FOXBORO — When it comes to training camp fights, Mike Vrabel wants his players to do as he says, not as he did.
Before the Patriots took the field for their first padded practice of the new season, Vrabel was asked to recall his first day in full pads as a Steelers rookie in 1997, during which he got into it with a Pittsburgh tight end.
The scrap itself wasn’t especially memorable, Vrabel said, but the reaction to it was. His intensity earned him the respect of All-Pro linebacker Greg Lloyd, who’d completely ignored the third-round draft pick up to that point.
“It’s a good story about, don’t use the fight, but about a veteran player,” Vrabel said. “Greg Lloyd was a very dominant player, imposing figure. I got drafted in April, and he didn’t say a word to me through OTAs. I’m on the defense, mind you. He didn’t say a word to me the entire offseason. We go to training camp. There’s a fight with me and a tight end. I’m exhausted after practice, and I see this shadow come over me as I’m sitting in the locker room.
“He’s in his deep voice, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, the next time you want to come up underneath the face mask.’ And I was like, ‘You just now are going to talk to me?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you weren’t like a punk, and then I would talk to you.’ So, it’s a good example of just a veteran making sure that rookies kind of earn their stripes, I guess, a little bit.”
Vrabel made clear, though, that he did not want any of his players following his lead.
“We want to be able to practice the same way we have to play, which is physical and within the rules,” the Patriots head coach said. “Have a great play demeanor, finish through the whistle and all those things. If you throw a punch, you’re going to get kicked out of the game, which is going to cost the team. So, I don’t anticipate any of that. I want us to celebrate with our team and the defensive unit, celebrate with each other. Offensive unit, get excited and celebrate with each other. Not get into the taunting and the things that we can’t have during the game.”
New England’s players mostly abided by those rules Monday. Though a brief post-whistle scuffle broke out between rookie cornerback Kobee Minor and rookie receiver Jeremiah Webb after one 11-on-11 rep, no legitimate fighting occurred, and no players were ejected from practice.
A tougher test of the “no fighting” policy will come next week when the Washington Commanders visit Gillette Stadium, as joint practices are the most popular setting for training camp brawls.
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