NFL players get high and low in the playoffs. How does New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel help his players?
Mike Vrabel won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, the franchise he's now coaching.
NFL players get high and low in the playoffs emotionally, so Vrabel is the perfect guy to go for advice since he's seen it all.
However, Vrabel told reporters that he doesn't manage his players' emotions.
"Not much to manage," Vrabel said. "I want them to be as emotional as they can and find some joy in playing, competing and practicing. Not doing anything – making great decisions after the whistle. I mean, I know it's going to be a hotly contested battle. That's what NFL football is about. It's about doing it each and every snap and then coming back to the huddle.
"So, if I have to manage emotions, it'll be to hopefully calm them down during the game and go from there. But I want everybody to have their own emotion and be ready for the game however they see fit."
The Patriots face the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round of the 2026 NFL playoffs at home. New England is a Super Bowl contender for the first time in the post-Tom Brady era.
If the Patriots beat the Texans, they will be in the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2018 season.
"Well, you only get so many opportunities to be in this position," Vrabel said. "I talked about being in the AFC Championship game as a rookie in 1997 and not going back there in my time in Pittsburgh for the next three years – we didn't make the playoffs.
"So, things change quickly. Every season is unique and we should embrace the one we have, especially since a lot of us weren't involved in this a year ago."
The Texans have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Many pundits believe the Patriots have to play "perfect" on offense to beat Houston, but Vrabel isn't subscribing to that theory.
"No, I mean, we want to try to be as precise as possible," Vrabel said. "We even talked one time about being perfect since I've been here. We're aiming for success and not perfection. Nobody's going to be perfect. We're going to need to be precise. We know how critical taking care of the football is in every game, especially against a team that's plus-16 in the turnover margin. But I've never once said that we have to be perfect at anything."