There was a back-to-school, orientation day vibe at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday.

Players reported officially for training camp before the first practice on Wednesday morning, while head coach Mike Vrabel met with the media, as did Hunter Henry, Christian Gonzalez and Brendan Schooler.

Before leaving for the remainder of summer following OTAs in June, Vrabel had said that the next five weeks were critical in terms of guys staying in shape and remaining mentally sharp so the Pats can hit the ground running in August, rather than having to go backwards.

After back-to-back 4-13 seasons and a now three-going-on-four-year playoff drought, (but really, things haven’t been right since 2018ish) if things really are swinging back in the right direction, guys on the roster had to stay committed to Vrabel’s early messaging on their own. There’s been a lack of professionalism in some respects for a couple years now and there was always seemingly some sort of drama head into camp.

In 2025, starting faster both now and in games is imperative. That can only happen if everyone’s bought in right from the jump.

By all accounts, Vrabel got what he was looking for so far.

“Well, I think just based on the conditioning test, based on everybody at their weights, where we asked them to be in the conversation, I thought we met expectations in that regard,” he said.

However, Vrabel did caution that there’s a difference between being in good shape as a human and being in ‘football shape’ though.

“But ultimately, it’s about the football conditioning, right?” Vrabel added. “The in-line combat with another player, and then being able to go and chase the football and do it repeatedly, a receiver to run a route downfield and not get the football, but still come back to the huddle and play the next snap, and to be able to have that competitive stamina as it works through practice.

“Then, you’ll see us try to build those reps through practice to get close to where we need to be for the game. So, the in-line conditioning test is one thing. We’ll have to continue to practice the way that we want to play, which is critical to be able to create our identity.”

One of the key veterans in the room still standing after three head coaches in the last three years is Hunter Henry. When asked about getting ready for his first camp with Vrabel, Henry’s eyes lit up a bit and a grin appeared on his face.

“Obviously, he’s been great man,” Henry said as the smile got bigger. “I think everybody can see that too. I’ve loved being around him just as a person first and foremost. He’s been awesome building that relationship, but also as a coach. It’s been a lot of fun just being in the meeting room with him.

“He’s done it at a high level as a coach, but he’s also done it the same as us as players. So, to kind of have both those things for us to be able to lean on is huge. I’m excited to dive into training camp with him and get ready for the season.”

Along with Henry, Brendan Schooler is now one of the longest tenured Patriots on the roster. He may have had the most glowing endorsement of Vrabel out of anyone so far with one interesting quote.

“I think Coach Vrabel brings a different vibe. I can only speak for the years I’ve been here, he brings a different vibe from the years previous where…you’re not scared, but you know he’s not messing around,” he said. “If you’re not on your Ps and Qs and you’re not doing what you’r asked to do how you’re supposed to do it, I don’t think guys are going to be sticking around long.

“That’s not to scare anybody, it’s not to be rude. I think it’s just the nature of the business and he’s not messing around. There’s that aspect of it, but there’s also the excitement that he brings and the energy that he brings. Being a former player, he knows the difficulties we had to go through. To have him at the helm, I think it’s going to be beneficial to us and we’re going to see what happens and see where the chips fall.”

On day one of class, the professor was encouraged with the students’ willingness to get better on their own and the students are all in with their new teacher, who can actually balance humility and football knowledge.

Oh, and Wyatt the puppy strolled around the media room as the Patriots get ready for an adoption event during practice Wednesday along with The Animal Rescue League of Boston, Potter League for Animals and the Berkshire Humane Society.

You don’t win football games or restore a franchise’s legacy on vibes, but they are as high as they’ve been in a long, long time heading into training camp.