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The EPL on Sport NationUS View: The secret to the Patriots’ rebuild to another Super Bowl
Nicholas Quinlan • February 7th, 2026 2:50 pm
After a 20-season partnership between two legends of American football in Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, ended in 2020, many thought it would be a while before success came back to the New England Patriots.
Having delivered six Super Bowl titles to Foxborough throughout their tenure, it would be a tough act to follow for anyone to get anywhere near their achievements.
But it appears nobody told Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel that.
The second-year quarterback and the coach in his first year of tenure at the franchise have taken the Patriots from a 4-13 side in 2024 (the fifth-worst record in the league) to a 14-3 record, which saw them land the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
From there, they’ve managed to navigate their way through the playoffs, which included a win on the road against the No. 1-seeded Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship to book their spot in the franchise’s 12th Super Bowl, but the first without Belichick or Brady since 1986.
Their rise through the ranks to once again return to American Football’s biggest day has been quite remarkable.
And according to the Boston Globe’s Christopher Price, who has written on the side for the last 25 years, he believes that the new coach has a lot to do with the turnaround.
“A lot of it goes back to Vrabel, in his ability to get everyone to collectively buy in to show a level of…and this is a phrase I haven’t heard a lot in NFL locker rooms but I’ve heard it in New England a couple of times this year, (and that’s) empathy,” he said on SEN’s Whateley.
“His ability to connect with a lot of the guys there is more about human-to-human contact than it is player to coach or coach to player.
“The other thing, too, and we kind of dismiss a lot of the things that NFL coaches have to do as performative. Whether it's talking from the podium or exorting his team…all of that stuff, Vrabel gets it.
“And Vrabel understands that’s part of the job. Like the post-game videos that the Patriots put out of him, celebrating with the guys in the locker room and throwing off quips at the podium.
“He understands that in a way that not a lot of other coaches do.
“So, when you talk about the reason for the turnaround, the reason for the success and really in a lot of ways the reason for the return to the Super Bowl, you can talk about the players, you can talk about Drake Maye, you can talk about Milton Williams (defensive tackle).
“So, when you talk about the reason for the turnaround, the reason for the success and really in a lot of ways the reason for the return to the Super Bowl, you can talk about the players, you can talk about Drake Maye, you can talk about Milton Williams (defensive tackle).
“But for my money, it comes down to Vrabel.”
If the Pats can get the job done against the Seahawks in San Francisco, they will have won seven Super Bowls – the most of any NFL side in the Super Bowl era.
And SEN will have you covered with Gerard Whateley calling the big game live from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, from 9am AEDT on Monday, February 9, on our radio network and on the SEN app.
You can also follow the action with SEN.com.au’s live blog, which will be running throughout the match.
