That's a strong statement from first-year New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel -- especially since he helped earn three of them as a player. But Vrabel isn't relying on the past to chart the team's future.
"None of that is going to help us right now," Vrabel said on this week's episode of "The Triple Option". "But it's a blueprint for success -- how hard you have to work, what you have to do, and the sacrifices you have to make."
Vrabel takes the reins of his former team following a 4-13 season that led to the firing of Jerod Mayo after just one year. Like Vrabel, Mayo is a former Patriot tasked with stepping into the massive shoes of legendary coach Bill Belichick.
"It's not about what it was," Vrabel explained. "It's about how we recreate that. I've always been searching for that. And I think you start by investing in people. If the players are willing to do it -- great. And if they're not, then that's where I have to step in, do my job, hold people accountable, and put them in the right places. Hopefully, if you get enough of those players, and they compete and embrace that mindset, you can build something."
For Vrabel, success begins in the locker room -- but that's becoming more difficult as the college game evolves.
"We're getting a different kind of player," he said. "I think players should be paid and compensated. But the ability for them to move on whenever they want is starting to take the team aspect away. And that's okay. We'll figure it out. But we've got to determine what behaviors we can actually influence once they get to the league -- because the team is critical in this game."
So, what does success look like in Foxborough?
"In April and May, success means the players believe -- in what we're doing, in the departments helping them, in the coaching, in the workouts, in the message," Vrabel said. "They believe in what we're teaching them. To me, that's the most important thing."