Former Mike Vrabel All-Pro defender admittedly jealous of Patriots

Tennessee Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is admittedly jealous that his former head coach, Mike Vrabel, took the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first year with the team.

In one year under Vrabel, the Patriots went from a walking disaster as a 4-13 team to a championship contender that tied for an NFL-best 14-3 record. Simmons didn't doubt that Vrabel could create much-needed change for the struggling Patriots, but he didn't expect the team to make such a massive turnaround so quickly.

“Was I surprised? I mean, I think we all would be surprised, this guy's first year in New England and they go straight to the Super Bowl," Simmons said, when appearing on The Set with Terron Armstead. "First off, I’m jealous as hell. Like what? I was just with you for four years, and you couldn’t get me to the Super Bowl? But nah man, I could literally call Vrabel right now, and he’d answer the phone.

"...I think that’s the biggest thing with Vrabel. I can feel it's the same with [Titans coach Robert] Saleh, when you can build a relationship with your players off the football field, and not just when you touch the football field, they’re gonna play as hard as they can for you.”

The Patriots looked like a completely different team under Vrabel's leadership. He's a hard-nosed coach and a player's coach rolled into one man.

That kind of coaching did wonders for the Patriots, like it once did for Simmons and the Titans. The team is positioned to be even better in 2026 with quarterback Drake Maye entering his third year. There are a slew of new faces on the roster, including standout wide receivers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs.

The one constant has been Vrabel, who will be looking to get the Patriots back to the Super Bowl and leave with a different ending.

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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Former Mike Vrabel All-Pro defender admittedly jealous of Patriots