Because after months of introductions and roster deconstruction and reconstruction, meetings and plans and installation and OTAs and non-padded minicamp practices, real football is coming. And so is the Mike Vrabel Experience for all to see. “We all need accountability,” Hunter Henry said Tuesday, “and he brings that every day.”

The New England Patriots are back on the practice field behind Gillette Stadium, and for the first time, Mike Vrabel is running the show as head coach.

After back-to-back four-win seasons, the New England Patriots are looking to return to relevancy and respectability in 2025.

During Tuesday's press conference, Vrabel fielded a handful questions from the media, as is the norm. The moment the presser took an edgier turn was when the Boston Globe's Ben Volin asked what Vrabel thought of the players returning to their first training camp practice after the NFL offseason, with an emphasis on their conditioning level.

New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs was cleared to return to practice less than nine months after tearing the ACL in his right knee, according to ESPN. The 31-year-old Diggs will be on the field Wednesday for his first training camp with the Patriots after avoiding the physically unable to perform list.