FOXBOROUGH, Mass - It was Mike Vrabel who gave Tony Dews his first opportunity as an assistant coach in the NFL.
Dews came into the league in 2018, which was Vrabel's first year as head coach of the Titans, serving as Tennessee's running backs coach. So, there is nobody who has been able to witness what Vrabel is capable of in this position more than Dews.
And there was one specific story he recalled that truly showed the type of man Vrabel is.
"He's just been, as a person, you can go talk to him about anything, about life. he's always asking about our families our kids," Dews explained. "There was a time when my daughter was in ninth grade in Tennessee and we're in the gym. She played basketball, and my wife and I are sitting and here comes Mike and his wife, and Frank (Piraino) and his wife, and they're just stopping down to watch a ninth grade girls basketball game.
"So that meant a lot to me. A lot of people talk about family and caring about people, but the head coach of the Tennessee Titans showed up in a ninth grade girls basketball game."
When Vrabel said that he cared about each and every person on staff with the Titans, he truly meant it. And Dews admitted that he was able to learn a lot from Vrabel, but specifically "how to treat people, both as coaches, support staff, people around the building, whether it's in the kitchen, people that clean the building, he treats everybody the same way."
So, that made the decision easy for Dews to take the job under Vrabel with the Patriots.
"Just watching him interest with the players. He has a relationship with everybody and it's genuine," Dews added. "So I'm excited about it. You know what you're getting every day. He's always excited. He's always got energy and juice."
The connections a coach makes with his players off the field is what helps a team truly come together and be successful. So, when that transitions onto the field as well, it's going to be a fun time in New England.
