FOXBOROUGH — Mike Vrabel’s penchant for jumping into drills for hands-on instruction during padded practices is well documented.
But his outside linebackers coach, Mike Smith, hopped into one on Thursday afternoon for a different reason.
With newly claimed edge rusher Caleb Murphy practicing with the Patriots in pads for the first time, Smith, a former linebacker in his own right, wanted to break the ice with his new player.
“It’s a superstitious thing,” Smith smiled. “Anybody new to the room. I get this crash mat out and act like we’re doing this tackle drill, so we’re going to work on our wrap and roll… Have a couple guys do it first and then Caleb got up and he got a rep. I said, ‘Ah, that just doesn’t look right. Let me kind of show you. Get right here.’
“Then I just form tackled him (onto the mat) and just started (pretend) beating the heck out of him. He‘s looking at me like, ‘What the heck?’ Everybody laughed and said, ‘Welcome to the room! You’re in our room now!’”
Many of the players in Smith’s outside linebackers room have been together since training camp — or longer — so the baptism by tackling drill is a lighthearted way to assimilate new members. It’s something Smith has done since he began coaching outside linebackers with the Jets in 2012.
“We work hard and we study hard, but have fun too. Enjoy it. So it maybe helps him loosen up in the room,” Smith said. “Ask a couple questions. Realize that this is just a game. Don’t ever doubt yourself. Don’t let the devil put doubt in your heart. The only way we can all learn is we all talk.”
Some of that dialogue with Harold Landry III was beneficial last week.
The veteran linebacker noticed a tell in his own film study, brought it to Smith, and they were able to utilize it. That’s the type of environment that Smith, who had a three-year playing career with the Ravens, is working to foster.
“That’s part of the atmosphere that I want in the room. I want everybody to be in this together,” Smith said. “It’s never about the coach. It’s never about the player. Best guys I’ve ever got to work with were all like this. Maybe that helps him loosen up a little bit. He probably thinks I’m crazy.”
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