The New England Patriots were the team of the century. From 2001 to 2019, they were 232-72, won the AFC East 17 times, and won six Super Bowls.
Following the departure of franchise legend Tom Brady, the winning ways have dissipated, and New England has seen a string of losing seasons they haven't felt since the 90s.
That's why head coach Mike Vrabel was brought to right the ship.
Vrabel, a member of three of those early championship Patriots teams, is looking to bring the winning ways back to Foxborough, and it begins with turning the page on a disastrous 2024 season.
"Why the (expletive) would I care about what happened last year?" Vrabel said during the first episode of the Patriots' new docuseries, "Forged in Foxborough." "I'm worried about what's going to go right today and tomorrow and the next day. We're not worried about what went wrong. We're focused on what's going to go right."
Vrabel has a tall task ahead of him. New England was one of the worst teams in football last season. Going 4-13 and earning the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Led by first-time head coach Jerod Mayo, New England was near the bottom of the league in all major categories. 31st in total offensive yards, 29th in points per game, 32nd in sacks, and 28th in turnover differential.
It surprised close to no one that Mayo was let go after that first season, and Vrabel, the former coach of the Tennessee Titans, will look to bring the winning culture he established there to New England.
"We're building our own identity, OK?" Vrabel said. "…The overriding goal for the program that we're going to build is going to be to win the division."
