Much of what Vrabel has done is counterintuitive. At the Patriots’ opening offseason workout in New England, he startled the players when one of the the first things he asked them to do was the “victory formation,” the kneel-down play to run out the clock when a game is won. It’s a routine action that doesn’t require much except snapping the ball, and it’s usually among the last things a team practices. Vrabel’s message: We intend to run this play a lot. He did not temper expectations. Most coaches who take over a 4–13 operation would buy themselves some time. Instead, Vrabel talked about winning the division and said, “I want to galvanize our football team. I want to galvanize this building.”