His first season with the New England Patriots will end with the first Super Bowl appearance of Stefon Diggs’ career, and the All-Pro wide receiver made a shock claim about who deserves the most credit.
Diggs didn’t hold back when he called head coach Mike Vrabel, “Probably the best coach I’ve ever had,” per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, after the Pats beat the Denver Broncos 10-7 on the road in the AFC Championship Game.
That’s a bold statement from a veteran who’s been around as many quality coaches and talented players as Diggs has during 11 seasons in the NFL. The lofty praise was spoken in a highly emotional moment, but Diggs was also giving voice to the awesome impact Vrabel has had since taking over last offseason.
Vrabel’s impact is now quantified by a piece of football history, after these Patriots became “the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl a year after losing 13+ games,” according to Patriots.com Staff Writer Evan Lazar.
It wasn’t pretty for the offense, but the Pats defense had three-straight dominant performances to make it to Super Bowl LX.
Even though Lazar correctly credited a dominant playoff defense for proving decisive in a snow-covered game at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, January 25, Diggs’ role in Vrabel’s instant rebuild can’t be understated.
Stefon Diggs Key to Patriots’ Rapid Revival
Diggs barely made a dent on the stat sheet in Denver, making five catches for only 17 yards — the weather didn’t allow for multiple pass attempts — but the 32-year-old still serves as a symbol for how the Patriots have returned to contention so quickly on Vrabel’s watch.
The latter didn’t waste time recruiting proven veterans to immediately upgrade a roster that had endured back-to-back 4-13 seasons. It marked a change in the narrative for the Patriots, who for a rare time spent big on defense, but still had enough free-agency dollars to also acquire Diggs.
Adding the four-time Pro Bowler instantly gave second-year quarterback Drake Maye a legitimate No. 1 receiver. The Diggs and Maye connection has since matured, with the wideout posting the seventh 1,000-yard season of his lengthy and prolific career.
Diggs’ confidence in Maye has reached the point where the former Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans playmaker expects his QB1 to make something happen whenever the Patriots are in trouble.
Patriots players also have a similar level of confidence in Vrabel. He’s building an aura of his own as a master tactician who can make the difference in big games.
Mike Vrabel Enhancing Formidable Reputation
That was the status afforded Vrabel’s former head coach Bill Belichick, who won Six Super Bowls in nine appearances with the Patriots. Vrabel won three of those titles as a player, and he’s attempting to follow suit as a coach with some unconventional strategies that may remind many of Belichick.
Vrabel hasn’t been shy about briefly recruiting, then quickly dumping former players of playoff opponents who are obvious sources of intel. He’s also shown an ability to find and maximize any possible advantage afforded by the league’s rules.
A good example was how Vrabel timed defensive substitutions late during the 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild-Card Round. Former NFL offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz suggested, “You just know Vrabel has figured out the best way to max out the time allowed for his defense to substitute on the field. Waits until the last second, has them go on at their own pace, and the guys on the field wait a couple ticks too and take their time.”
Trying to gain any little edges like this is becoming part of the Vrabel mystique. He already has senior players like Diggs believing their coach can be the X-factor who helps the Patriots win any game, maybe even the biggest of all in two weeks.
Stefon Diggs Makes Shock Mike Vrabel Claim After Patriots Reach Super Bowl