NFL analyst spotlights one way Mike Vrabel is better than Bill Belichick was in his prime

Mike Vrabel and Bill Belichick are now both in the history books as head coaches of the New England Patriots. Of course, Bill Belichick's mountain of accomplishments looms as Vrabel attempts to get his keycard to work on the first day, but everyone starts somewhere.

Still, despite having never called a play for the Patriots as their head coach, Vrabel is already better than Belichick at something that helps in being a successful head coach. At least, that is how one NFL analyst looks at it. Speaking on a January 14 edition of "Pro Football Talk," NFL analyst Mike Florio expressed his comparison.

Mike Florio: [00:04:05] "Vrabel is Belichick without that military-based, spies are everywhere [style]. ... I might have wished him a happy birthday when he turned 48, and I might have responded that I'm a decade older than him and that maybe he should respect his elders. And his response might have been, 'Go f yourself. How's that for respect?'"

"That's the charm of a guy who's going to drive you as hard as he can to get you to be the best you can absolutely be, but not be a curmudgeon about it. Have a sense of humor, know how to communicate, have emotional intelligence to go along with that old-school football mindset," he concluded. [00:05:44][38.1] PFT

Vrabel steps in the door barely a week after Jerod Mayo stepped through it. Patriots fans hope this tenure lasts longer than his predecessor.

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Mike Vrabel opens up on plans for 2025

Mike Vrabel smiles for the camera - Source: Imagn

At the podium in his opening press conference on January 13, Mike Vrabel spoke about how to establish a winning culture. Here's how he put it via a transcript provided by PatsFans:

"One thing I’ve realized about culture is that you can find out what your culture looks like when your family, your business, or your team is at its low point. ... When you get hit in the mouth, you’re down, or the chips are against you, then you can take a snapshot of what your company or your team looks like, and then you’ll find out what culture you have," he said,

Based on Vrabel's logic, the Drake Maye-led Patriots are learning what the culture of the New England Patriots is really about following back-to-back four-win seasons. He went on to claim that he would 'remove entitlement' from the team, suggesting that perhaps some had seeped in.

"We’re going to earn the right to be here every day. We’re going to remove entitlement from our football team. ... We’re going to earn the right to be here every single day," he said.

Mike Vrabel's work ahead is clear. With the Patriots owning the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, he has the option to push for a potential Drake Maye replacement. On the other hand, he could settle for the quarterback he has. As arguably the biggest name of the hiring cycle this year, he had a choice potentially between a number of quarterbacks.

He also will be tasked with eventually supplanting Josh Allen's half-decade stranglehold on the AFC East.

Of course, that also means holding off the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets.

Will Mike Vrabel head into 2025 with a new rookie quarterback to groom in his first season since running out of time with the Tennessee Titans?