Most days during Patriots practice, Mike Vrabel will walk up and down the sideline and pass all of his players without saying a word, wearing the meanest mug he can conjure. Then, very predictably, he’ll stop in front of one particular person (mostly rookie left tackle Will Campbell) and say, “Hey, back it up.” Campbell, or whomever Vrabel has decided to prey on that day, has a chance to respond, resigned to the fact that actually backing up will elicit a quip about a lack of fortitude, while not backing up allows Vrabel will puff out his chest and go faux authoritarian, chiding Campbell for his insolence.
This is just one of a (literal) thousand stories uttered during Super Bowl week about Vrabel’s dark sense of humor, which is almost constantly on display. So too, apparently, are stories of his love, concern, chivalry, physical toughness and schematic acumen. When taken all together, it paints the picture of someone who very much deserves—and won—the NFL’s Coach of the Year award.
