The New England Patriots, who few expected to do very much in 2025 with their new Head Coach, Mike Vrabel, have shocked the NFL world with their performance. They now enter the AFC Championship game, and star receiver Stefon Diggs thinks any "Cinderella" story allusion attributed to the Patriots is wrong.
Certainly, the four-time Pro Bowler has a right to his opinion, but whether it's called a "Cinderella story" or any other moniker, the 2025 Patriots have been a surprise, if not a shock, to most observers. And for Patriot Nation, it's been a wonderful one.
Mike Vrabel entered the scene on January 12, 2025, and, in about six months, transformed an NFL doormat for two years running into an AFC Championship game participant. Whether you want to call it a "Cinderella story" or not, the fact of the matter is, it's one heck of an NFL story, and it has been absolutely amazing to see it unfold.
Mike Vrabel is the Merlin the Magician of the NFL
While Stefon Diggs doesn't like the 2025 Patriots being called the Cinderella team, whatever it's called, he's been an integral part of a rejuvenation of a doormat NFL team in lightning fashion. The architect can take a bow: it's Head Coach and more, Mike Vrabel. Vrabel has been a Merlin-like magician transforming a peasant into a king in one measly offseason.
Patriots' wide receiver Stefon Diggs doesn't like the "Cinderella" comparison, and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated quotes Diggs after the win over the Houston Texans.
“I don’t think we buy into what everyone else [says], Everybody that comes into work each and every day here ain’t over here saying we got a Cinderella story. Like, nah, we come in and work hard, we do what we are supposed to—and we try our best on Sundays. It’s not too much of a story. Everybody else can buy into that narrative.
For us, we try to be a good football team, a well-coached football team, and do the right things consistently.”
Whether you think Mike Vrabel is Merlin the Magician or any other fictional character, the fact remains that what he's done in a bit over a year has been magical. Few observers thought the Patriots would be very much improved. Even fewer thought they'd be a playoff team. But Vrabel waved his magic wand and, in a matter of a year, transformed a frog into a prince.
MIke Vrabel, fired by the Tennessee Titans, has taken the Patriots back to the future
Let's make one thing perfectly clear, as the late US President, Richard Nixon said, the Patriots are a scary NFL team. And the reason for the fright is centered around NFL's best head coach and maybe its top personnel evaluator, as well, Mike Vrabel.
The goal is clear now that he's already won the AFC East; he's aiming to win the Lombardi Trophy sooner rather than later.
If Vrabel is Merlin, then his Arthur is his fearless, unflappable, and indomitable young quarterback, Drake Maye. Vrabel knew when he accepted the Patriots' Head Coaching job that he had the makings of a King Arthur, the ruler of his Camelot (aka Foxborough) to lead his round table.
Vrabel saw that the 2024 rookie, who started just 12 games for a 4-13 bottom-of-the-NFL team, would be unstoppable if surrounded by a top retinue of knights.
Vrabel set out in January to find the rest of the Round Table members (he needed more than 12, 53 actually), and he conducted what is probably the most impressive offseason not only in Patriots' history but maybe in NFL history, as well. About a 50 percent roster turnover gave Vrabel the requisite pieces around Maye to overcome most, if not all, NFL obstacles.
Whatever metaphorical spells he's cast, Vrabel has been magical. Whether Maye and his Knights can actually take over the NFL kingdom and win the Lombardi Trophy this season is yet to be determined. Yet, whatever the 2025 outcome,
Vrabel will complete his rebuild, and the Patriots, whether this season or one in the near future, will rule the NFL again. And Camelot - will be restored.