Patriots to embrace Super Bowl LX underdog role: 'No one wanted us here'

[p]Having failed to even reach the playoffs for the past three years, nobody in September gave new head coach Mike Vrabel and his team a sniff of winning what would be a record-breaking seventh title.[/p][p]Even now that they have reached the Super Bowl, many pundits point to a forgiving schedule - and the luck of facing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/denver-broncos/l22ZmPbl/"]Denver[/a] in the AFC Championship game after Broncos quarterback [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nix-bo/hnY04xIe/"]Bo Nix[/a] broke his ankle.[/p][p][b]"At this point, it is what it is. We're in the Super Bowl now, the last two teams standing,"[/b] shrugged [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-england-patriots/G6oNfmi8/"]Patriots[/a] tackle [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tonga-khyris/zH6ksRoq/"]Khyiris Tonga[/a].[/p][p][b]"We can't wait to go to war on Sunday and take care of business."[/b][/p][embed guid="a198a3f1-5021-4759-8c32-ca066a8d01f6" url="https://x.com/Patriots/status/2017720546067095558?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a player alongside [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brady-tom/fezaExal/"]Brady[/a], admits that his former Patriots team can be considered a dynasty - but it's not a tag he's remotely ready to contemplate for the roster he now coaches.[/p][p][b]"I don't know where the 'dynasty' would come from," [/b]he told reporters. [b]"We're just trying to build a program. And the first year of the program, we ended up here."[/b][/p][p]Before Vrabel took over, New England had only managed to win four games in each of their previous two seasons. This season, they won 14 - a 10-game swing that has never been topped.[/p][p]For Vrabel, who appears to relish the underdog moniker, it is simply about keeping the "focus on things that we can realistically improve."[/p][p][b]"I would say the majority of Americans are more underdogs than they are favourites," [/b]he said. [b]"Favorites are the talented elite, top ten percent... We're trying to make the 80 percent a little bit better."[/b][/p][embed guid="f13308bc-1225-46d4-9815-b93b8d86b500" url="https://x.com/Patriots/status/2017327959271780762?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Standout players include veteran wide receiver [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diggs-stefon/WnlKoNxa/"]Stefon Diggs[/a], picked up as a free agent by the Patriots in March, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henderson-treveyon/WE55WBeg/"]TreVeyon Henderson[/a], already vying to be the first-choice running back in his rookie year with explosive rushes.[/p][p]And then of course there is quarterback [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maye-drake/A5SpHBoA/"]Drake Maye[/a], a favourite for this season's Most Valuable Player.[/p][p]In just his second season, the 23-year-old would be the youngest starting QB to win a Super Bowl.[/p][p][b]"He's very mature. I was with him last year, I think he made a great jump this year, just in his leadership role,[/b]" running back [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stevenson-rhamondre/OG7lZUGR/"]Rhamondre Stevenson[/a] told AFP. [b]"He's commanding the huddle well. He's telling the offense what he needs to see. He's doing a great job."[/b][/p][embed guid="3161e0c2-8a4f-4886-af07-1ad4392168ee" url="https://x.com/Patriots/status/2017994624996921772?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Of course, for fans of rival teams with fewer - or zero - Super Bowls in their trophy cabinets, the notion of the Patriots as plucky underdogs might be hard to swallow.[/p][p]Even Patriots linebacker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/elliss-christian/ARk1JdPl/"]Christian Elliss[/a] admits that [b]"honestly, our fans are pretty lucky that we've won six already."[/b][/p][p]Still, a seventh Lombardi trophy would break the Patriots' current joint-record haul of six with the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pittsburgh-steelers/AXWJxS6R/"]Pittsburgh Steelers[/a], and give New England the standalone record.[/p][p][b]"It would be historic," [/b]Ellis told AFP. [b]"The city deserves it. The fans deserve it. We've had a few down years... No one wanted us to be here. No one expected us to be here."[/b][/p]