The New England Patriots are AFC Champions and back in the Super Bowl in the first season of a rebuild under head coach Mike Vrabel. In addition to bringing in his coaching staff, Vrabel turned over nearly half of the roster and handpicked the players he saw as a fit for the vision he’s trying to build in New England, emphasizing a culture and brotherhood within the team.
When I think of how Vrabel constructed this team, I’m reminded of his Patriots Hall of Fame speech two years ago, when he said his time as a player with the Patriots had been rewarding. The team dynamic in the locker room is something that he’s always wanted to recreate as a player and throughout his career as a coach.
“I loved coming to work with the players, and I think that that’s something that I’ll always miss," Vrabel stated. "What we had in the locker room is something I always want to try to recreate. The players were the ones that were trying to hold each other accountable, and not in a negative way, but just in a positive way, and how you push guys and how you work and how you want to prepare.”
Mike Vrabel Challenged Patriots In Unique Way To Become Closer Team
The following year, when Vrabel was hired in January of 2025, he said during his introductory press conference that his plans for the team consisted of “removing entitlement” and forcing both the players and coaches to “earn the right to be here”, which is how he went about building the team. Once he had the proper collection of players and coaches, Vrabel introduced a proverb to everyone on the team, including himself, as he explained the “Four H’s” to his group.
The “Four H’s” is a team-building technique that Vrabel learned during his one-year sabbatical from coaching while he was working with the Cleveland Browns and Kevin Stefanski. The “Four H’s” stand for history, heroes, heartbreak, and hope. The purpose of this exercise is for the team to connect on a personal level by learning about their teammates in a non-football manner. This strategy asks each individual to share a vulnerable moment that impacted them in a major way.
The overall purpose and logic behind this exercise is to gain a better understanding of your teammates. In turn, this should translate to the field in terms of trust, confidence, camaraderie, and having each other’s backs in the line of action, on and off the field. Over recent weeks, many players expressed how the “Four H’s” really helped them strengthen connections with the team, and they believe they’re playing well together because of what they’ve learned about their teammates.
Every person’s story is different, but having a better understanding of your teammates on a human level, knowing why someone is the way they are, can go a long way in how the overall team performs together in the heat of a battle.
What Vrabel has established is a true brotherhood in New England, just the way it was when he arrived here as a player in 2001. Building connections within the team is an important element of Vrabel’s culture building, and that goes for both the players and the coaches.
The players accepted this method of building team chemistry by holding their own weekly gatherings as a position group. The offensive line meets for dinner, whether at someone’s house or at a restaurant, and they bond with each other over a meal and Shirley Temples. We’ve seen Drake Maye and Will Campbell sitting courtside at a Boston Celtics game and also having a sleepover during the Christmas season at Maye's home while Drake’s wife, Ann Michael, did the 25 Days of Bakemas.
That said, the defense is also a very close-knit group that has grown to like each other off the field. Starting cornerback Christian Gonzalez said this week that the defensive backs are always together, and if you see one of them, you’ll likely see another close by.
“It kind of goes back to how close we are as a defense," Gonzalez stated. "You know, especially the DBs, we’re always together, we’re always working out together, eating together, getting treatment together- if you see one of us, there’s going to be another one. It’s kind of just how we are as a group and we’re able to hold each other accountable and go out there and make plays.”
New England's locker room environment is in step with exactly what Vrabel said he wanted to recreate from his experience as a player for the Patriots.
At the end of every game, Vrabel is in the hallways leading to the locker room, interacting with every player before they enter. It’s his way of showing his respect and appreciation for his team, no matter the outcome. Another way Vrabel does this is by naming a game-day captain each week to go out for the coin toss, and he gives out game balls as a reward system for the team.
The players have fully bought into Vrabel’s overall vision for how he wanted to construct and coach the team. As a former player, Vrabel has the unique experience of being able to relate to his players. Literally being inside the same facility that he won three Super Bowls in as a player for the Patriots only makes that job easier. It carries a lot of weight for a young team to have a coach who has been in their shoes and done it at a high level.
As Vrabel and the Patriots progress, this environment is going to attract free agents around the league to want to be part of this team, making New England a desirable destination and situation to go play in. The brotherhood he created in only one year has led the Patriots back to a Super Bowl in his first season as head coach.