DENVER — Mike Vrabel commanded the room like he had so many times before.

But this night, of course, was different.

It was the eve of the AFC Championship Game, and the Patriots gathered inside a large meeting space inside their Denver hotel. Vrabel had decided to stick to the same travel schedule the Patriots followed before every away game this season. They were, after all, undefeated on the road.

Players, coaches and staffers sat in attendance, listening quietly. Vrabel spoke for several minutes. This was a human speech as much as a football one.

By the end, Vrabel accomplished what he set out to do in his introductory press conference barely a year earlier: galvanize his team and inspire his players.

“The way he talked, you could see it, and you could feel it, and you could hear it: full belief in us and what we’re capable of,” Patriots outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said. “When he was talking, you could just feel how he fully believes that we’re the better team. And outside of game plans and schematics, just how well we play with each other, play for each other, and continue to be dominant in all facets of the game.

“It was huge, for sure.”

The essence of Vrabel’s message depends on who you ask.

Special teams captain Brenden Schooler said he emphasized joy and preparation.

“It was just to enjoy it. Enjoy the process. Enjoy everything that comes along with it, the guys that you get to do it with,” Schooler said. “And we’re kind of built for this. He told us, ‘You’re mentally ready, you’re physically ready, you’re spiritually ready. Everything is ready to go. You guys just have to go do it now.’”

Veteran center Garrett Bradbury, on the other hand, recalled Vrabel emphasizing his appreciation for this season and this team. Not the winning as much as the day-to-day dedication and togetherness.

“I hate to blow (Vrabel)’s head up too much, but he always has the right thing to say,” Bradbury said. “He talked about how rewarding this year has been for him. He called it one of, if not the most fun years he’s had in the NFL. And he’s had a lot of years in the NFL.”

It resonated with Bradbury, a seven-year veteran who had been to a conference championship game before but never experienced a season like this.

Related Articles

Playing in Super Bowl LX will be full-circle moment for Patriots’ Drake Maye

Patriots’ most unlikely hero makes Super Bowl LX-clinching play

Sean Payton explains costly decision in AFC championship loss to Patriots

‘All-Pros don’t mean (expletive)’: Patriots D-line was motivated in AFC title win

How Drake Maye improvised Patriots’ final play to send them to Super Bowl

“I share that sentiment. This is by far the most rewarding, fun year I’ve had in the NFL,” he said. “Regardless of the results, helping him build this, (winning) was just a small part of it when half the team was new. It’s crazy.”

All sides of Vrabel’s message hit home for Chaisson. He finished with five tackles and a team-high two quarterback hits, as the Patriots defense led a third straight playoff win by holding their opponent to one touchdown.

“Whenever he talks,” Chaisson said, “we listen and we soak it in, for sure.”

Schooler went a step further. He said Vrabel often verbalizes his feelings on the team before he can express them, which only inspires more belief in his head coach. The words Schooler heard that night might as well have been his own.

“I felt exactly what he was saying,” Schooler said. “You go through the whole week preparing like it’s the last game of the season and you have nothing else going on. And then it’s just letting the guys go on the football field, let the whistle blow and the ball get kicked, and then go have fun after that.”

And now, off to Super Bowl LX, the fun continues.