SAN JOSE, Calif. — As the Patriots and Seahawks stalled in their rebuilds, both organizations needed a jolt. The Patriots craved an authoritative voice after coach Jerod Mayo appeared to be in over his head, and the Seahawks sought someone who could reinvigorate what had been a well-run operation under Pete Carroll.They found answers — very different ones, personality-wise — in Mike Vrabel and Mike Macdonald.The hardnosed ferocity Vrabel showed as a Patriots linebacker was instrumental in leading them to a division title in his first season as coach after they went 4-13 each of the last two. Macdonald’s more understated, businesslike tone landed well with the Seahawks, too, as they steered out of their rut by jumping from 10-7 in his first season to 14-3.Both approaches worked wonderfully, and Vrabel and Macdonald will square off Sunday in Super Bowl LX.“It’s all very matter of fact,” Seahawks safety Julian Love said of Macdonald’s style. “He doesn’t like to make grandeur out of everything. He’ll say, ‘Who do we play next and what time do we play?’ And then we all, in team meetings, constantly, say, ‘We do not care.’ That mindset is how we are as a team.”And Vrabel?“He’s a tough dude,” Love said. “He expresses that in a certain way, and it shows up in their team.”The evidence of effective messaging comes when players adopt it as their own.The Seahawks boarded their flight to California wearing shirts that said, “We do not care,” and the Patriots have echoed Vrabel’s…
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