Few NFL head coaches are more hands-on at practice than Mike Vrabel, the new head coach of the New England Patriots who’s more likely to put his hand in the grass and demonstrate a rep than he is to stand back, twirl a whistle and bark out orders.
Milton Williams, the Patriots’ new $104 million franchise defensive tackle, is learning to appreciate his new coach’s style.
In a recent session with the local media during offseason workouts, Williams detailed a situation where Vrabel called him out in front of the team for dogging it during some conditioning sprints. Williams wasn’t finishing his sprints at full-speed, and Vrabel let him hear it, warning him: “Don’t let them catch you.”
“He wants me to go fast and empty the tank every rep," Williams said, via Boston.com. "I like that. I don't think I'm bigger than the next person. I don't mind him calling me out. Calling me out is going to help the other guys. We have no excuses."
Williams is stepping into a whole new world in New England as one of the highest-paid players in franchise history. While the former third-round pick developed into a game-wrecker for the Philadelphia Eagles during their 2024 Super Bowl run, Williams was far down Philly’s list of veteran leaders with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata and others setting the standard.
The 26-year-old Williams is now one of those guys for the Patriots, and it’s clear Vrabel got his attention.
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