SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As the New England Patriots continued to rack up wins late in the regular season, coach Mike Vrabel shied away from mentioning the idea of a Super Bowl run when he spoke to his players after games.
Still, there were hints of where he felt this team could go.
“We’ve got to keep going because they keep getting bigger and bigger. They get bigger and bigger,” he reminded the Patriots after victories late in the season.
Now those words have manifested themselves into a chance for the first New England team coached by Vrabel — a former Patriots linebacker — to win the franchise’s record-breaking seventh Lombardi Trophy. The AFC champion Patriots (17-3) will meet the NFC-best Seattle Seahawks (16-3) in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday (6:30 p.m. Eastern on NBC and Peacock).
While the players have certainly been the engine — a fact their coach has pointed out virtually every time he’s been asked about the team’s success — what can’t be discounted is the leadership of Vrabel, who during his playing days was part of half of New England’s Super Bowl titles to date.