Violence, required: These are now Mike Vrabel's New England Patriots
This team needed an attitude adjustment. Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane and a (very rich) FA class officially make this a classic Vrabel outfit. He wants fighters.
First, a disclaimer: Throwing wads of cash at a roster guarantees you nothing in pro football.
Teams flush with salary-cap room in March only have that much room because they’ve been drafting so terribly. There’s nobody worth extending on their roster. ]Bill Brasky could’ve mined for better talent on draft day than Bill Belichick toward the end of the head coach’s New England days.
Secondly, this year’s class was particularly sterile. The timing for a spending spree was not ideal.
Even then? The New England Patriots unequivocally made up the most ground this week. There’s no reason to think a team that went 4-13 in 2024 cannot flirt with .500 in Year 1 with Mike Vrabel The Patriots devoted their NFL-high $129 million in cap space to one snarling theme. These are players who bring an element of violence. Vrabel launched the Tennessee Titans into the AFC Championship in 2019, then into the No. 1 seed in 2021 with the same type of personalities.
He clearly has an ethos in mind. In 24 hours, Vrabel flooded this roster with sour players… surly players… or as crusty old scouts scribble on their legal pad? Ornery pricks.