Mike Vrabel reportedly received tips from Bill Belichick ahead of Super Bowl LX

New England Patriots

Vrabel is also reportedly leaning on offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’s experience.

Mike Vrabel knows what it’s like to play in a Super Bowl, but he sought some guidance from some notable figures ahead of coaching in his first Super Bowl.

The Patriots’ head coach communicated with Bill Belichick and Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid ahead of Super Bowl LX against the Seahawks, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported. Vrabel has also reportedly relied on offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’s experience in the lead-up to Sunday’s game, too.

“Vrabel reached out to Belichick and fellow Super Bowl-winning coach Andy Reid, tapping into their experience as he gets ready for the big game,” Russini wrote.

“New England’s first-year leader also has an experienced advisor on staff. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is heading into his 10th (!) Super Bowl. Vrabel has been asking McDaniels for advice on preparations and other things to consider Sunday.”

A possible piece of advice that Belichick and Reid gave to Vrabel might have been on display on Friday. Vrabel had the Patriots go into the locker room for 14 minutes as some of Bad Bunny’s music played during Friday’s practice at Stanford Stadium, as the team simulated the halftime break.

That’s something both Belichick’s and Reid’s teams have done in the past when they’ve reached the Super Bowl. Belichick employed that strategy for multiple Super Bowl trips with the Patriots, with players crediting the approach following wins. In the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win over the Eagles, Patrick Mahomes and other players attributed their comeback victory to the halftime break and how they prepared for it.

Of course, Belichick won six Super Bowls as the Patriots’ head coach, and Reid has won three in five trips as the Chiefs’ head coach. McDaniels, meanwhile, has won six as an assistant with the Patriots, including three Lombardi Trophies as their offensive coordinator.

As for Vrabel, he won three Super Bowls as a player in four trips. He had a knack for making big plays in the Super Bowl as a player, too. He logged a touchdown grab in two of the Patriots’ Super Bowl wins he was a part of, including two sacks in their Super Bowl XXXVIII win.

Now a coach, Vrabel has quickly turned around the Patriots in his first year with the team. He led them to a 14-win season after they had consecutive four-win seasons, helping him win Coach of the Year on Thursday.

However, recipients of Coach of the Year haven’t had much luck in winning the Super Bowl. Belichick was the last person to win Coach of the Year and the Super Bowl in the same season, doing so in 2003.