“He left players with 3 words on today’s plan: Belief, Identity, Rage.”
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It’s a beautiful day for football in the Bay Area. When Super Bowl LX kicks off between the Patriots and Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium, the weather is expected to be a mild 66 degrees with a near-zero percent chance of precipitation—a far cry from the snowy tundra New England faced during the AFC title game in Denver.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel chose a fitting tune for his final pregame address to his team on Sunday. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Vrabel played U2’s “Beautiful Day” to open the pregame meeting in Santa Clara.
Vrabel might be a fan of the Irish rock group, but the song selection holds a deeper meaning beyond the pristine California conditions. “He told the story of Super Bowl XXXVI—and that it was a beautiful day because a team no one expected to win did, together,” Breer wrote on X.
Super Bowl XXXVI was the upset victory that jumpstarted New England’s two-decade dynasty. Vrabel was part of that Patriots team that overcame the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams, despite entering the game as 14-point underdogs. Fittingly, U2 also performed the Super Bowl XXXVI Halftime Show at the Superdome in New Orleans, opening their set with “Beautiful Day.”
This is not the first time Vrabel has incorporated music into his Super Bowl preparations. During Friday’s practice at Stanford University, he sent his team to the locker room to simulate the experience of a longer halftime break. To set the tone for what to expect on Sunday, Vrabel played songs from Bad Bunny—the Sunday halftime show performer—while the players waited.
Unlike Super Bowl XXXVI, the 2025 Patriots aren’t 14-point underdogs against the Seahawks. However, Seattle enters the evening as 4.5-point favorites. Though the odds might not be in Vrabel and the Patriots’ favor, the head coach reportedly delivered a simple yet powerful message before Sunday’s showdown.
“He left players with three words on today’s plan: Belief, Identity, Rage,” Breer said.
Stay tuned as the Patriots and Seahawks battle it out on what promises to be a memorable Super Bowl day in a truly “Beautiful Day.”
https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2026/02/08/mike-vrabel-u2-super-bowl-lx-nfl-football-seattle-seahawks/