FOXBORO, Mass. -- Some closing thoughts on this week's introduction of Mike Vrabel as the 16th head coach of the New England Patriots:
* The late, legendary (and, yes, controversial) Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes had already been dead for more than six years when Vrabel arrived in Columbus, Ohio, in 1993 for his freshman season with the Buckeyes. Yet some of Hayes's philosophies rubbed off on Vrabel -- thanks to a meeting with Anne Hayes, widow of Woody Hayes (Anne Hayes died in 1998).
"These were lessons I learned after meeting with Anne Hayes," Vrabel told me after Monday's news conference. "She took us through how he would teach. Back in the day, he taught a history class. She also gave us his life story."
Meeting Anne Hayes inspired Vrabel to take a deeper dive -- not just into Hayes's coaching philosophy, but also the teachings of Paul Brown, head coach at Ohio State from 1941 to 1943 before going on to greater fame as co-founder and longtime coach of the Cleveland Browns.
"You go back and you look at game plans and practice plans of Woody Hayes and Paul Brown, these guys laid the foundation for training, conditioning, everything we stand for nowadays," Vrabel said. "Fundamentals. Individual work in training camp. Things that you've heard Bill (Belichick) talk about.
"I've seen letters from Woody Hayes and Paul Brown to their teams about how hard they have to train, and the things they need to do to be prepared. And I've tried to use some of that."
Hayes, Brown and Vrabel were all born and raised in Ohio.
* Whether it's from Hayes, Brown, Belichick or Gerry Rardin (Vrabel's coach at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), one thing we know is that Vrabel has a storied history when it comes to his obsession with game prep.
I dredged up an old quote from Vrabel's playing days at Ohio State to help make the point.
"Every week is a new challenge to improve," Vrabel said on Oct. 20, 1995, according to the next day's Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun. "We're always trying to get better. We'll be really good once we start hitting on all cylinders."
Vrabel spoke those words following Ohio State's 28-0 victory over Purdue, improving the Buckeyes' record to 7-0 (3-0 in the Big Ten). Vrabel had two sacks and a blocked punt in the big victory.
The outcome of the game, and Vrabel's strong individual performance, inspired News-Sun columnist Dave Shedloski to ask if perhaps Ohio State was already "hitting on all cylinders."
"Not even close," Vrabel said.
(It should be noted, however, that Ohio State remained undefeated in 1995 until a 31-23 loss to No. 18 Michigan in Columbus on Nov. 25. The Buckeyes then suffered a 20-14 loss to Tennessee in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day in Orlando.)
* In returning to the Patriots, Vrabel is one of the few remaining members of the organization who played for the team before Gillette Stadium opened in 2002.
Vrabel joined the Patriots in 2001, the last year the Patriots played at Foxboro Stadium.
Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett, who played for the Patriots from 1982 to 1993, is the team's executive director of community affairs. Keeping in mind that the New England coaching staff is in flux, Troy Brown (skill development, kick/punt returners) and Adrian Klemm (offensive line coach) were on Jerod Mayo's staff in 2024. Brown played his entire 15-season NFL career with the Patriots, debuting in 1993. Klemm played for the Patriots 2000-04. Tippett and Brown attended Vrabel's unveiling as head coach.
* Vrabel made the first of his 12 career touchdown receptions (10 regular season, two in the Super Bowl) on Sept. 29, 2002, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. It was a 1-yard toss from Tom Brady. But Vrabel wasn't in much of a mood to talk about the catch after the game, and for one simple reason: Chargers 21, Patriots 14. It was New England's first loss of the '02 season.
Can we assume the footballs from those 12 touchdown receptions (which included two with the Kansas City Chiefs) are now displayed prominently in Vrabel's man cave?
"I don't know where they all are," Vrabel said. "They're probably in storage somewhere. But I still have them. The kids used to play with them out back."
* In the words of Cyd Ziegler of outsports.com, the Patriots' hiring of Vrabel "should be good news for gay fans of the team."
According to Ziegler, Vrabel spoke out in support of Ryan O'Callaghan when the former NFL offensive lineman came publicly out as gay in 2017. Vrabel and O'Callaghan were teammates on the Patriots (06-07) and Kansas City Chiefs (2009-10).
Callaghan wrote a memoir of his life and coming-out experience, co-authored with Ziegler, titled "My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life." Here's Callaghan on Vrabel: "One of the first calls I get that morning is from Mike Vrabel. All those years later he still has my number in his phone. He just wants to reach out and tell me that he's proud of me and totally supports me."