The Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini controversy continues to grow, with no real signs of slowing down. What began as a sports story has now spread across multiple outlets, bringing fresh photos, videos, and reported details into the spotlight.
As the coverage expands, the situation has become much bigger than football. Still, Colin Cowherd does not believe the controversy will define Vrabel’s season with the New England Patriots.
Colin Cowherd Feels Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini Controversy Will Not Affect The Patriots’ Season
Speaking on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd,” the FS1 analyst made it clear that the offseason drama does not concern him when it comes to New England’s results.
“So Mike Vrabel and a reporter for the New York Times (Russini) this offseason may have bothered you morally, but it was only an ethical lapse, allegedly, with the reporter,” Cowherd said. “There is an ethical standard at the New York Times and any newspaper about how information is collected.”
“What Vrabel did, allegedly, I don’t care about. I literally do not care,” Cowherd added. “What’s going to happen is New England is not going to win 14 games like last year, and they’re not going to get to the Super Bowl like last year.
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That factor, according to Cowherd, sits directly on the schedule.
“So the reason the Patriots are not going to win 14 games, they’re not, and the reason they’re not going to go to the Super Bowl is they’re going to probably be a Wild Card team and have to go on the road a bunch. It’s called their schedule,” Cowherd said.
“The reason the Patriots are not going to win 14 games – their schedule… It’s going to have nothing, nada, zilch to do with the thing that you’re uncomfortable with morally.”@colincowherd argues Mike Vrabel’s offseason will NOT impact the Patriots season pic.twitter.com/bFdMnon9mP
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 20, 2026
Indeed, the Patriots face the 11-hardest schedule in the NFL this season, according to PFN analytics. That creates a major challenge compared with last year, when New England enjoyed the league’s third-easiest schedule based on opponents’ combined win percentage.
So, Cowherd sees a playoff team, but not another deep run.
“They’re going to go 10 and 7, or they’re going to go 11 and 6, and they’re going to make the playoffs and head on the road. That’s what’s going to happen,” he added. “It’s going to have nothing, nada, zilch to do with the thing that you’re uncomfortable with morally.”
“I care about ethical standards,” Cowherd continued. “I care about anything that becomes a gate, Spygate, Deflategate; I’ll listen to that. It doesn’t mean I buy it, but I’ll listen to that. You’re not going to tell me morally… I don’t want to hear your morals. I’m not interested in any of your moral stuff. Ethical stuff we can discuss.”
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Then history has also not been kind towards the Super Bowl runners-up. The Kansas City Chiefs, for instance, stumbled to a 6-11 record in 2025-26 and missed the playoffs entirely.
Similarly, the San Francisco 49ers posted the same 6-11 mark in 2024-25 and watched the postseason from home. Before that, the Philadelphia Eagles suffered a late-season collapse in 2023-24. Philadelphia lost six of its final seven games before an early Wild Card exit ended its season.
As a result, teams around the NFL understand how difficult it can be to recover from a Super Bowl defeat. Reaching the league’s biggest stage takes a major physical toll, while the emotional investment can linger well into the following season.
Now, Vrabel and the Patriots must find a way to reset. Whether they can turn the page remains unclear. Patriots fans will expect the organization to keep its attention on football and everything happening inside the building.
