Football Is 'A Man's Game' And Mike Vrabel Spilled Blood In Joint Practice As Proof

The joint practice between the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders started routinely enough with pleasantries among players and coaching staffs. But before it was over, Mike Vrabel was bleeding and holding an ice bag to his face.

Welcome to August in the NFL, tough-guy coach style.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel leaves the practice fields after training camp at Gillette Stadium on July 28, 2025. Photo: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

We're getting to the time of preseason when teams begin to practice with each other prior to playing preseason games. It breaks up the monotony of training camp practices against the same teammates.

But sometimes competitors compete. And big men get physical, which is apparently what happened during one of Wednesday's drills. It was a pass play, the Commanders blitzed, New England running back TreVeyon Henderson blocked.

And suddenly guys are beefing.

A scrum formed and soon Vrabel, a former NFL linebacker, jumped in the scrum to break it up. Except, you know, he wasn't wearing a helmet.

"I saw a little cut," Commanders defensive lineman Deatrich Wise, a former Patriots player, said. "But I feel like that right there just shows what the Patriots are all about. Being tough. He might think he can still play. 

"He has his strength. He grabbed some guys today. I was like, oh, he's strong, so he probably could give a nice drive."

So did Vrabel, who was in a few altercations during his playing days, get scolded or celebrated by his players?

Are you kidding?

"That's what we're trying to build, I think," quarterback Drake Maye told reporters excitedly. "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 when, with our guys offensively, and getting over there and getting in some tussles, and kind of having some penalties, and extra [curricular] after the whistle can get us in trouble."

Firstly, congrats to Carolina-native Drake Maye for his use of the word "tussles." Secondly, the message was clear that New England players loved what happened.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at opening day of the New England Patriots training camp on July 23, 2025, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

There was reportedly a buzz in the huddle after Vrabel was seen attending to his bloodied cheek. The coach spent part of the remainder of practice holding an ice bag to his face.

"But for mentality," Maye added, "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."

This is where the flag football people are going to lose their minds:

It's good to blow off steam sometimes, folks. It's hot. Giant men are competing. And some take liberties physically that need to be corrected. This doesn't happen in flag football.

So a little "tussle," or skirmish, or scrum or, my favorite, a fracas ensues.

"It's a physical game, it's a man's game, and things happen out there," Maye said. "I'm not sure if anything on this field happened, but I think there's a time where, obviously you don't want to come out here and fight and get in trouble, but at the same time, you don't want to back down from nobody.

"So, I'm sure coach will get the mind, pretty sure you can't have that, but at the same time, kind of in the back of our minds, that's kind of how we want to play. The intensity, and kind of when the whistle's going, play hard, and when the whistle stops, get off and get away."

Vrabel, for the record, spoke to reporters before the practice, so he didn't comment on his cheek. I'm sure it won't be awkward at all when he eventually gets asked about it.