Former Titans star discusses what Mike Vrabel brings to Patriots

The New England Patriots confirmed expected news when they announced on Sunday that they had hired former player and one-time Associated Press Coach of the Year Award winner Mike Vrabel as their next head coach. 

Offensive tackle and three-time Pro Bowl selection Taylor Lewan played under Vrabel when both were with the Tennessee Titans from 2018-22. On Sunday, Lewan took to social media to address what Vrabel will bring to the Patriots as their new leader. 

"The culture is going to be incredible," Lewan explained during a video, as shared by Karen Guregian of MassLive. "You guys are going to win games. Those tough, one-score games, you’re going to win them. That’s how Mike Vrabel works. That guy is going to have his team knowing the ins and outs."

Vrabel knows plenty about what used to be referred to as the "Patriots Way," as he earned three Super Bowl rings playing for the organization from 2001-08. However, New England has now missed the playoffs four times across the past five seasons, and the Patriots are coming off back-to-back 4-13 campaigns. This past fall, former New England head coach Jerod Mayo controversially said after a loss he felt he had "a soft football team." 

Meanwhile, Vrabel went 54-45 as head coach of the Titans and guided the club to one conference championship game appearance. Lewan directly said on Sunday that "it’s going to get tough at times" for New England players not yet used to Vrabel, but Lewan was sure to add that the Patriots "are in a good spot" with the 49-year-old leading the charge. 

"I’m telling you, it’s going to work out. I was a part of it," Lewan told members of the New England locker room. "While I was in those small little groups, and you start to get away from it, and it’s, 'Yeah, this dude knows what the [expletive] he’s talking about.' ...He is going to burn the team keys in your head. But if you play offense like I did, you need to know defense and special teams, as well. There’s not a worse feeling sitting in that team meeting and not having all the answers when he calls on you."

The hiring of Vrabel doesn't change the fact that the Patriots are responsible for what is, on paper, one of the league's worst overall rosters. Vrabel bringing well-known offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels back to New England could help 2024 first-round draft pick Drake Maye become an elite quarterback, but Maye will ultimately need additional help in the form of multiple offseason acquisitions.