INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Vrabel knows he and his staff have a lot of work to do. He knows the issues on their roster aren’t going to be resolved overnight.

But, speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine, he also showed some urgency when detailing the big-picture goals he has laid out for the Patriots during his tenure as head coach. 

Is the task at hand for him a long-term rebuild, or is he hoping for a more rapid rate of improvement?

“We have to improve,” he said Tuesday. “I think that’s the goal. Our expectations aren’t going to change. It’s going to be to win the division. It’s going to be to host home playoff games. It’s going to be to compete for championships. We’re never going to put a timetable or any sort of prediction on when that may happen. But it has to happen, and it’s going to start April 7 when our guys come in. 

“We’re going to have a program. We’re going to build a foundation. We’re going to give them something to believe in and be proud of. Hopefully they’re able to hold each other accountable and to that standard. If not, my job is to protect the football team.”

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The Patriots have made the postseason twice since winning the Super Bowl at the end of the 2018 campaign, in 2019 and 2021. They’ve had one winning record in the last five seasons, and they’ve won just four games in each of the last two years.

Though the cupboard is near-bare from a talent standpoint — quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez are their two healthy blue-chippers — Vrabel made it clear that, like fans, he doesn’t necessarily have the appetite for a long-developing rebuild. 

Even if there are people out there who believe that should be the realistic expectation based on the state of the roster.

“I don’t think anybody has a longer appetite,” he said. “We all want to win. That’s why we’re here. That’s why I got hired. It’s to win, to put a product on the field they can be excited about, that they can care about, and they can support. That’s the whole goal. 

“They shouldn’t have to wait very long. We also have to understand we’re not going to fix every issue on the first day of free agency. We’re not going to fill every hole on the first or second day of the draft.”

Therein lies the rub. 

Fixing things personnel-wise in one offseason can’t be the expectation. But early in his tenure as head coach, Vrabel has clearly stated his goals for the Patriots. And from the sounds of it, he’s not going to be comfortable waiting very long to see those goals achieved.