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Jim Harbaugh: These Patriots play like Mike Vrabel used to play
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- Jim Harbaugh: These Patriots play like Mike Vrabel used to play
They’ll be manning opposite sidelines at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night, but more than 25 years ago, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel met as adversaries between the white lines three times.
As Harbaugh was a quarterback at the tail end of his career with the Colts and Ravens, Vrabel was a young linebacker with the Steelers. Immediately after retiring, Harbaugh coached against Vrabel when he was a Patriot, too.
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When Harbaugh looks at the play style of this New England team that his Chargers will face in the Wild Card round, he sees something familiar: Vrabel.
“His teams play like he played,” Harbaugh said on Monday afternoon. “I do notice that. Tough, gritty, physical, smart, fast. They kind of like to hit like he liked to hit. That’s what I’ve noticed.”
As the Patriots have gone from 4-13 to 14-3 in one season, no player has been more important to the turnaround than Drake Maye . The second-year quarterback is a serious MVP candidate and Harbaugh’s been impressed by what he’s seen on tape.
“Just really effective in every part of the quarterback play,” Harbaugh said. “Throwing with accuracy, throwing outside the numbers, deep, in the middle, athleticism, poise, toughness, durability... A great year for him by any quarterback standard.”
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From the New England side, Vrabel sees a Chargers team that he believes is built for playoff success.
“This is a big, physical football team. Big linemen. They have a big defensive lineman who plays fullback. The defense plays a very good style of football, make it hard on you, bunch of different mixed quarters coverages,” the Patriots coach on WEEI . “The quarterback is as good any anybody, can scramble, is tough, can make the throws. Good, big receivers. It will be a big challenge to get going on these guys and learn who they are and try to put a plan together.”
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