Drake Maye Praises Patriots HC Mike Vrabel After Fight, 'I Almost Got in There'

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel endeared himself to Drake Maye after stepping in to stop a fight during Wednesday's joint practice with the Washington Commanders.

Maye told reporters after the incident Vrabel's decision was indicative of what the first-year coach is trying to build, then admitted "I almost got in there" before deciding against it:

"That’s what we’re trying to build. I think, and it starts with the coach, starts with the head coach. The intensity, bringing it every day, taking no crap when we’re out there on the field. But also, it comes to a time where, with our guys offensively, and getting over there and getting some tussles, and kind of having some penalties, and extra after the whistle can get us in trouble. But for mentality, I like it. I think that’s what you want. I mean, I almost got in there, but I think maybe another day, maybe. So, we’ll see."

There were apparently multiple altercations between the two teams during their practice session, with Vrabel stepping in for one involving rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson.

Vrabel came out of it with a little something to show for it, apparently with the contact being incidental from Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell.

Campbell told reporters it was an "amazing" scene to be part of and he got Vrabel "on the ground."

It's not a surprise that Vrabel would take the opportunity to step in during this particular situation. The 49-year-old played 14 seasons in the NFL at linebacker from 1997 to 2010.

Vrabel even admitted earlier in the offseason that he wanted to instill in his players a "do as I say, not as I do" strategy when it comes to practice fighting because he was involved in a physical altercation with Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Mitch Lyons during his first joint practice as a player in 1997.

Even though that edict didn't stick in the way Vrabel had hoped, his decision to intervene seemed to win him more respect from the locker room heading into his first season as Patriots head coach.

New England hired Vrabel in January with the goal of turning the franchise around coming off three consecutive losing seasons. He went 54-45 with three playoff appearances in six seasons as head coach of the Tennessee Titans from 2018 to '23.

The Patriots and Commanders will be back on the field with each other at Gillette Stadium on Friday in the preseason opener for both clubs.