coach on the field, he actually (was) chasing me,” Douglas said. “I catch a ball and he’s chasing me! So I (was) like, it’s a different culture.”
Douglas, who is entering his third season in Foxborough, said the “energy” is different with Vrabel at the helm. The new Patriots coach won three Super Bowls as a player in Foxborough and has been all over the practice field this spring.
“It just shows us that we have a coach that’s all in,” Douglas said. “He knows the offensive side and the defensive side. He can tell. So we go to the big screen he already knows. Like, ‘You know you do better than this.’ I feel like that’s what we need. We need a coach that’s going to push us and actually be out there with us and know what’s going on.
“Coach Vrabel is just going to push you. He knows what you’re capable of doing. He’s a player’s coach. He knows how we feel out there, but he knows that we can do it. He’s been on a winning team and he knows the culture, how to win.”
In turn, Vrabel has appreciated the energy Douglas brings on a daily basis. The coach spoke glowingly of him ahead of Monday’s practice.
“I love the person. I love his attitude. I love his spirit,” Vrabel said. “He loves to practice. He loves to play this game. He loves football. That shows. I think he’s gotten better. We’re moving him around different places, and he’s picked up everything that we’ve asked him to do. The more than he understands, the more we give him. I’m excited to see where he continues to be and continues to grow.”
