FOXBOROUGH - There was a time when the Patriots had the AFC East on lockdown. They won 17 division titles from 2001 to 2019, including an 11-year streak from 2009 to 2019. But Life after Tom hasn't been kind, and the Pats haven't been in a position to clinch the division. Hell, they were more likely to be competing for the #1 draft pick, at least recently. But on Sunday, when the Bills are in town, this once-mighty franchise can continue to conjure up memories of the good old days. A win secures the division. So, will Mike Vrabel use hats and t-shirts as motivators?
"No. I don't use the hat and t-shirt," the head coach said bluntly. "Like, we're just trying to play for the championship that we have available this week. I think it's a great testament to our players that put us in this position to be able to do that. And again, that's not going to be easy. This is a very good football team (Buffalo). There's a reason that they've won this division five years in a row. A lot of respect for him. They're never out of it, never down. Or they may be down, and just like last week, it's a football team that understands that somebody's going to make a play, and then the quarterback is going to give him a chance to the very end."
We'll dig more into Josh Allen and what he's done and is capable of doing as the week goes on - he was otherworldly against the Bengals - but in the here and now, this Pats team has quite the opportunity in front of it, and it's one the players are looking forward to.
"Yeah, that's what you play for, right?" Austin Hooper said. "I mean, obviously, I got the opportunity to come back here again, so it feels a little different this time of year, being able to really compete for this division. If you're a competitive individual, this is exactly the situation you'd want to be in."
"Embrace it a lot," Marcus Jones said. "We're playing the guys that won the division and everything like that for, you know, a lot of years. So, being able to play this game and everything at home, we want to take advantage."
A week ago, when Vrabel was asked about what his message to the team would be heading into the bye, he said, "That we're not done. We're not satisfied. I think champions are never satisfied."
That one word, champions, drew a lot of attention, which led to a question on Monday about why he had used it. The answer was vintage Vrabel (and one I agree with):
"I think you're probably just reading too much into it," he said. "You guys got too much time since the last time we talked. I don't know. I apologize. I could call them something else, but then you guys would yell at me for using that language."
Me assail you for cursing? Never. Plus, several guys said it was good to hear, with Hooper summing it up best.
"It's cool, but at the end of the day, it's just a byproduct of work," he said. "It's just doing the boring stuff, the ordinary extraordinary. It sounds pretty cliche, but I mean, really, there's no secret to this thing. So it's awesome when your head coach is like, 'All right, this is the type of work we're putting in.' But that also comes with the price that you have to pay daily. So appreciate it, but it's like, we gotta go earn it today."
HELP ON THE WAY?
Coming off the bye, several players returned to do on-field work on Monday. The first practice report doesn't come until Wednesday, so we'll have a better idea about potential statuses then, and as the week progresses.
Both guard Jared Wilson and special teamer Brenden Schooler did individual drills with their teammates (we don't get to see much once the team transitions to regular-season rules). Wilson, who reportedly suffered a high-ankle sprain (left) on the opening drive in Cincinnati, sat out the Monday nighter against the Giants. Normal timetables are 4-to-6 weeks for such an injury, yet the team didn't put him on IR (as they did with Will Campbell).
Schooler also went down in the win over the Bengals. The Pats' special teams survived without him, including a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown. Cornerback Miles Battle filled in for Schooler, and the UDFA did a solid job, including a big block on the score.
Finally, Khyiris Tonga wasn't seen working with teammates; however, he was at practice and working off to the side. The affable big man hurt his chest - also vs. Cincinnati - and did not dress in week 13. With Milton Williams on IR for two more games (minimum), getting Tonga back for the Bills would be big, both literally and figuratively.
Meanwhile, neither RB Terrell Jennings (concussion) nor Harold Landry (age) was seen at the session. There was also a locker set up for guard Mekhi Butler. He was with the team during OTAs and training camp.