The culture in New England has shifted, and the man behind it all is New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

The man who once aided in the early days of the franchise’s dynasty as a player is now the architect of whatever the future may hold for them. In doing so, it’s been the little gestures that go a long way that have his squad in sync and ready to win for him every week.

The Patriots have had a coaching problem over the last five years. The back end of the Belichick era is not notable. Only one winning season, confusion at the coordinator spot, and there was no quarterback at the helm to live up to the standards set out by the coach. The Jerod Mayo era was brief and easily forgettable despite many seeing the skills of Drake Maye in his rookie season and feeling a dose of foggy optimism.

Vrabel’s arrival showed both discipline and care for his players. Clips of him on the sidelines patting Maye on the back, even after a mistake, are a far cry from former Patriots OC Bill O’Brien yelling at Mac Jones after a bad read in 2023.

In recent weeks, Boston sports media have caught Vrabel greeting his players in front of the locker room after the game. That indeed did not change after this week’s 28-23 win over the high-powered Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Vrabel does not seem to miss a player as they head to the locker room. Slapping hands with Stefon Diggs and Hunter Henry and smiling ear to ear at the arrival of Drake Maye.

There is a case to be made that Maye and Vrabel are, as of right now, the best QB/HC duo in the league. Maye proved his admiration for his head coach when cameras caught the moment that Maye gave his head coach the game ball after a dominant win last month against the Tennessee Titans, the team Vrabel used to coach.

With the success of the Patriots in ten weeks, one can only wonder what will be said about them when the season is done. Will they be Super Bowl champs? AFC champs? Division champs? First Round Exits? Tank from here on out and lose out on the playoffs? Pats fans are taking this one thing at a time.

One thing needs to be said about Vrabel and his post-game tradition with his team after a win. And it’s that he’s won Coach of the Year before — what’s stopping him from winning it again?