Winners of 11 consecutive division titles from 2009-2019, the New England Patriots have spiraled to back-to-back last-place finishes in the AFC East. The Pats have been to one playoff game in the past five seasons and haven't won a postseason tilt since 2018.
Last year's dud, an uninspiring 4-13 performance, cost coach Jerod Mayo his job after just one season. In steps Mike Vrabel, a three-time Super Bowl champion as a player, to turn things around.
The no-nonsense coach expressed his thoughts on last year's dismal season in the first episode of "Forged in Foxborough," produced by the team.
"Why the f--- would I care about what happened last year?" Vrabel said. "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."
The Patriots overhauled the roster this offseason, shelling out bucks to upgrade a laboring defense and bringing in necessary improvements on offense. New England outbid everyone for defensive lineman Milton Williams, signed physical corner Carlton Davis and added veterans Harold Landry and Robert Spillane on D. The Pats signed Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury to upgrade the offensive line and used their first-round pick on left tackle Will Campbell. They also took a flier on receiver Stefon Diggs on a team-friendly contract.
Massive overhauls like the one in New England aren't novel with a new coach. The starkness of the change underscores how decayed the roster had become under Bill Belichick and then Mayo.
Vrabel aims to flush that recent past and get Robert Kraft's club back to winning. The first step is getting out of the AFC cellar.
"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."
From 2001-2022, the Patriots hadn't finished last in the division a single time.
