Since the New England Patriots' latest win in prime time, much of the talk around this team has been related to the handling of those vicious hits handed out to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
In particular, the big hit on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart has been a big talking point. After the game, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel essentially backed up his players -- namely, Christian Ellis, who delivered the hit -- and told the media that he preaches the same stuff each week.
Basically, Vrabel told us that his players understand they're going to get hit if they don't go out of bounds. And, for the most part, his words have been well-received. On the latest episode of The Pat McAfee Show, NFL legend JJ Watt chimed in on the conversation.
"I think that the players love playing for a coach that says stuff like that and publicly goes out there and defends them. Phenomenal," Watt told McAfee.
JJ Watt called out exactly what Mike Vrabel has brought to the Patriots organization
Watt also talked about Vrabel coaching his players to play hard and, to be frank, he put it this way: "If you stay in bounds you're gonna get hit and that's football."
Watt is absolutely right. The culture within this organization is crystal-clear at this point. Vrabel is a no-nonsense guy who will consistently preach doing things the right way. And because of that, his players follow suit.
It isn't hard to play for a coach who instills discipline while also having his players' backs. Plenty of coaches know how to engage in "coach speak," these days, but Vrabel isn't typically one of them. He won't beat around the bush, and he proved it after Monday night's game.
Having to come out and defend Ellis for a big hit on Dart, Vrabel didn't shy away from the issue at hand.
Some questioned whether that level of hit was necessary. But, Vrabel is a former player. He's a former linebacker. He understands the game better than most, and he's not going to be one to coach his players away from making a statement hit like Ellis did on Dart.
The fact that Vrabel came out and didn't flinch when backing up his guys proves that the culture is, indeed, different. This locker room is ready to come out and lay it all on the line for their head coach.
Watt has been around the league long enough and seen plenty of different styles of operation. He knows a strong head coach when he sees one, and we tend to agree.