FOXBOROUGH – He challenged players. He encouraged players. He instructed players.
And, on more than one occasion, he barked at players.
From one group to the next, Mike Vrabel made his presence felt during the first day of Patriots rookie minicamp Friday.
One minute, Vrabel was urging defensive tackle Joshua Farmer to really push him, get him off his spot.
The next, he high-fived wide receiver Phil Lutz for doing a “good job” on a specific route.
Later, he demanded tight end C.J. Dippre to push his arms “through (the defender), not at him.”
He then demonstrated the point, to drive it home.
One day into camp, and the players got a full dose of the Vrabel Way. And this wasn’t the unplugged version.
He addressed every mistake and miscue. But mostly, he taught. He was on players until they got it right, or, at the very least, understood the message.
At one point, Vrabel put on a chest pad – something he’s done at previous stops in Tennessee and Cleveland – and had players run through him.
He also put on a yellow pinny with the No. 51, and played defense for one session against the offense during Friday’s practice, which was held at the Patriots indoor facility, the WIN Waste Field House.
And the players clearly took note.
“I love that,” offensive lineman Jared Wilson said of Vrabel’s hands-on approach, speaking with the media after practice. “It shows you how much he cares, and how much he cares about the rookies, and how much he cares about their development and everybody, not just the drafted guys, but literally everybody that’s a rookie. He cares about everything and is hands on. It’s just great to see him out there actually running around with us.”
Wilson, a 3rd-round pick out of Georgia, was then asked if he would bury Vrabel if he had the chance during a practice session.
“I would not,” Wilson answered, flashing a smile.
It’s already well-known that first-round pick Will Campbell flattened Vrabel during a special workout just prior to the draft when the Patriots coach took him on.
That just reinforced Campbell’s initial impression of his new coach.
“When I was a high school kid, you’d always see videos of him with his hands on the offensive players,” Campbell said, “so for me to be able to experience that, get that type of coaching from a head coach is pretty cool.”
As rookie minicamp continues into the weekend, it was Vrabel who generated most of the post-practice buzz, not the players.
No doubt, that’ll switch before long. But having a coach that’s so active during practices, a coach that’s in the middle of everything that transpires, who’s on top of every little detail, is fun to watch.
“I love being in the offensive line, love being with the defense,” Vrabel had said prior to the start of practice. “Sitting in with the receivers, I learn a lot, and I feel like there’s things that I can help as well.”
The players seemed to enjoy and appreciate all of the interactions, both good and bad.
“Vrabel’s funny. He’s a funny guy. He’s definitely a player’s coach,” Wilson said. “And he played in the league for a really long time so he knows what it’s supposed to look like. How it’s supposed to look like, what the speed is supposed to be like.
“And he cares about this organization and about his players. You can tell how he comes into the building every single day. How serious and intent he is with the details.”
Day 1, and Vrabel was clearly the star.
