Mike Vrabel Made These Four Requests To Patriots In Initial Meeting

Mike Vrabel stressed the importance of building a good culture upon becoming Patriots head coach, and he took big steps toward achieving that goal this week.

New England players started arriving to Gillette Stadium on Monday for voluntary offseason workouts. While much of the schedule was centered around training, the agenda also included a team meeting led by Vrabel. And as he spoke to his team, the linebacker-turned-couch laid out four clear expectations he wants players to honor on a daily basis.

“One, respect the team,” Vrabel said. “Respect the football team and the people that are here. The second, when we’re in a meeting, I know what the style may be — just pull your hood down. That’s all I ask. Be on time. …If I can’t be on time, what’s the easiest thing to do? You would just call, right? You would communicate. All you have to do is say, ‘Hey, something came up. I’m gonna be a little bit late.’ Now, after about four or five times that starts wearing off. This is just once in a while. And the cell phones. We all got cell phones. Most of you have more than one, as a matter of fact. Just leave the cell phone in your bag. Put the phone away. If it rings, don’t start coughing. I’ve been in this league for 25 years. We all know when a cell phone goes off. We don’t need to start coughing and doing that (expletive). Just put it on silent and we’ll move on. The cell phones in the weight room — leave it on the counter or leave it in your locker. You don’t need to do a set and then check your cell phone.”

Vrabel also demanded his players treat equipment staff, training staff and kitchen staff — among other team employees — with the “utmost respect.”

The Patriots still have a ton of work to do before reclaiming their position as an annual playoff contender. But you can’t complete a rebuild without first establishing a solid foundation, and Vrabel appears well on his way to doing so.