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The New England Patriots are about to play in their 12th Super Bowl in franchise history, but only a handful of players on this year’s roster have already experienced the “Big Game” during their careers.
Good thing they have a head coach who knows a thing or two about what it takes to win.
Mike Vrabel had a dream from his first year coaching his former team that he helped win three Super Bowls in the early 2000s. His leadership, along with that of the rest of his coaching staff, was crucial in turning a four-win team over the past two NFL seasons into a team worthy enough to reach the pinnacle of football again.
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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel celebrates after the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on January 25, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
So what exactly is the message that Vrabel has for the Patriots as they prepare for the Seattle Seahawks next week?
“We’re going to the Super Bowl to win the Super Bowl,” quarterback Tommy DeVito told PK Press Club Digital, while discussing his partnership with Progressive. “That’s it. We don’t just say, ‘Oh, we made it to the Super Bowl. Cool.’ No, we’re going there to win.”
Going from a four-win team just a year ago to AFC champion is a big step for any franchise, but it doesn’t shock anyone that Vrabel isn’t satisfied with this win. He wants to win everything, just like the rest of the team.
PATRIOTS COACH MIKE VRABEL REVEALS THE EXTREME SACRIFICE HE MADE TO HIS MALE ANATOMY TO WIN THE SUPER BOWL
Only five players – Carlton Davis III, Christian Elliss, Mack Hollins, Austin Hooper and Milton Williams – have had any Super Bowl experience in their careers. The rest of the Patriots team is hungry to reach their first rings, including DeVito.
“As much as everyone wants to be in this game, you want to be on the winning side. I’m sure, the other side isn’t much fun afterwards,” he said.
DeVito’s season began on the New York Giants roster, where he became a fan-favorite quarterback after having to step up in 2023 and 2024 due to Daniel Jones’ injuries. He joined the Patriots quarterback room after the Giants were crowded with the additions of rookie Jaxson Dart, Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
During his time in his home state of New Jersey — the Giants’ facility is in the same parking lot as MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford — DeVito understood the pedigree of a Super Bowl-winning franchise. But even though two of those Vince Lombardi trophies in the hallway were wins over the Patriots, there’s more hardware in Foxborough.
Tommy Devito of the New England Patriots warms up before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on November 9, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
And it wasn’t easy.
That word, “easy,” was thrown around about the Patriots’ run to this year’s Super Bowl. Yes, their regular season schedule was near the bottom of the league (30th), but their NFL playoff run was not. The Patriots have faced three of the league’s top five defenses, including their AFC Championship Game against the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos on the road.
DeVito admitted that the team inevitably sees the talk about how people believe the Patriots have had an easy path thus far, but he thinks they’re wrong.
“It’s all about your phone, whether you’re looking at cars, watches, dogs or whatever, you’re going to see something from the Patriots at some point. Back home, when we played the Texans, all the analysts, the reporters – everyone picked the Texans to win. It’s like, OK, if we had an easy schedule, why are you picking them to win?” DeVito questioned.
Tommy Devito of the New England Patriots and Drake Maye warm up before the 2025 NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
“People think it’s very easy, but not every team has to play Josh Allen twice and it almost came down to a third team. And then going on the road, I think they said we were the first time to go 9-0 on the road. Playing on the road is not easy no matter what. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, the environment is hostile, it’s the new weather, or whatever. It’s definitely not easy to win games in the NFL, especially on the road doing it as many times as we have.”
Ultimately, no matter how tough or easy the opponents have been, the Patriots are back where the franchise expected them to be with Vrabel leading the way. All that’s left to do is play a game that Vrabel says requires ultimate focus, effort and camaraderie.
PATRIOTS’ MIKE VRABEL DEFLECTS QUESTIONS ABOUT DRAKE MAYE’S INJURIES, SAYS ‘NOBODY’S 100%’ AHEAD OF SUPER BOWL
“It doesn’t matter what happened in the game, who played or anything. As long as that column says 1-0 after this week, that’s all that matters,” DeVito said.
The Patriots will try to go 1-0 one last time on February 8 at Levi’s Stadium.
Patriots quarterback Tommy DeVito helps fantasy football underdog fulfill his punishment for the league in Boston. (Progressive)
NEED A BACKUP IN REAL LIFE
DeVito sees himself as the Patriots’ ultimate backup, but he’s one off the field as well.
As part of Progressive’s Backup campaign, DeVito surprised an unlucky fan who had the fantasy football punishment of having to set up a lemonade stand in the freezing cold of Boston for a day.
DeVito showed up and surprised the fantasy football loser, and even though the night was cold after all the snow that fell while the Patriots beat the Broncos, they sold out.
“It was awesome,” DeVito said of the night in Boston. “We had a lot of fun and got a lot of interesting content out of it, as well as people passing by who maybe didn’t know what was going on. But they got lemonade in five degree weather. So we made it work.
“Progressive has been great so far. They’re a lot of fun to work with.”
