The New England Patriots brought in Mike Vrabel to be the franchise’s new head coach to restore some of the culture that has been missing from the franchise since the departure of Tom Brady.
Unfortunately, Thursday was not a day in which any meaningful culture was established, going by some reports from a Pats insider on how a joint practice session with the Minnesota Vikings went.
“J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings top offense carved up the #Patriots defense late in a red zone period. Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones and Craig Woodson (2) allowed TDs. Davis seemed to get flagged for a hold on his TD. The last TD led to a scuffle between Pats DL and Vikings OL,” Patriots columnist Andrew Callahan reported initially.
Then things got worse.
“The #Patriots defense is getting shredded today. J.J. McCarthy is 14/16 with 5 TDs and 2 sacks in 11-on-11 periods covering the tight red zone and full-field drills.”
That wasn’t Callahan’s last report either.
“Bad to worse. McCarthy throws a 12-yard TD with 0:06 left in a 1-minute drill. He went 2/3 with 2 scrambles and the help of a defensive penalty to cover 45 yards. Harold Landry came close to a sack, but the officiating crew on-hand ruled he got the pass off on an incompletion.”
Fans reacted to Callahan’s reports on social media.
“Don’t feel bad Pats fans, this happens a lot with our opponents!” one Vikings fan posted on Twitter.
“This team still stinks,” one Patriots fan added.
Hopefully, Vrabel can use this as a learning moment for the defense.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.