The New England Patriots made perhaps their biggest step toward a post-Brady-Belichick revamp when they hired former player and Super Bowl champion Mike Vrabel to replace first-year coach Jerod Mayo on a multi-year deal.
The selection was met with excitement around the NFL world, considering Vrabel was one of the top candidates on this year's coaching carousel and is believed to have what it takes to turn the struggling franchise around. And so far, it seems at least one of his players would agree with that.
Speaking during a youth football camp hosted by a former Aggies teammate on Saturday, second-year Patriots offensive lineman Layden Robinson had nothing but praise for his new coach and the vibes he is adding to the locker room.
“It’s so fun, the energy that he brings to the team and just how he holds everybody accountable and just that he wants to turn everything around and he wants our team to be great,” Robinson told KPRC 2 Houston NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. “Just having a coach like that with all the energy that he has and what he wants to pour into the team, he’s leading by example too. I’d say that’s just been the best part, just being there and seeing that and I can’t wait to see everything turn around for good."
As for the Patriots' upcoming season, Robinson is optimistic about that, too, especially with the team adding Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams, Harold Landry III and Mack Hollins in free agency.
“I'm feeling like we're getting the pieces that we need, and whatever they feel is the need for us, we just have to adjust and keep going forward,” he continued. “We all know it’s a building block and that we just got to take our time to get to where we want to go, but we just put all of our trust in the front office and all of trust in our coaches and they put their trust in us to lead us where we want to go.”
The Pats will start their preseason on Aug. 8, and then will officially begin the Vrabel era with their Week 1 matchup vs. the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 7.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Patriots OL Shares Passionate Praise for New Coach Mike Vrabel.
