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Mike Reiss
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel jumped right into a pile of gamers at Wednesday’s apply with the Washington Commanders and got here out with a bloodied cheek, which caught the eye of gamers within the ensuing huddle.
“That is what we’re attempting to construct, and it begins with the top coach — depth, bringing it day by day, taking no crap after we’re on the market on the sector,” quarterback Drake Maye stated. “The mentality, I prefer it. That is what you need.”
Vrabel later held a bag of ice on his proper cheek. The scrum that Vrabel entered got here after rookie working again TreVeyon Henderson stepped as much as execute a block in blitz pickup towards the Commanders’ protection, and abruptly, a number of gamers had been piled up on the sector.
“Go professional is bodily. It is a bodily recreation. Issues occur on the market,” Maye stated. “There is a time the place clearly you do not need to come out right here and struggle and get into bother. On the identical time, you do not need to again down from no person. So I am certain Coach will preach that we will not have that, however on the identical time, sort of at the back of our minds, that is sort of how we need to play — the depth, when the whistle goes, play onerous, and when the whistle stops, get off and get away.”
Maye stated Vrabel joked that the group will return and overview the movie of Vrabel within the scrum. No gamers had been ejected from apply, and the commotion was extinguished shortly.
“He is proper there with us, man. I believe that participant comes out in him just a little bit too,” tight finish Hunter Henry stated.
Receiver DeMario “Pop” Douglas stated Vrabel’s willingness to leap into the fray confirmed how a lot he had his gamers’ backs — and his humorousness.
“I stated, ‘Coach, what’s fallacious with you?’ And he stated, ‘It is best to have seen the opposite man,'” Douglas relayed with a smile. “I simply noticed the scar on his face, however I did not know what occurred.”
The Patriots host the Commanders in each groups’ preseason opener Friday (7:30 p.m. ET).
Veteran offensive deal with Morgan Moses, who’s in his first season taking part in underneath Vrabel, referred to him as a gamers’ coach — noting his background as an out of doors linebacker with the Steelers, Patriots and Chiefs over 14 seasons.
“He loves what he does. Any time you bought a coach you see on the market carrying pads and getting punched by guys and doing drills, it makes you need to go more durable,” Moses stated. “He understands the method as a participant and a coach.”
ESPN’s John Keim contributed to this report.
