FOXBOROUGH - As Patriots first-year players and some fringe roster holdovers from a year ago were put through their paces at rookie mini-camp on Saturday, there was a loud voice heard on the upper grass practice field. There was no mistaking that voice, nor the energy behind it.
Mike Vrabel was, on this day, exactly the same guy we saw last spring and summer. During team stretch, he suited up his right-hand man, John Streicher, with a blocking pad, making sure it fit just right. Later, he was on the scout team, playing linebacker opposite 7th-round pick quarterback Behren Morton. A short time after, the 50-year-old was hands-on with linebacker Namdi Obiazor as he and several of his teammates worked on punt protection.
Different year. Drastically different circumstances based on the last month or so, but at least with the newcomers, it was the Mike Vrabel you remember.
“It's great,” tackle Dametrious Crownover said of the head coach’s involvement. “He's a great guy, and I've learned a lot from him already, just from being here the last two days.”
What was that, exactly?