Mike Vrabel transformed the New England Patriots almost overnight. After being hired as the team’s head coach last offseason, he guided the franchise from the bottom of the AFC East to the Super Bowl. New England’s 10-win improvement tied the NFL record for the great single-season leap in league history.
Now, Patriots legend Tom Brady recently revealed what Vrabel was like as a player when they were teammates in New England.
Tom Brady Reveals Mike Vrabel’s Fun-Loving Personality as a Patriots Player
During an appearance on the “New Heights” podcast, Brady reflected on some of the biggest personalities from his Patriots days.
The conversation began with Rob Gronkowski and the fun energy he brought to New England.
“He’s one of the most authentic people you’ll ever be around… but Gronk always found a way to bring, you know, kind of light to it,” Brady said. “But I think our team kind of made him a little more confined. And he still had a great time. But, man, I think he really maximized his energy.”
While Brady’s comments painted a picture of a locker room that valued discipline, co-host Jason Kelce pointed out that every successful roster needs personalities who can loosen the mood.
“Sometimes when you have a team that’s so, like, very straight-line, having a guy like Gronk lighten it every once in a while and whatnot. You need that, too, right?” Kelce said.
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Brady agreed, and then revealed that Vrabel filled a very similar role during his own playing days with the Patriots.
“Totally, Mike Vrabel was like that when he was at the Patriots…” Brady added. “Vrabes cut it loose. He was like [that]. Randy Moss was like that. Matt Light was one of the funniest guys I’ve ever been around. He kept it light for everybody.”
Vrabel’s sense of humor and energy made him a favorite in the locker room. He nicknamed Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski “Meat” when he was a rookie as a reference to the movie “Bull Durham” because he played baseball in college.
Because of that, Gostkowski said, “He has that Vince Vaughn-like personality where he funny, he is smart, he is witty.”
While Vrabel and Gronkowski brought similar energy, they were never on the Patriots’ roster at the same time.
Vrabel played linebacker from 2001 through 2009 and helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls before the franchise traded him in 2010. Coincidentally, that was the same year New England drafted Gronkowski.
Last year, Gronkowski also opened up about it.
“Everyone thinks I’m like best friends with Vrabel, and everyone thinks like we won championships together, but I never even met Coach Vrabel ever in my life,” Gronkowski said on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast” last year.
“Actually, one time, real quick, at the NFL Honors, and it was for five seconds. So I don’t really count that as truly meeting someone.”
Still, Gronkowski believes they would have been a perfect match on the field if their careers had lined up.
“It’s like we just missed each other in New England,” Gronkowski added. “I feel like we would have been great teammates together. I feel like we would have loved each other. We have the same mentality out on the football field.”
Vrabel feels the same way and even went one step further and said the team wouldn’t have been able to handle them together.
“I’m like, they wouldn’t be able to handle that,” Vrabel said last year when he finally met with Gronk when he retired as a member of the Patriots.
Lately, Vrabel has been making headlines for more scandalous reasons due to his alleged relationship with former NFL insider Dianna Russini. Russini resigned from The Athletic in April after the two were photographed together at an adults-only resort. As for Vrabel, the Patriots have stood by him, even when he stepped away from the team on Day 3 of the NFL Draft to attend counseling with his family.
