EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Soon after Mike Vrabel was hired as head coach of the New England Patriots earlier this year, his counterpart with the Minnesota Vikings, Kevin O'Connell, called with a invitation.
Joint practice, our place. Just like we did it before.
Two years after Vrabel brought the Tennessee Titans to Minnesota for some valuable training camp work against another team, he took the Patriots this week for two days of drills against the Vikings in advance of their preseason game.
“There’s a reason why the Patriots are here: It starts with their head football coach and their organization itself,” said O'Connell, who's starting his fourth year in Minnesota. “I've got so much respect for Vrabes and our relationship over the years.”
O'Connell was a rookie backup quarterback with the Patriots in 2008, the last of eight seasons Vrabel played outside linebacker for them. Vrabel, a 14-year NFL veteran, coached the Titans for six seasons and spent 2024 as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns.
Asked about his impression of O'Connell as a player, Vrabel was ready with a quip before the teams took the field on Wednesday afternoon.
“He wasn't as good as Tom Brady,” he said, with a deadpan expression.
Catching up with old friends
Vrabel and O'Connell were far from the only connections between the two teams. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores spent 15 years with the Patriots organization in various roles. Stefon Diggs is the highest-profile Patriots player who previously was with the Vikings, but that list also includes backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs and center Garrett Bradbury.
Bradbury, like his former head coach O'Connell, mentioned the word “relationships” when assessing his return to a facility where he trained for six seasons after being drafted in the first round in 2019 out of North Carolina State.
“On one hand, it feels like I never left. On the other hand, I’ve got another jersey on and some new teammates,” Bradbury said. “A lot of people here mean a lot to me and helped me the last six years, so it’s good to see everyone again.”
Bradbury was released with one season left on his contract, part of Minnesota's push to revamp the interior of the offensive line after it was overwhelmed in the wild card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams that left O'Connell's playoff record at 0-2. He didn't want to leave, but he's found invigoration in his new surroundings.
“I think it should be mandatory that everyone play for at least two organizations because you get to re-prove yourself, reinvent yourself,” Bradbury said, recounting advice he received from a former player after he was let go. “You get to meet a lot of people, make awesome friends and see different ways of doing things.”
No punches, no problems
NFL coaches have grown to much prefer the controlled setting of joint practices over exhibition games during which to test their players against different opponents. When the Patriots hosted the Washington Commanders last week, a couple of fights occurred — and Vrabel even jumped into one scrum to try to break it up before emerging with a bloodied nose.
The Patriots and Vikings had no such trouble, perhaps a sign of the respect between the two organizations. Because he felt the energy level was lacking, Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins said later, the eighth-year journeyman decided to punt the ball into the bleachers after a long touchdown pass from Drake Maye.
Maye had plenty of pressure in full-team drills that likely would've resulted in sacks during games, but with no tackling allowed he was able to let several deep passes rip down the field that hit their intended targets. Former Vikings wide receiver Diggs caught one of them at the sideline with Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. in coverage. Another one of the highlights went to rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson on a well-designed wheel route that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels might well like to dial up again this season.
“It’s hard to catch him when he’s in the open field,” Maye said.
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Dave Campbell, The Associated Press
