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Robert Kraft heaps praise on Mike Vrabel after strong 1st season as Patriots coach
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- Robert Kraft heaps praise on Mike Vrabel after strong 1st season as Patriots coach
A year ago, the Patriots had just introduced Mike Vrabel as their next coach after one year of Jerod Mayo .
New England went 4-13 under Mayo and lasted just one season before Robert Kraft made the decision to fire him . Now, the Patriots are hosting the Houston Texans in the AFC Division game after a 14-3 season and AFC East title.
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“Bringing Mike back, and think what our record was last year and it’s reversed this year,” Kraft said on ESPN’s pregame coverage. “But he has grown and matured in a way — you know, he always had that hard side to him which made him such a great player. But he’s been amazing with the culture in the locker room, how he has been able to connect. It’s the hardest thing with the team is to get everyone to put team first, and their own personal records in the background. He’s done that and they really feel connected to him. Think about it, we don’t have one player who made All-Pro First Team and we’re No. 2 in the conference.”
Vrabel played for the Patriots under Bill Belichick for eight seasons and won three Super Bowls during that time. He played a key role in New England’s dynasty.
He brought that same energy to the locker room and players immediately bought in as they continued to build chemistry week after week.
While the decision to hire Mayo didn’t work out , it led to the Patriots having another strong draft by taking Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson . It also led to Kraft hiring Vrabel — a decision that paid off in the first year.
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Vrabel made sweeping changes to the roster, including moving on from veteran players. His tenure began with an 0-2 record, which raised questions within the fanbase.
But then the Patriots won 10 games in a row, their first AFC East title since 2019 and an AFC Division game .
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