Patriots Veteran Reveals Mike Vrabel’s Message To Team Before Playoffs

Mike Vrabel doesn’t want the New England Patriots abandoning their identity during the postseason.

New England follows a transcendent 14-3 regular season by hosting the Los Angeles Chargers in the opening round on Sunday night. Before the game, defensive tackle Milton Williams disclosed Vrabel’s food-based message to the team on WEEI’s “Jones & Keefe.”

“Don’t change the mac and cheese,” Williams relayed. “It’s like for Thanksgiving if somebody comes in and they tried a new recipe and got some Cheez-Its or some Goldfish or something in there. It’s like, ‘Hey man, hold on now. We ain’t talk about this.’ Keep it how we’ve been doing all year, and we’ll be fine.”

Unlike many of his teammates, Williams already has considerable playoff experience. He made the postseason in each of his four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, playing a pivotal role in last year’s Super Bowl win.

The 26-year-old shared his own insight on what he learned about the playoffs from his Eagles tenure.

“Keep it simple,” Williams said. “A lot of times, people start listening to the outside noise and want to try to do too much instead of doing what we’ve been doing all year. When I was with the Eagles last year, that was our message. Keep it simple. Make sure you’re doing your job. I’m on a new team now, and the message is still the same.”

Williams anchored a fierce Patriots rushing defense for most of the season, but they struggled when the 290-pounder missed five games with an ankle injury. He returned to play 28 snaps in a Week 18 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins, who mustered 63 rushing yards.

After getting back on the field, Williams is confident he’s fully prepared for Sunday’s playoff showdown.

“I’m ready to go,” Williams said. “Last week was kind of getting back out there, moving around a little bit, running around. Just getting my confidence back … It was good for us to end the season on a high note.”