Copyright Boston.com
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots still have a long way to go this season when it comes to validating their burgeoning status as a true contender in the AFC. But Mike Vrabel isn’t looking at factors like the team’s 7-2 record as a primary example of the buy-in he’s seen from his players. On Wednesday, when discussing the impact that a veteran like Stefon Diggs has provided in the locker room, New England’s head coach shared an interesting tidbit about what went on at the team’s facility at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday. “I mean, again, 41 guys lifted yesterday on a day off, came into the building, lifted, which I thought is a really positive thing at this time of the year,” Vrabel said. “And we’ll talk to them about the season’s really just getting started right now.” While players are in on Monday after games for both film review and treatment, Tuesday represents the only true “off day” of the week for players during the grind of an NFL season. Wednesday, Thursday, and Fridays are often used as practice days, while Saturday features either a walkthrough or a travel day if the Patriots are on the road. As such, it stood as a positive sign for Vrabel and his staff that a majority of the roster was still in the building on Tuesday to put in some work away from the gridiron. “It’s just the direction that we’re going at the middle of the season. And I think, more importantly, the season just kind of started,” Diggs said. “Obviously that first halfway point throughout the season — guys kind of figure out what kind of team you are, what kind of team you want to be, where you measure the things you’ve been doing well. “So [we’re] trying to figure out that identity at this point. And I feel like we know who we are. We know where we want to go, what it’s going to take to get there. So guys coming in on their off day, putting that time in? I’m not surprised.” Even if New England has clearly exceeded expectations through the first nine weeks of the 2025 season, Diggs believes that the Patriots’ locker room isn’t getting complacent as they continue to stack up wins going into the second half of the year. “Those [41] guys coming in on an off day how you that they’ve got a lot to prove … We’re still building,” Diggs said. “I feel like — don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Don’t get too comfortable. I mean, records are gonna be records. “This [expletive] could go to [expletive] any day now and then and we’ll be talking about a whole [new] conversation at the end of the year. So I don’t think anybody’s focused on our record. More so focused on the next game and playing well. That’s gonna be key.”
