Sign up for Patriots updates🏈
Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during football season.
Boston, MA
CBS analyst breaks down why Patriots’ decision to hire Mike Vrabel will be ‘model’ for other franchises
New England Patriots
“We use the word presence a lot with coaches. Does anyone have more presence than Mike Vrabel? He’s got it.”
-
‘We played for Vrabes’: Patriots relished chance to exact revenge for their coach vs. Titans
-
Kayshon Boutte said Patriots capitalized on ‘lazy’ defense from Titans
So far, the Patriots’ decision to hire Mike Vrabel has paid off.
After back-to-back 4-13 seasons, New England appears to be experiencing a football renaissance, sitting atop the AFC East at 5-2.
During the Patriots’ 31-13 blowout win over the Titans, CBS analyst Charles Davis broke down why other teams will be looking for a coach like Vrabel during future searches.
““As we start coaching searches in the NFL, and we’re gonna have a few more,” Davis said. “I believe people are going to use Mike Vrabel as a model about what they’re looking for in their next head football coach.
“With an organization, he pulls together everyone, right? Yes, he’s known as a defensive coach. I get that,” Davis added. “But the relationship he’s forged with his quarterback, Drake Maye, who’s playing at a really high level, lets you know that he’s locked in on everything on this team, special teams, offense, defense, the whole deal.”
New England, of course, was only able to hire Vrabel because the Titans decided to fire him after the 2023 season. Vrabel spent a year as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns, whom New England will face at Gillette Stadium next week, before returning to the franchise he won three Super Bowls with as a player.
Vrabel played linebacker for the Patriots, but he has shown an ability to connect with players in all three phases of the game. He has a hands on approach which involves him wearing a practice jersey at times during practice. He often refers to players, such as Stefon Diggs, by nicknames in press conferences.
Defense is Vrabel’s forte, and he inherited a team that was already pretty good at stopping the run. Their pass-defense is a work in progress. But, the biggest transformation has taken place on offense where Maye, Diggs, and Josh McDaniels have helped revive a once-dead down field passing attack.
The quick turnaround suggests that Vrabel’s approach works beyond the areas where he’s most comfortable with, Davis said.
“He has his hands on everything, every part of the organization and the pulse,” Davis said. “He’s like the antidote to all the offensive guys that we talk about. We use the word presence a lot with coaches. Does anyone have more presence than Mike Vrabel? He’s got it.”
Investigators identified Tyler Brown of Boston as the man who allegedly opened fire on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, leaving two victims with life-threatening injuries.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said Brown fired 50 to 60 shots on the busy road shortly after 1 p.m. Monday.
Two male victims were hit in vehicles, Ryan said. They are in critical condition and fighting for their lives.
A Massachusetts State Police trooper and a civilian with a license to carry a firearm went toward the gunman and fired their weapons at him. Officers treated Brown at the scene, and he was brought to a Boston hospital, where he is in intensive care, according to the district attorney.
This video shared with NBC10 Boston appears to show a man opening fire at cars on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Monday, May 11, 2026.
Authorities have, so far, shared limited information about the suspect.
“Mr. Brown is from Boston, and apparently was in the process of moving here. We understand that Mr. Brown was under the supervision of either the Massachusetts Probation Department or Department of Parole,” Ryan said.
She did not elaborate on why Brown may have been on probation or parole.
“We will address Mr. Brown’s criminal record, if any, at the arraignment,” she said.
Ryan added that she did not know enough about Brown’s condition to say whether he would be arraigned in court or in a hospital bed. The timing was also not clear.
He will face two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and firearms charges, and “a variety of other charges as we unfold what took place, exactly, and we have a chance to speak to the many, many people who were out there,” Ryan said.
Boston, MA
Portion of Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road will close nightly through August – The Boston Globe
An inbound stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road will be closed each night through August for tunnel repairs, officials announced.
Starting Monday, the closures will begin at 8 p.m. and last until 5 a.m., state officials said.
Road closures begin at North Harvard Street in Allston and stretch along the Charles River Esplanade to Mugar Way in Boston, near the Hatch Memorial Shell, officials said.
Traffic will be detoured into Cambridge over the Anderson Bridge, along Memorial Drive, and then be routed into Boston over the Longfellow Bridge.
The closures will allow ongoing repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel in the Back Bay. The work is the first phase of a two-stage project to extend the lifespan of the tunnel, which carries roughly 50,000 drivers to and from downtown Boston daily.
The outbound portion of the tunnel and accompanying roadways will not be affected.
State transportation officials said changes to the work schedule will be made when necessary to minimize impacts during major local events at TD Garden, Fenway Park, or during the FIFA World Cup and 250th anniversary celebrations scheduled for this summer.
Additional changes may be made without notice due to weather.
Transportation officials have not specified when the closures will end.
Bryan Hecht can be reached at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism.
This story has been updated with new information
OXFORD — Ole Miss softball is back in the NCAA Tournament after making the Women’s College World Series a season ago.
The Rebels (34-24) will play Boston (46-13) on May 15 (1 p.m. CT, ESPNU) in the Lubbock Regional. Ole Miss is the No. 2 seed in the regional, and Boston is the No. 3.
Texas Tech (52-6), the No. 11 overall seed and regional host, will face No. 4 Marist (37-19).
The Rebels went 6-18 in SEC play this season, and have a largely new-look roster from the team that made the WCWS last season.
Ole Miss beat South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC Tournament to improve its seed.
Freshman Madi George has burst onto the scene in the SEC. The first-year infielder leads Ole Miss with a .385 batting average. She has a team-high 21 home runs and 58 RBIs.
Seniors Emilee Boyer (3.86 ERA), Kyra Aycock (3.97 ERA) and junior Lily Whitten (3.04 ERA) are the primary options in the circle for coach Jamie Trachsel.
Trachsel is in her sixth season leading the Ole Miss program. She led the Rebels to their first WCWS appearance in program history in 2025.
What to know about Boston, Texas Tech and Marist in Lubbock Regional
Boston entered the Patriot League Tournament as the top seed and the Terriers delivered. Boston beat No. 2 Colgate 12-1, becoming the second team in Patriot League history to four-peat as conference champions. Boston is on a 12-game winning streak. Kylie Doherty leads the team with a .396 batting average and 26 home runs.
Texas Tech made the 2025 WCWS championship series, losing to Texas in three games.
Texas Tech lost just three Big 12 games this season but lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Red Raiders are a strong threat to get to the WCWS again. There are four Texas Tech batters hitting over .400. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady leads the Red Raiders with a 1.24 ERA. She has 209 strikeouts.
Marist plays in the MAAC and won the conference tournament. Marist split a two-game series against South Carolina early in the season. Ava Metzger (12-3, 2.51 ERA) and Peyton Pusey (.404 batting average) lead the team.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
-
Sports2 minutes agoHigh school boys volleyball: City Section playoff scores and pairings
-
World14 minutes agoBolivia issues warrant for Evo Morales’s arrest after court no-show
-
News44 minutes agoWhy cruise ship passengers with possible hantavirus exposure went to Nebraska
-
New York2 hours agoAirbnb Turns to Black Leaders in Its Bid to Make a Comeback in New York
-
Detroit, MI3 hours agoMetro Detroit braces for Frost Advisory, Freeze Warning overnight before rain arrives
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours ago50 Beagles Rescued From Wisconsin Lab Arrive in Bay Area, SF Activist Faces Felony Charges
-
Dallas, TX3 hours ago
Former Cowboys QB Craig Morton passes away at age 83
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoBrickell Avenue Bridge openings spark rush hour gridlock concerns in downtown Miami
