New England Patriots Introduced as Individuals and Not As a Team

If you missed last weekend's New England Patriots game, you not only missed another solid win by the Pats, but you missed probably one of the most significant pre-game events since the start of the Bill Belichick era.

Patriots fans are breathing a sigh of relief – albeit cautiously – these days, as it appears the return to the bad old days (before the dynasty days) is finally over, and there may be life after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick after all.

It seems the days of placeholder head coaches and quarterbacks are over, and head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye want to and know how to win.

The Patriots are 6-2 on the season, having won five straight games after a shaky start to the season. Maye is already eyeballing the Brady record book in just his second season as a starting QB.

What's for Pats fans not to like?

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One of the least talked about changes is how the team was introduced before last week's game against the visiting Cleveland Browns. I thought I was watching a playoff game for a moment. Vrabel recognized his players as individuals rather than as a team unit.

You recall that during the Belichick years, the entire team would take the field down the sidelines together as a unit. There were no individuals.

On Sunday, Vrabel had the offensive starters introduced individually as they ran to the center of the field.

New team. New era. New approach.

Boston.com quoted Vrabel, "Just feel like these guys put a lot into it and would like to recognize them individually."

"Hopefully, our fans can embrace that and get excited for them," he said. "It's something that I felt like we wanted to do, create some energy early, and get them to recognize the players' efforts, and allow these fans to support us, which they did."

Another nice touch is how Vrabel waits in the tunnel after the game to hug, high-five, and congratulate each player as he leaves the field.

This team seems to have a magical feel to it all of a sudden. Is it only me, or does Vrabel seem to be having fun too?