Mike Vrabel had his first New England Patriots press conference of training camp this week, which — most importantly, of course — marked his first real time in front of reporters since the offseason fallout involving Dianna Russini.

Naturally, Vrabel came locked and loaded with a response … just not the kind you saw coming.

Frankly, it’s not the kind any of us saw coming, but I’ll admit, it was a solid plan.

The second-year coach showed up to his presser with a dog in hand. That’s right. A DOG. A tiny little dog. It was all part of the Patriots’ “Pawtriots” program, which is now in its second year. Basically, the team opens the first day of training camp by hosting a dog adoption event.

MIKE VRABEL UNTOUCHED BY DIANNA RUSSINI SCANDAL AT FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE OF PATRIOTS TRAINING CAMP

Naturally, this worked perfectly in Vrabel’s favor after one of the worst offseasons for a head coach that I can remember.

Take a look at THIS:

Vrabel and the Patriots play chess on Day 1

“Welcome everybody, it’s good to see you guys,” Vrabel said with a smirk to open the 2026 season. “If anyone’s looking to add to your roster at home, we’d love for you to be able to adopt these dogs.”

Amazing. What a move by Vrabel and the Patriots. It’s called zigging while others zag, and they nailed it.

Oh, you wanna hammer me with questions about my offseason of infidelity? Fine! You’re gonna do it while I’m holding an abandoned puppy. Fire away, media!

Of course, it worked! Like a charm, actually. Vrabel didn’t field one question about Dianna Russini, as OutKick’s Armando Salguero noted on Friday:

It was all football – which Vrabel deftly handles like Ted Williams did fastballs back in the day.

Vrabel was asked about the status of second-round draft pick Gabe Jacas, who remains unsigned. Reporters indeed concentrated six of their 20 or so questions to Vrabel on the Jacas topic.

How’s the contract negotiations?

How’s his health?

Football stuff.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks at a news conference after an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

That’s it. That’s all we got from Vrabel on Day 1 after an offseason that included a cheating scandal with an NFL insider that was so bad, it got her fired.

That was so bad, it sent Vrabel into rehab during the NFL Draft.

That was so bad, it got Russini’s own employer — the New York Times — to write a scathing hit-piece on her after the fact.

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But during Friday’s first presser in MONTHS, Vrabel came locked and loaded with a dog in the same way players and coaches do with their kids after a bad loss.

Dianna Russini appears on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors awards presentation at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 10, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

It’s a chess move I didn’t see coming, but one I, unfortunately, have to respect.

Welcome back, NFL. We’ve missed this sort of pettiness.