Mike Vrabel Sent Stern Message To Patriots After Winning AFC Title
Mike Vrabel won’t let the New England Patriots rejoice over their AFC Championship Game victory too long.
New England advanced to Super Bowl LX with a gutsy 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos. Vrabel quickly made sure the players were ready to get back to work on Monday morning.
Patriots defensive tackle Milton Williams relayed a warning Vrabel issued the team after Sunday’s victory, per Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports.
“No curfew tonight,” Williams said Vrabel told them. “But the bus leaving at 8 in the morning. So if you ain’t on it, you ain’t playing in the (Super) Bowl.”
Williams confirmed that he was serious about Vrabel saying that.
“Oh yeah,” Williams said. “I ain’t playing.”
The Patriots have plenty to celebrate after Sunday’s momentous win at Denver. In just one season, Vrabel transformed a 4-13 last-place squad into a 14-3 division champion that will play for the seventh Super Bowl title in franchise history.
New England jumped from No. 22 to No. 4 in scoring defense after adding Williams to a revived unit. The former third-round pick tallied 3.5 sacks in 12 regular-season games and spearheaded a ferocious run defense that’s yielded 71.3 yards per game this postseason.
Williams will know better than most Patriots how the next two weeks will unfold, as he won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles last year. However, an overwhelming majority of his teammates have never played on the grand stage.
Luckily for them, Vrabel played in four Super Bowls as a Patriots linebacker. He’ll make sure they’re prepared to compete for a Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, Feb. 8, at Levi’s Stadium.