So far, so good for Patriots players in the early days of the Mike Vrabel era in New England. The team kicked off its voluntary offseason workout program on Monday, and while players have only had a few days of work with their new head coach, they have already noticed some differences in Foxboro.

The energy in the building has been noticeable, and the music has been just as loud. Vrabel is extremely involved when it comes to his team, and players expect the approach to ramp up even more once they start hitting the practice field.

"Whenever we're doing something, he likes to be hands-on," defensive back Marcus Jones explained Tuesday in Foxboro. "Just having that in the building, and having the music in the hallways in the building, it's great to have it around."

The blaring music is a welcome addition by players, and Jones lauded his new head coaching for hitting a lot of different genres with his playlist. But it's not music to the ears of everyone.

"It's alright. Not something I vibe to every day, but it gets the juices going," new edge rusher Harold Landry said Tuesday. "Whatever floats his boat."

Landry has experience being in the same boat as Vrabel after spending six seasons with him in Tennessee. His advice for his new teammates in New England is to show up to the stadium upbeat and ready to work every day.

"He wants everyone to be excited when they come to work. He is big on that and big on energy," Landry said of Vrabel. "That is just who he is. Everybody looks at him as a head coach, but he's really just one of the boys. A locker room guy. I really mean that. He wants to get to know you, know bout your family. He is the same guy every day too. Very consistent person who isn't going to switch it up on you."

Vrabel's energy should only ramp up as the Patriots progress through their offseason program toward training camp. Jones said the team started installing its new defense on Tuesday, but with a lot of new plays and terminology to learn, it's going to be a lengthy process. 

"Taking it one day at a time, so it's not one of those situations where they're throwing all of the playbook at you at once," explained Jones.

"We're not looking too far into the future. There is a lot we have to do with install, OTAs, training camp. The excitement is we're in the room and in the building, but we have to take it one day at a time," Jones continued. "Don't get overwhelmed, and [Vrabel] basically told us we'd take it one day at a time and take it from there."

Harold Landry on teaming back up with Mike Vrabel

After playing his first seven NFL seasons with the Titans, Landry was released by Tennessee in the offseason. The former Boston College Eagle immediately envisioned joining the Patriots, and is happy to be back in the region despite the nasty weather as of late.

"It's been raining here a lot lately, but it's fine. I don't mind the weather and neither does my family," he said, adding that his wife joined him for some house hunting over the weekend. "Excited for my kids to get up here and experience a real winter."

The biggest draw for Landry was getting to play for Vrabel again.

"He's played a big role in my development as a player and also as a person, and I was excited to come back because he knows my skillset, he knows how I operate," said Landry. "And I think throughout my career, he and his staff have done a great job of putting me in position to go out and be productive and help the team, and that's what I'm looking forward to. That was one of the main reasons why I came here, because I knew Vrabes and his staff, knew the familiarity with the scheme and all of it. It just fits what I do and my skillset."

What Landry likes most about playing for Vrabel-led teams is how  well-prepared the head coach gets his players for any situation that may come up in a game. He also values effort over perfect play, and gets his players to play hard for each other.

"As long as I've played for Vrabes, there was never a situation I wasn't prepared for," said Landry. "We always found a way to win. That was just the mentality. We didn't think we could lose to be honest, no matter what was going on in the game."

Landry wouldn't say too much about New England's plans for him in 2025, but said he wants to be a Swiss Army Knife on the defense.

"I pride myself on being productive, versatile, and consistent," said Landry. "A guy they can move around who will go out and make plays for the team."

Marcus Jones on being a two-way player

Jones said he got to know Vrabel during the pre-draft process back in 2022, and he's now eager to play for him in New England. Jones said his focus is on learning a new defense, but is open to lending his shifty speed to the offense from time to time.

That prompted questions about Colorado's Travis Hunter, who has said he wants to play both cornerback and wide receiver at the NFL level after being a two-way star in college. Hunter is projected to be a top three pick in a number of mock drafts, so he likely won't be sharing the field with Jones in 2025.

But Jones is impressed with what Hunter can do on either side of the ball, and wants to see him continue at the next level. 

"I definitely understand the situation of playing both sides. The level of how he was doing it was definitely different than mine," said Jones. "I hope the best for him. Just being able to do it in the league, it's hard to do but I hope he takes advantage of the opportunity for sure."

As for potentially playing a full season as an offensive and defensive player, Jones has his doubts.

"I'm not going to say you can't do it, but it's a very long season," he said.