Sometimes the former player comes out in New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. That was certainly the case Wednesday during a Patriots joint training camp practice with the Washington Commanders.
Vrabel tried to break up a scrum between Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson and a Commanders edge rusher, according to the Boston Herald’s Zack Cox, who reported that the skirmish precipitated from Henderson taking his pass blocking assignment down to the ground during an 11-on-11 period.
Advertisement
As he so often did as a Patriots linebacker in the 2000s, Vrabel threw himself into the pile — this time, to apparently separate opposing players and prevent a fight, as reported by the Herald.
Vrabel got his hands dirty figuratively and his cheek bloodied literally. According to the Herald, as Vrabel got involved, so did first-year left tackle Will Campbell, who was attempting to support Henderson but reportedly caused incidental contact to Vrabel.
The 49-year-old emerged from the scuffle with a cut cheek. He was later seen holding ice to the right side of his face.
“I said, ‘Coach, what’s wrong with you, man?’” Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas told reporters after practice, per the Herald. “He said, ‘Hey, you should see the other guy.’”
Advertisement
Patriots second-year quarterback Drake Maye — whom Henderson was pass protecting for on the play — said Vrabel jokingly noted that the team will watch it all back on film.
“Pass pro is physical,” Maye said, when asked about the scrum, per ESPN. “It’s a physical game. Things happen out there. … There’s a time where obviously you don’t want to come out here and fight and get into trouble. At the same time, you don’t want to back down from nobody. So I’m sure Coach will preach that we can’t have that, but at the same time, kind of in the back of our minds, that’s kind of how we want to play — the intensity, when the whistle is going, play hard, and when the whistle stops, get off and get away.”
Vrabel won three Super Bowls with the Patriots during the first act of their early 21st century dynasty. He played with a tenacity that he hasn’t lost as a head coach in the league, first with the Tennessee Titans and now back in New England.
“He’s right there with us, man,” Patriots tight end Hunter Henry said after practice, per the Herald. “I think that player comes out in him a little bit, too. But you’ve got to love a coach that loves to compete and has those competitive juices just like us.”
Read the full article here
