Vrabel reflects on his time in Cleveland: What does this mean for Drake Maye’s development?
In his introductory press conference, new Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel reflected on the last year, which he spent in a consulting role with the Cleveland Browns.
Largely viewed as a defensive minded coach, a fair assessment considering his 13-year career playing linebacker in the NFL – eight of those years played for the Patriots – Vrabel’s primary expertise as coach in New England will likely be on the defensive side of the ball. However, in Cleveland, his focus skewed away from only defense as he spent time working with their offense, specifically the tight ends and offensive line units.
“I really enjoyed [Browns head coach] Kevin [Stefanski]’s idea of putting a defensive coach or what would seem to be a defensive coach with the offense… I know how important [the offensive line] is to a football team and to an offense,” said Vrabel.
Although Vrabel did not get into specifics of what his exact offensive contributions were with the Browns, it is clear that his time with that side may foreshadow the influence Vrabel will input to second-year Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
“That allowed me more time to try to develop younger players,” Vrabel said, emphasizing the focus on the details is what he instills in players. “The fundamentals that are critical. We’re going to play with detail. We’re going to play with fundamentals. There’s going to be a brand of football that everybody associated with our team or our fans [are] going to be proud of.”
So, how will the strong focus on details and Vrabel’s time with younger players help him in the task of developing Maye?
Vrabel’s time in Cleveland gave him a chance to work closely with young players. This could influence the way he approaches the player development process going forward, insight that he likely did not possess in his last coaching stint with Tennessee where he worked with rookie QB Will Levis, who has underperformed the expectations that were set from him when selected 33rd overall in the 2023 draft. The 2023 season resulted in a 6-11 record for the Titans and led to Vrabel’s firing after six years with the team.
As for Vrabel’s plans for developing Maye, he will “put great people around him,” makes sense given Vrabel’s defensive background, but he will also utilize some of his strengths to help mold the young quarterback into a true professional.
“I would say that my involvement will be as it relates to game management and situational awareness and where we are on the football field and trying to develop him as a leader…I’m going to give him some things that I feel like are necessary to help us win football games.”
This all plays into the new culture Vrabel will bring to New England. Patriots fans should be excited to hear that their new coach is already putting major thought and emphasis on the development of Drake Maye, and, so it seems, his time in Cleveland has helped him become a more effective teacher of inexperienced players and more well-rounded to every facet of the game. Two qualities that will be critical in turning the Patriots into a playoff contending team down the line.
