The Patriots are a new team in 2025. They have been masterfully put together and will now be led and motivated by former Patriot great Mike Vrabel. Vrabel inherited a downtrodden team that went 7-27 the past two seasons. It's not exactly a blueprint for future success. Yet, it will be.
Those two last-place seasons set in motion the chain of events that led Vrabel back to Foxborough. It was one of the best decisions made by owner Robert Kraft lately, who hadn't made many since 2019 when he allowed the best quarterback ever to leave the team.
But he did get it right, albeit a year later than it should have been, by hiring Vrabel and turning over the keys to the car to him. With that decision, everything changed. A lot has been said about Vrabel's intent to change the team's culture. One player who understands exactly what that means is free agent signee Harold Landry III.
Harold Landry knows Mike Vrabel's modus operandi inside and out
Harold Landry III played for Vrabel for five years in Tennessee. No one on the Pats knows Vrabel and his coaching better. Bernd Buchmasser of Pats Pulpit has commented on Landry's familiarity with Vrabel.
"Familiarity was one of the big themes of the Patriots’ offseason personnel acquisition, and the team’s first free agency pickup is a perfect example of that: Harold Landry spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans under Mike Vrabel.
As a consequence, he knows what the head coach is looking for in his players and his team — he knows what a Mike Vrabel team is.
'A team that plays super hard for each other,' Landry explained. 'A team that cares about each other. And a team that’s going to go out there and put their teammate ahead of themselves.'”
Landry's words perfectly and succinctly sum up what Vrabel is all about. It's about teamwork and mutual respect that motivates players to work hard for the success of their teammates and the team. If everyone's on the same page that way, good things will eventuate.
Landry will be a role model for his teammates on defense and elsewhere
Having Landry, who was an early signing by Vrabel, works in several ways. He immediately becomes the team's best pass rusher, an attribute sorely missing on the 2024 team. His 50.5 career sacks are by far the best on the team. And, he'll be well-motivated to prove his doubters wrong.
He'll also serve as a role model and counselor for astute teammates who will be looking for insights on how to operate successfully under the new Head Coach. Having someone on hand who knows firsthand what that takes is invaluable.
All of this leads to a team with players on the same page and working together toward the ultimate goal of earning a playoff spot and winning the Lombardi Trophy. Vrabel has made it clear his initial objective is to win the AFC East Division. Players like Harold Landry III, a terrific signing on several levels, will help make those dreams a reality. In 2025, the first step will be a playoff spot.