Mike Vrabel Had Bold Line About Bill Belichick in First Patriots Press Conference

A hopeful era began for the New England Patriots on Monday as they introduced Mike Vrabel as the new head coach of the franchise.

Vrabel reunites with his former NFL team after more than a decade, taking over the helm of the organization for which he played eight years from 2001 to ‘08. During the presser, the 49-year-old coach shared his simple goals for the Patriots: win the AFC East, host home playoff games and above all, compete for championships—nothing out of the ordinary for a newly hired NFL head coach’s opening words to the team’s media and fanbase.

Fully aware of the revered history steeped within the Patriots organization, however, Vrabel made sure to hammer home a unique point that had to do with the “Bills” of New England lore.

“I'm not Bill [Belichick]. I'm not Bill Cowher. I'm not anyone but me,” Vrabel told reporters.

Vrabel then gave a thoughtful response to a question about the significance of following in Belichick’s footsteps as coach of the Patriots.

“Let’s just be real for a minute and just say: Having played for him and having competed against him and then also having the friendship with Bill along the way, I think it is special to me that we play here knowing Bill,” Vrabel said. “But again we have to focus on things that help us win now, help our players and like I said galvanize the team.

“There are things that are interesting and things that are important. I think me having played for Bill is interesting, I just don’t know that it’s important.”

Vrabel replaced Jerod Mayo, who was fired after just one season with the Patriots. Hopefully, the veteran head coach will last long enough to create his own special legacy in Foxborough.