Rob Ninkovich thinks that New England is prepared to make a significant move after consecutive four-win seasons following an exciting offseason in which the Patriots made significant free agency expenditures, replaced coaches, and addressed shortcomings through the NFL Draft.
When Ninkovich appeared on the Dudes on Dudes podcast alongside Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, he stated, “I think they’re a 9, 10 win team.”
Despite his optimism that the Patriots will make significant progress in Mike Vrabel’s first season as head coach, Ninkovich’s win total did fall short of the original over/under of 11 wins that Edelman set for New England this autumn.
Gronkowski questioned, “Why under? I know you’re a big Patriots fan.” Hit in the draft, hit in free agency, new coach, new players. Why under 11 when you have the wide receivers and the tackle and the defense is loaded?
Ninkovich replied, “Let’s be honest, you think they’re going to have twelve wins.” Will they go from being a 4-win club to a 12-win squad? I therefore chose the beneath.
The Patriots strengthened their squad in free agency by adding playmakers on both sides of the ball in Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams, Harold Landry, Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane, and others, in addition to Vrabel’s presence on the sidelines and Drake Maye’s development in his second NFL season.
Despite addressing a number of shortcomings this offseason, Ninkovich acknowledged that it’s not a given that the best way to compete is to spend a lot of money in free agency.
Gronkowski added, “That’s a great point. Let’s talk about the dream team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Remember 2013?” There was a lot of discussion about them, and Coach Belichick would always post them on the board. “Oh, we’re the best team, and we have so many free agents coming in,” they were saying. That year, they went, what, 5-11?
Bringing in so many free agents does not guarantee that you will work well together as a team. However, Vrabel is a person who seems to be able to bring them together, and they are both veteran free agents.
It will take a lot for the 2025 Patriots to record 11 or more victories.
Ninkovich, however, did not downplay the importance of Vrabel as he attempts to assemble a roster that includes both a number of young players and a number of senior additions.
According to Ninkovich, Vrabel is the glue man. We are currently building this thing up. What is it? It was forged in Foxboro. We will use steel and iron to construct it from the ground up, just like our new facility. The marketing is excellent.
Since 2023, Conor Ryan has worked as a staff writer for Boston.com, covering the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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