"With Gillette Stadium shaking like it did in the Super Bowl championship days when Vrabel played for the franchise, the 6-foot-4 Patriots coach thrust his hands into the 6-3 Williams' chest in excitement. Then he received something in return he wasn't expecting -- a blow from Williams' helmet that split his lip. "That's just pure emotion. I think I headbutted everyone, I just forgot Vrabes didn't have a helmet on," Williams said with a smile. "But he'll be all right.""
"Not long after a visit from head athletic trainer Jim Whalen on the sideline, when Vrabel was handed a towel to clean up his lip, Vrabel referenced it as a badge of honor to the team. "We said all along, you gotta be willing to spill some blood! I ain't afraid to spill a little blood either!" a still-fired-up Vrabel told players and coaches in the locker room. Patriots players had already learned this lesson in early August."
Mike Vrabel suffered a cut lip when Milton Williams' helmet struck him during an exuberant sideline celebration after Williams sacked Justin Herbert to clinch a 16-3 wild-card victory over the Chargers. A trainer tended to Vrabel on the sideline and he was handed a towel before calling the wound a badge of honor and telling teammates they must be willing to spill blood. Williams described the contact as pure emotion and said Vrabel would be all right. Earlier in training camp, Vrabel emerged from a scrum with a cut on his cheek during a preseason practice with the Washington Commanders. Gillette Stadium reacted with fervor reminiscent of Super Bowl championship days when Vrabel played for the franchise.
Read at ESPN.com
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