
To say the New England Patriots have had a lot of success lately would be putting it lightly — they have recently extended their win streak to nine and currently sit with the most wins in the league due to owning a 10-2 overall record.
But what sets the Patriots apart from the rest is that they still aren't satisfied. New head coach Mike Vrabel took to his weekly press conference on Nov. 26, answering questions from the media on upcoming developments while also making a key statement on what New England is looking to build as a program when it comes to accountability:
"I think that that's what we've always tried to build — the ability to have and hold people accountable, hold each other accountable," Vrabel said. "Not in a negative way but in a positive way to help themselves and to help the team."
Vrabel and New England have now scored 23 or more points in their last eight games this season. The three-time Super Bowl champion as a player with the Patriots became the third coach in franchise history with 10 or more wins in his first year on the job following the recent 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
But — it's coaches like Vrabel who rationalize that there's always more to work for and that every play is a chance for a player to get better.
"Our guys are certainly impactful players that have to be accounted for every play, they rotate them through there pretty good. There's a lot of juice there, a lot of disruption," Vrabel said.
The Patriots' next opportunity to continue winning with accountability comes on Dec. 1 as New England hosts the New York Giants (2-10)
Vrabel was voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023 and now boasts almost over a decade and a half of coaching experience, including 11 years in the NFL and three seasons at Ohio State; he was hired by the Patriots in Jan., 2025 to take over for Jerod Mayo.
During his Patriots career, Vrabel helped transcend the Patriots to multiple NFL and franchise-record win streaks, including 21 consecutive wins (2003-04), 21 consecutive regular season wins (2006-08), 21 consecutive wins at home (2002-05) and 10 straight playoff victories (2001-05). Perhaps it is for this reason that he knows that accountability plays such a crucial role to achieving success in the NFL.
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!