FOXBOROUGH, Mass - For Harold Landry, there was one clear reason that the outside linebacker decided to sign with the New England Patriots after being released by the Tennessee Titans at the beginning of March.
And that was his former head coach.
“He’s meant a lot. He’s played a big role in my development as a player, and also in person. And I was excited to come back because he knows my skill set,” Landry said about Mike Vrabel on Tuesday. “He knows how I operate, and I think. Throughout my career, he and his staff have done a great job of putting me in positions to go out and be productive and help the team, and that’s what I’m looking forward to."
Vrabel was named the head coach of the Patriots in January following New England's struggling 2024 campaign where they finished with only four wins. And it's clear that he has made an effort to sign some of the players he worked with in Tennessee.
"That was one of the main reasons I came because I knew Vrabes and his staff knew me, the familiarity with the scheme and all of it," Landry told reporters. "It just fits with what I do with my skill set.”
"This was definitely a place I wanted to be,"he added. “I was getting excited about the staff he was putting together, and I just felt like this was the right place for me. I’m excited to be here.”
Plus, Landry also can give players an insight into Vrabel's coaching style.
“Just upbeat. He wants everybody to be excited when we come to work," Landry explained. "He’s big on that. He’s big on the energy. That’s just who he is.”
Vrabel's experience as a player has also made him relatable to each and every person in the locker room.
“Everybody looks at him as this head coach, but he really just one of the boys, a locker room guy," Landry said. "And I really mean that. He wants to get to know you, know about your family and everything that goes along with being in a relationship with you.”
