Patriots safety Kevin Byard, who joined the team earlier this year, has been reunited with coach Mike Vrabel. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Byard said he sees no differences between the Vrabel who worked with Byard in Tennessee and the Vrabel who is moving forward amid a controversy that continues to generate periodic developments.
“[He’s] the same old guy, honestly,” Byard said, via Karen Guregian of MassLive.com. “He’s the same guy that I recognize from being back in Tennessee, a guy that’s full of energy, coaching the entire team, running back and forth from offense, defense, special teams. I don’t see a difference whatsoever.”
On Tuesday, Byard said Vrabel got involved in punt drills.
“He’s the loudest voice on the field,” Byard said. “Just coaching the guys, making sure guys technique is good, but at the same time, praising them when they do very well. . . . It’s definitely the same guy I recognize from Tennessee.”
Receiver Romeo Doubs, who hasn’t previously played for Vrabel, is equally impressed.
“I love him,” Doubs said. “Very energetic dude. A player’s coach, because I know at some point in his career, he’s played some really solid football here.
“It’s rare when you get a head coach who obviously was a player in this league, and worked his way through the ropes to be a really solid head coach. . . . I’m just very blessed and fortunate to be around him.”
For Vrabel and the Patriots, the best outcome is for everything unrelated to football to calm down. As of three weeks ago, the situation reached a tipping point that impacted the team, given that Vrabel missed the third day of the draft. If the drip-drip of photo and video drops from TMZ and the New York Post slows to a trickle, and if the other party to the situation doesn’t do a sit-down with Oprah (or whoever), there’s a chance this will all be fading away by the time Week 1 rolls around.
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