Image courtesy of the New England Patriots 

FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots locker room was a little extra emotional in Cincinnati on Sunday following the win.

Not because they had just grabbed win No. 10, remaining the top team in the AFC, but because they were able to Face Time Jahlani Tavai and celebrate with him for a bit while Tavai is tending to a serious family matter.

In a very short amount of time – at least by football standards – Mike Vrabel has truly brought a family culture to the New England locker room.

It’s never been more evident than the way Carlton Davis III spoke on Monday about the scene from Paycor Stadium.

“It was one of those moments where we felt like a family, like a real family,” he said. “That’s what football is all about. It’s about creating that brotherhood, having each other’s back on and off the field. So, just to be able to Face Time him after a tough win and to see his smile, to see him in better spirits was everything for us and you know, that’s what it’s all about, man.

“We still are praying for him and his family and we’re still hoping for the best, but getting that win for him was everything for us.”

Davis III also said that Jack Gibbens spoke about playing for Tavai before the game.

“Gibby had a speech before we went out there. He just kind of talked about Jahlani and how he felt the brotherhood and how he wanted to go out there and play for him,” he said. “We all felt the same way. Like, we all felt the same way because…the way coach has kind of like, structured this and made us close and kind of like, got us in this brotherhood relationship, it’s easy to do. It’s not even like it’s a force It’s not even like we’re trying to do more than we should be.

“We just want to do it. Like, guys just want to be at the hospital with him. Guys just want to check up on him. It’s really natural. I can’t even explain like, how or why it’s happening, but it’s just natural for us to want to be there for each other. We’ve won so many games together, we’ve grinned through the offseason into the season together. You can say playing games in the NFL is hard, but also winning games in the NFL is hard. When you’re able to do that, you create a bond because you’ve accomplished something you put so much work into. I think when you start to win more, you start to bond more and you just start to have more love for each other because you know the guy next to you isn’t just talk. Like, he really wants to play for you.

“The same thing with Jahlani’s situation. It isn’t just talk that we support each other, Guys are really supporting him and checking up on him and still in contact, still praying for him. Like, I prayed a couple times this week, just for his family. I can’t say I’ve had a stronger bond anywhere else.”

Vrabel was also asked about the situation with Tavai, and while not getting into any detail, pointed to just how much everyone was thinking about No. 48.

“I think that you can see that the players in this team and everybody associated with it, the organization, care deeply about him. But respect to his privacy, and so we’ll leave it at that,” he said.

Davis III described how Vrabel began building this atmosphere in the spring. It worked, even if guys like Davis III were a little hesitant about some of the tactics, particularly one team-bonding event.

“In the spring, we did a lot of activities. I remember one activity, he had just put like a blindfold on and we were matched up with a partner…somebody who wasn’t in our position group,” he explained. “It was somebody we probably wouldn’t talk to that much, but he had us matched up with them. We was doing like this blindfold game and it was a trust kind of game. I remember that vividly. I was matched up with Pop Douglas.

“Him being a Florida boy and me being from Jacksonville, we kind of bonded through that, but it was a different type of activity that (Vrabel) had us do. At the moment, I’m like, ‘what are we doin?’ But, it actually made us…through those drills, you start to see guys come together and guys create camaraderie. It worked and you started to see a change.”

When asked for some further details, Carlton Davis III explained more.

“We’re wearing a blindfold and we’re just going through this kind of like, maze or this obstacle course, and the (partner) is coaching you up. Like, take two steps forward, hop over this object, take two steps to the side. He has to literally lead you through this obstacle course….it went really well. A lot of the guys did good at it and it became something that was really competitive for us. We all wanted to just win it.

“It created a good brotherhood for us and, like I said, talk to people who we wouldn’t even talk to on a daily basis. That was a really good activity for us. I remember that activity because I was like ‘I’m not putting a blindfold on and going through this. I don’t know this guy,’ but just doing it, man, it gave me all the trust I needed to move forward and start to open up to these guys.”

The word ‘family’ is thrown around a ton in sports, but in a matter of eight months, Mike Vrabel has turned over the roster and created a group so close, that it believes it can do anything together.