Tom Brady and Brady Belichick have moved on. Maye and Vrabel have shown that the future is here.<\/b>
\nTom Brady and Brady Belichick have moved on. Maye and Vrabel have shown that the future is here.
Drake Maye bumped heads with Will Campbell after lining up in victory formation to close out the Patriots\u2019 10-7 win in the AFC title game.
\u201cThat was probably the hardest head bump of my life out there after I picked up the first down,\u201d Maye said. \u201cThat was special for those guys, we\u2019ve been in that scenario a lot. I always say that\u2019s my favorite play.\u201d
Maye called his own number to get the first down that allowed the Patriots to run out the clock. He faked like he was going to hand the ball off to Rhamondre Stevenson, but wound up keeping it himself, beating Broncos linebacker Jonah Elliss to the first-down marker.
From there, the Patriots whittled the clock down until they were able to line up in victory formation and secure New England\u2019s first road playoff victory in Denver.
Even Tom Brady was 0-3 against the Broncos on the road in the playoffs.
But, now, the future is here. Bill Belichick is no longer coaching in the NFL and Brady is broadcasting games instead of playing in them. The Patriots have a new head coach\/quarterback duo leading them into the Super Bowl.
\u201cIt\u2019s a new team, it\u2019s a new era,\u201d Maye said. \u201cI respect and appreciate what the Patriots dynasty did, and unfortunately they didn\u2019t come out with some wins here, but we changed that narrative and look forward to bringing our best football for [the Super Bowl].\u201d
The Patriots weren\u2019t supposed to be here this quickly. They won 16 games total over the past three seasons before this one. Sunday marked New England\u2019s 17th win of the season.
That\u2019s the thing about sports. Playoff runs aren\u2019t made on paper. You have to show up, prepare, and see how things play out no matter what the odds or the past history looks like.
\u201cI think that\u2019s why you have to do this,\u201d Vrabel said. \u201cYou have to believe things, sometimes, before you can see them. You have to believe that what you\u2019re doing is the right thing, and if it\u2019s not you have to recognize it and make adjustments and changes to the program and everything else.\u201d
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a great group of guys and they continued to believe in the things we did. They formed and created an identity and they tried to protect it. [Sunday] was just another example of \u2013 as things kind of change and unfold, our ability to change and adjust.\u201d
Receiver Stefon Diggs praised the culture that Vrabel has built. The Patriots lost two of their first three games this season, but the coach kept pushing. The Patriots took on being road warriors as part of their idenetity, going 9-0 on the road including Sunday\u2019s AFC championship win in Denver. They\u2019re riding a six-game win streak into the Super Bowl.
\u201cIt was easy to count us out and put us in that spot,\u201d Diggs said. \u201cNobody believed in us, let alone liked us for any matter. Our coach believed in us and helped us built this identity that he speaks of. He held everybody to the same standard, something that I\u2019m super thankful for, and I realize that it starts at the head.\u201d
\u201cWhen you hold everybody to the same standard and the same requirements each and every day, you hold you teammates accountable. You start looking at your teammates like -self-policing, self-accountability and you don\u2019t want to let your teammates down. So, the camraderie and the team chemistry that he\u2019s built from the head coaching position is second to none. Hopefully he wins coach of the year.\u201d
This group is ready for Santa Clara. They\u2019ll face the Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX. Defensive end K\u2019Lavon Chaisson said this moment was destined.
\u201cSan Fran been calling us since the start of it,\u201d Chaisson told WMUR while walking off the field. \u201cEverybody\u2019s been hating on us, everybody\u2019s been talking about some schedule, a whole bunch of rah-rah stuff. We stayed playing, we stayed focus and we got to it.\u201d
There are plenty of things to clean up, and the Patriots need more offensive production in order to end this season as champions. But, the stage is set and they\u2019ve been called back for a starring role in this Super Bowl led by a new cast of characters.
\u201cWe had some time and we had our chances to score,\u201d Maye said. \u201cI think we\u2019ve got to help our defense out more, but hey, it is what it is and man, it\u2019s awesome going to the Super Bowl, so I can\u2019t complain.\u201d<\/p>\n