Ever since Tom Brady left the Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the end of the 2019 season, the Buffalo Bills have replaced New England as the AFC East's kingpins. The Bills have finished atop the division every season since, but oftentimes, objects in a mirror can look closer than they appear.
And that object may very well be Mike Vrabel and his Patriots. Vrabel's message as a no-nonsense coach is resonating throughout New England and even the rest of the league early in training camp, and his players are heeding their coach's direction.
Even though the Bills have been given a 66 percent chance at winning the division this season - the highest of anyone in the league - that number isn't as high as it's been in seasons past. A lot of factors contribute to those numbers, but those analytics suggest the Patriots could send shockwaves throughout the league.
Mike Vrabel's approach could be an X-factor in Patriots' success
While Vrabel is an approachable guy who makes time for fans, when he's on the field coaching, he's all business. His current and former players know that, and he respects that the people of New England want a championship team again.
"His whole goal is to win games, not to win camp," Ben Jones, who played for Vrabel in Tennessee, told ESPN's Mike Reiss. " ... I think that approach to it is a lot different from most everybody else. Most everybody else is, 'We have to be a tough, physical team right away.' He knows, 'We want a tough team when it comes Week 1 through Week 18. We don't need to beat everybody up early in camp.'"
Winning training camp certainly doesn't guarantee that you'll win a Super Bowl. Vrabel knows that an NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint, and getting out of the blocks early in the regular season matters more than winning the preseason.
The combination of Vrabel's approach and the growth of second-year quarterback Drake Maye will ultimately be the deciding factors, at least two of the bigger ones, in the success of the Patriots this season. An X-factor could be Stefon Diggs wanting to do damage against his former team, the Bills, twice a year.
The Bills are on the verge of a make-or-break championship year, given they've constantly come up short in the playoffs year after year, and they'd better look out in their rearview mirrors for Mike Vrabel and company.