New England Patriots
Vrabel launched the red challenge flag and spun around as he followed through.
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Patriots coach Mike Vrabel put a little extra mustard on an early challenge flag toss during the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Colts.
He put an arc on the throw, launching the red flag high in the air. He kicked his leg up as he followed through, and managed to keep his headset on while he spun around.
Earlier this week, the NFL announced that it is allowing head coaches to designate a person on the coaching staff to throw challenge flags. Under previous rules, only head coaches were allowed to throw challenge flags.
If a head coach were to pass his challenge abilities on to another staffer, he would have to let officials know before the game.
“The head coach or head coach’s pregame challenge designee can initiate a challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field of play before the next legal snap or kick,” the NFL rule book reads.
In the Patriots’ first game since the rule change, Vrabel handled the responsibility himself.
Vrabel’s toss garnered plenty of attention on social media.
The Patriots tweeted out a clip of the toss, which already has hundreds of thousands of views, saying the head coach “yeeted” the challenge flag.
Vrabel won the challenge. Linebacker K.J. Britt knocked the ball out on a scramble from Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. Richardson was ruled down by contact, but the ruling was overturned and the Patriots were credited with a fumble. Defensive lineman Isaiah Iton made the recovery for the Patriots.
According to Pro Football Feference, Vrabel challenged seven calls last season. He won four, while the other three calls were upheld. Vrabel has won 18 of his 33 career challenges as a head coach.
The last time he had thrown the red challenge flag before Thursday night was on January 4th, when he challenged the spot on a scramble from Joshua Dobbs.
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