Former teammate says ‘hypercompetitive’ Mike Vrabel can restore winning culture as Patriots coach

At the beginning of the run of dominance of the New England Patriots, who won six Super Bowls in the early 2000s, the team was defined by a group of hard-hitting defensive stalwarts. Players like Richard Seymour, Teddy Bruschi and Willie McGinest made the Patriots tough and tough.

But one member of the early Patriots recalled that one teammate in particular stood out for his “hypercompetitiveness”: linebacker Mike Vrabel.

“Mike (was) a little different,” former Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham said. “It could be playing pool or something similar to playing football. If you find an activity, Mike will dive deep into it.”

Chatham said Vrabel was “a little bit like (Tom) Brady in that way.”

As Vrabel returns to Foxborough As the new head coach of the Patriots, Brady’s shadow still looms over the team. In the half-decade since the star quarterback left New England, the Patriots have endured disappointing seasons. Thirteen losses last season led team owner Robert Kraft to firefighter trainer Jerod Mayo after only one year on the job.

One of the reasons for those recent struggles is that the talent on the Patriots roster has been lackluster, some players told MassLive. But other reports point to a leadership empty in the absence of Brady, who, like Vrabel, pushed his teammates to the limit.

What does Chatham, who won three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, expect to see from the Vrabel-coached team?

“Going back to the whole tough, smart team that does the right thing and says the right thing,” he said, alluding not only to the team’s play but also its many media errors during the 2024 season.

“It was a scattered year,” Chatham said. “Many mistakes. A lot of things that, frankly, we used to make fun of other teams for.”

This segment aired on January 13, 2025. Audio will be available soon.