Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New: Patriots' Camp Revolution Led by Vrabel | Will It Catapult Them?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Mike Vrabel shares some significant news ahead of camp. That's where we start on this episode of Locked On Patriots. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. What's up, Patriots fans? I am your host Nick Cattles born and raised in New England. Also the host of the Everything Pats podcast co-host of the Greg Bedard Patriots podcast with Nick Cattles and a Sports Talk Show host veteran on today's

Starting point is 00:00:34 episode. We find out what training camp is all about from the new head coach and three team leaders speak and what they had to say. It spoke volumes, but first the good news keeps on rolling in ahead of this training camp we appreciate you joining the show making us your first listen and for being an everyday or the lockdown Patriots podcast a proud part of the lockdown podcast network your team every day and today's episode is brought to you by Monarch money take control of your finances with Monarch money use code locked on NFL at Monarch money.com control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKDONNFL at

Starting point is 00:01:05 MonarchMoney.com for 50% off your first year. I don't want to be too optimistic. I don't want to be throwing on the rose colored glasses before training camp even begins. But it's pretty tough not to be optimistic, given what Mike Vrabel had to share during his press conference with the media. It feels like things could not be going any better for Mike Vrabel this early on. Of course, there's still a lot of time. Things can certainly go wrong, but it sounded like everything was off to a great start, according to the head coach.

Starting point is 00:01:45 So let's cover the three biggest takeaways from what Vrabel had to say to the media. Let's begin with Jelani Tavae. We talked about injuries during yesterday's episode. And we talked about actually, I think it was Monday's episode, we talked about the injuries and how it could impact this team. And Jelani Tavae was on the PUP list.

Starting point is 00:02:07 And now we find out according to Vrabel, Tavae is expected to be there camp day one. So if we were concerned about Jelani Tavae's health, not that big of a deal according to the head coach because Tavae is scheduled to be out there day one. And this is critical because we're talking about the inside linebacker competition and you look at the other guys in the mix here Robert Spillane starting he's your quarterback on the defense at the second level but when you look at the other names Christian Ellis he's a little bit raw and then you can go to Jack Gibbons and he's somebody who is also not really a full time guy or hasn't been a full time guy week in and week out.

Starting point is 00:02:50 So you've got some question marks. You've got some potential, but you've got some question marks at inside linebacker. Once you get beyond Spillane. Now, Tava has lost some weight, which tells us he's trying to be a fit within this defense because of course, Mike Vable likes more athletic linebackers. He likes quicker under sized linebackers. So to Vi got the memo, cut some weight. Uh, and, and he had that calf strain in the early portion of camp and you never know with calf strains, it's always a concern, but it sounds like he will be out there. Day one, we'll see if he fits. That wasn't the only good news when we talk about injuries. Carlton

Starting point is 00:03:31 Davis, you know how I feel about him. Biggest question mark is his health. Well, according to Vrabel, Davis is also expected to be out there for day one of training camp. And we talk about the impact that Davis can have on this defense lining up opposite of Christian Gonzalez. When you have those two corners healthy, you feel really good about your chances of at least slowing down, if not shutting down the opposing pass offense. So Carlton Davis, he was on the NFI list. Sounds like it wasn't that big of a deal. He is expected to be out there day one of camp and he needs it. He needs it after this slower summer.

Starting point is 00:04:12 And we will always keep an eye on Davis and his health and keep our fingers crossed. Now as far as Austin Hooper and Matt Collins and Vidarian Lowe, gonna take a little bit more time. Vrabel was a little bit more non-committal about those guys and we'll see when they get out there. So one takeaway is that Tavai, Carlton Davis, ready day one, so some good and positive injury news. Second biggest takeaway, Terrell Williams is back. Your defensive coordinator is in town.

Starting point is 00:04:48 Your coordinator is actually at Gillette Stadium. He's at the facility. He's working with the guys. He's hands on. And now it just feels with Terrell Williams being back in person that everybody else fits into their role. Now Zach Kirk can get back to inside linebackers. Clint McMillan will get help of course from Terrell Williams with the defensive line. Mike Vrabel can focus on the entire football team and not be too concerned even if he was concerned

Starting point is 00:05:17 about taking over the defense if Williams couldn't get back in time. Terrell Williams is back. He's at Gillette and the staff puzzle pieces are now fitting together. And you might ask, what does Williams bring to the table? What does he actually bring to the table? What are his strengths? And Mike Vrabel was asked about that during the presser. And here's what he said on Williams, quote, a great reach to every player on a football team. I've seen him reach young offensive lineman that he worked with extensively in different drills and pass rush drills. Great perspective is what Williams brings. And then this was an important part of what variable had to say regarding his defensive coordinator and his friend. He talked about Williams and the fact that Williams helps

Starting point is 00:06:05 him helps variable reach guys that maybe he hasn't been able to reach. And that's critical. The head coach is not going to be able to reach all 53. That would be an unreasonable expectation. Of course, you want him to connect with most guys. You want him to be able to reach most guys and for most guys to pick up what variable puts down, but it's not always going to be that way with every single dude on the roster. So variable says, Hey, Terrell Williams, he's there. He helps me out because the guys that I can't reach, the guys that I might have an issue reaching Williams Williams takes

Starting point is 00:06:47 that spot. So let's not overlook that. Frabel also said that you know Williams's units have always been prepared and productive no matter who he was coaching and this is big for Keon White. This is big for Christian Barmore. This is big for Milton Williams. This is big for the entire defensive line, the front seven. And Terrell Williams really does kind of reinforce Vrabel's vibe.

Starting point is 00:07:15 Vrabel also discussed the team's preparedness over the last few weeks. And that's the final thing that really stood out to me in my third biggest takeaway. Here's what Vrabel said about how this team was prepared heading into camp. Quote, based on the conditioning tests, their weights thought we met expectations in that regard. But ultimately, it's about the football conditioning, the inline combat with another player, and then being able to go and chase the football and do it repeatedly. The receiver to run down the field, not get the football,

Starting point is 00:07:48 but get back to the huddle and play the next snap. That competitive stamina. The only way that you get into football shape totally is by playing football. That's the only way that you can get in football shape, the way that your head coach wants you to get into football shape, but what it sounds like what it sounds like to me is That these guys

Starting point is 00:08:14 Checked the boxes. They checked the necessary boxes during this break. They left after mandatory minicamp Vrabel gave them a checklist. They came back for camp. And it sounds like everybody pretty much checked every box on that list from their head coach. And that to me tells all of us that this is once again a serious program. This is a professional outfit. And when I discuss Mike Vrabel getting hired, give me the serious program. Give me a football team that people can take seriously again. Give me a team that, you know, the opposition,

Starting point is 00:08:53 maybe not worrying during game week, but at least thinking about what they've got to do to beat this team during game week. Give me a serious professional football outfit and when you've got guys Checking the boxes when they're away from the facility and they come back and you've got digs ready on day one You've got Davis ready on day one. You've got to vie ready on day one You've got Jared Wilson ready for day one Michael Wenu obviously obviously, given what Vrabel said.

Starting point is 00:09:27 Not too concerned about his weight, because it sounds like a Wenu checked the weight box. Vrabel's message is landing. So far, so good. Guys are indeed picking up what he's putting down, and they are following what the head coach is telling them to do. And that's exactly how you want to kick off your first camp with a franchise. What it's all about. It's about accountability.

Starting point is 00:09:55 Hunter Henry talked about that today. Said we all need accountability and Vrabel brings that every day. It's unbelievable when you look at the differences between, you know, the early portions of camp and getting into camp last year to this year. And what was maybe more frustrating than the four win seasons that we've seen in back to back years is the fact that there was just a lack of accountability, especially in twenty twenty four. Not anymore. Mike Rable digs deep into what camp means to him and why it's such a crucial time of

Starting point is 00:10:34 year. Find out what he said next as we continue with today's episode of Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Ever wish managing your money fell easier with Monarch money you can whether you're growing your savings or planning a big purchase. Monarch puts you in the driver's seat. It's like having your own personal CFO giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch money is more than just a budgeting app. It's a complete financial command center. You can track all your

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Starting point is 00:12:59 Training camp, the vision starts to truly come together. And of course, this is Mike Vrabel's first training camp with the Patriots, and he has started, he has started to build the foundation. That begins with rookie mini camp, OTAs, mandatory mini camp. You start to work on the foundation, but now, now you continue to build that foundation out, and then you wanna build upon the foundation,

Starting point is 00:13:24 build on top of the foundation. It's a critical time for any football team and Vrabel addressed that when speaking to the media he talked about team building understanding roles do guys understand the role that the coach wants them to take care of do they want to play that role? Accept it, embrace it, understand it. And really, that starts at training camp. You've gone through the playbook, you've got the basics down. Now coaches start to work on the roles of each guy. And the players start to understand where they might fit in, or at least understand better where they might fit in and Vrabel talked about roles and here's what he had to say,

Starting point is 00:14:11 they have to earn a role. How can they help us? How can they help themselves? There's a lot of different levels to what roles are. In my 14 years, I had plenty from special teams to backup to starter to starter that's expected to be productive to veteran leader. Now as variable was saying that I started to think about how truly important that actually is. I'll say it one more time. Quote, there's a lot of different levels to what those roles are in my 14 years. I had plenty from special teams to backup to starter to starter that's expected to be productive to veteran leader. Not all former players are the

Starting point is 00:14:54 same. Gerard Mayo, former player. Frabel, former player. But think about Gerard Mayo's path. But think about Gerard Mayo's path. Think about who he was as a football player. Mayo first round pick. Mayo pro bowler. A lot expected of him immediately when he touched the field for the Patriots. A much heralded college player. And really throughout his entire Patriots career until the end when he started to get banged up and started missing games, he was one of the dudes. He was one of the dudes in that

Starting point is 00:15:29 locker room. He was a quote-unquote guy for most of his career. The vast majority of his career he was one of those dudes. Vrabel has a different story. Vrabel, he lived a different football life. Vrabel lived the different levels that a third round pick might have to live. And that's why when he talks about, hey, look, when I was playing in the NFL, I talk about all the roles and I understand all the roles. I understand what I'm supposed to do as a special teams player. You know, I understand. I truly understand what, what it means to be a backup linebacker. I understand how it feels to, for the first time become a starting linebacker. I understand how it feels to not only be a starting linebacker, but a productive starting linebacker, somebody the team depends on and believes in and thinks

Starting point is 00:16:28 that you are one of their most critical pieces. He understands all of that. And he also understands being a veteran leader. He understands the decline. When you're not going to be asked too much for your production from a football team, you're going to be asked about your leadership and What you're teaching other guys how you're mentoring those other guys So because of variables background, he knows all of those roles and I think that makes him relatable Mayo might not be relatable to every single guy in the locker room Because he was a dude

Starting point is 00:17:07 Vrabel became a dude, but before that just trying to hang on to a football team via special teams and That allows variable to be related relatable to a lot of guys on this roster to have conversations and those players believe in their coach because they know he understands what it's like to be there. He gets it. And he also understands finding the right fits for players, offensive groupings, he talked about it, defensive groupings, who's going to play a crucial role on special teams. He understands all of that.

Starting point is 00:17:45 He gets it. And I mean, it's pretty crazy, because not only does he understand that from a defensive side of the ball, he understands it from the offensive side. This is somebody, as we know, who played tight end from time to time. He likes mixing it up with the offensive line when he's coaching.

Starting point is 00:18:01 So he really has so many different touch points throughout his NFL career that makes him so much more relatable to these players. Camp's also about building your identity. Is this team going to be physical? We know that Vrabel wants this team to be physical. Terrell Williams wants this team to be physical. Is this going to be a physical football team? Is this going to be a tough football team, not just physically tough, but mentally tough? Is this team going to be able and capable of getting by some adversity, every team faces adversity? How will this team react to that adversity that begins that begins at training camp? Terrell Williams wants this defense to be violent.

Starting point is 00:18:47 Let's see if this defense is violent during those joint practices. Let's see if they're violent when the physicality picks up. How about communication going to make sure the communication is there everybody's on the same page. You're building that communication between the quarterback of the offensive coordinator the quarterbacks coach Robert Spillane and Terrell Williams, you're building all of this and you want one cohesive

Starting point is 00:19:10 message as you're leaving camp. And you want that one cohesive message because you want to make sure that everybody understands the expectation and that the standard has been set. And that is something that Vrabel discussed. He said to the media, expectations in the NFL are high, they should be. Later on, he said, obviously, we have to prepare to win. And Mark Daniels from Mass Live posted Vrabel said this about the team's improvement over the offseason, quote, we talk about the good, the bad, and the bleep that gets you beat. They can tell the difference between the three now. The good, the bad and the bleep that gets you beat.

Starting point is 00:19:55 And now they understand after OTAs, after mandatory mini camp, getting ready for camp. Now this team understands all three of those buckets and that tells me that the coach letting the players know no more excuses there gonna be no excuses because you know exactly what good looks like what bad looks like and the bleep that gets you beat looks like. No excuses. No excuses whatsoever. And that's what I want to hear from the head coach. All right. We heard from Vrabel, but we also heard from three team leaders and each of them had something impactful to say. That's coming up next on today's episode of Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:20:55 This episode is presented by Yahoo! Fantasy. Fantasy football is back. Fire up the group chat, get your draft board ready, and buckle up for a season filled with breakouts, busts, and all the overreactions that we absolutely live for. It's all going down on Yahoo fantasy this year. You know, we're checking things out playing Yahoo fantasy, you should too, whether you're a first timer or a veteran making your millionth league. I mean, I've been a fantasy football for a long time. I remember when me and my buddies would have the notebooks out in the pencils and pens for a draft. I remember getting up on Sunday and actually looking at a newspaper. I'm aging myself here, but looking at a newspaper to get the stats and especially Monday mornings, getting those

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Starting point is 00:22:02 That's YahooFantasy.com slash Lockdown NFL. And fantasy.com slash lockdown NFL and let's make this fantasy season the best one yet. So three of the expected leaders of this football team spoke to the media after coach variable did Brennan Schooley, Hunter Henry and Christian Gonzalez. So the special teams leader in Schuyler, a key offensive veteran in Hunter Henry and your second team all-pro, best player on the team as of right now, Christian Gonzalez. And let's start with Brendan Schuyler. I'm going to pick a piece of what each guy said and follow up with my thoughts on why I think it's pretty important what they said.

Starting point is 00:22:48 All right, so Schuyler, quote, "'Vrable brings a vibe where it's not that you're scared, "'but you know he's not messing around. "'If you're not on your P's and Q's, "'I don't think guys are going to be sticking around long.'" Now, the first thing that jumps out to me is the fact that Schuyler mentions, you know, years. You know, things are a little bit different. Things are a little bit different than prior years. And that's interesting. It's interesting

Starting point is 00:23:19 because he doesn't just say last year. He'd say things are different than last year, the prior years. So he's including at least one of Belichick's seasons. Now, he's probably talking about 23 and 24, winning four games and back to back years. It's probably what he's addressing, right? You didn't you didn't mind the P's and Q's when you win four games in back-to-back seasons But it's interesting that it's plural And this is needed You know, it's you know, it's needed. I know it's needed The fact that you know, you might not be scared of Rable, but you know that he's not messing around He's not going to mess around

Starting point is 00:24:02 Guys have to have that feeling He's not going to mess around. Guys have to have that feeling. They have to have the feeling of, hey, I need to know what I need to know because if I don't know it, I'm going to be gone. And we saw this in 2024. Guys would make mistakes. They would come right back and make the same mistakes. The coach would make mistakes, come back and make the same mistakes. The coach would make mistakes. Come back and make the same mistakes.

Starting point is 00:24:32 Can't happen in 2025. And Vrabel hammers the details and he hammers the details because if you're better at the details, your performance is going to be better. He understands that. So that's why you've got to know the P's and the Q's. And yeah, you might be walking on eggshells every once in a while because you actually understand as a patriot that with Mike Vrabel as the head coach leading this program, that there are going to be consequences if you don't do what's expected of you to do. I don't have to tell the Ramadre Stephenson story again last year after the fumbles. Then you had the miscommunication. He was supposed to not start.

Starting point is 00:25:06 Then he goes out there starting. No consequences. These guys on this team right now, it's clear, it's clear that the message has been sent. Know the details. Because if you don't know what you're supposed to know and should know, there are going to be consequences. Let's get to Hunter Henry. This is from Mark Daniels.

Starting point is 00:25:28 Henry says Drake May has grown a lot as a leader and notices more confidence with the quarterback. Now, there's confidence on the field. There's confidence off the field. Those two things are completely different things. I want to focus on the confidence on the actual football field. Because one of the things that I discussed about Drake May possibly having a breakout season on yesterday's episode, one of the things that I discussed was him being more

Starting point is 00:25:58 decisive, him being more confident in the pocket, him having better pocket awareness. And if his confidence level is growing, then that means he's going to be more decisive because he's going to trust what he sees. He's confident in what he sees. He's confident that he's done the work. And that could be a completely different looking Drake May from time to time. You know, we saw last year, he got better, he got better at being decisive and making his progressions. But if the confidence level is even higher, he should be even better at those kinds of things.

Starting point is 00:26:38 And I believe a decisive May is going to be a better May, if not much better May. And it just feels to me that Drake may and Mike Vrabel are a perfect football fit. When you talk about Vrabel and who he was as a football player and what he wants out of his players, you could put a picture of May right next to the definition of a variable player. Is Drake May tough? I believe May's tough. Is May competitive? I think he is absolutely competitive.

Starting point is 00:27:17 Do we think that May is hungry to learn, wants to learn. Yes. I think he's incredibly hungry to learn and get better and prove to the football world that he is a franchise quarterback that he is a top 10 guy. A leader. Absolutely. So when we talk about the characteristics of variable and the characteristics of Vrabel and the characteristics of a Vrabel player, check those boxes for me. Tough, competitive, hungry to learn, somebody who you can depend on for leadership, check, check, check, check. All right, let's get to Christian Gonzalez. Phil Perry posted this.

Starting point is 00:27:59 Gonzalez smiles when asked about how beneficial it'll be for him to cover Stefan Diggs in camp. Quote, I'm excited for that. It'll be fun unquote. Gonzalez also said he's already picked Diggs his brain on the details of certain reps where Diggs got the best of him in the past. Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald posted Diggs and Gonzalez talked recently about their matchup last year when Diggs beat Gonzalez for three catches and a touchdown and man to man. What advice did digs have gonzalez said quote be in people's face be who i am

Starting point is 00:28:31 unquote and digs's willingness to take a mentorship role on both sides of the ball is great and he did some of this in houston but you know, his his willingness, his desire to help other people on the team and not just guys that play his position, he's willing to sit back and talk to Gonzalez about, you know, what he saw from Gonzalez and how he thinks Gonzalez could get better. And Gonzalez, I'm sure has lots of questions about him. And even if it's not conversations every single day, just working and watching digs in his work ethic that set the tone when somebody comes back from an acl surgery as quickly as digs has come back it means he cares about what he does it means that he works his tail off. He's very precise and what he does the route running all that stuff So he's a fantastic tone setter on the field. His experience is gonna help people even more.

Starting point is 00:29:30 Iron sharpens iron. You got the OG Alpha and Diggs with the young Alpha and Gonzalez. And Gonzalez wants to learn and Diggs wants to teach. And I love that kind of young old quality, I think you've got some of that on this roster All right that wraps up this edition of lockdown patriots reach out to me on twitter at nickc radio And don't forget to throw a comment in on the youtube channel and don't forget to hit that like button and subscribe The lockdown nfl top 100 is available on lockdown sports today

Starting point is 00:30:06 The NFL top 100 was voted by the NFL hosts of lockdown and including yours truly Don't miss out on it subscribe to lockdown sports today on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast Have a great day and we will see you tomorrow

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Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New: Patriots' Camp Revolution Led by Vrabel | Will It Catapult Them?

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