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FOXBORO — One of the stars of the Patriots’ preseason opener probably wouldn’t even be on the roster if head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t deliver a personal message last season. Safety John Saunders Jr. joined the Patriots last October when he was signed to the 53-man roster off of the Dolphins’ practice squad. Players signed off another team’s practice squad must take up a spot on the 53-man roster for three weeks, and Saunders was waived after that trial period. When Saunders, who intercepted a pass in Thursday’s 13-13 tie with the Colts, was re-signed to the Patriots’ practice squad, Vrabel gave the young safety a directive. “We just asked him to practice a little better and use practice,” Vrabel said Saturday. “We talked about those days where we’re letting the show team go and letting them try to really improve throughout the season. “When John was back, we just said, ‘Hey, you have to practice better. You have to have better practice habits. That’s the only place you’re going to get your reps.'” Saunders took it to heart. “It got to the point where we had to dial him back where he was blitzing or tackling, and I was like, ‘This is great.’ And I think he used those examples in practice to improve, and mentally he’s kept working, and it’s been great to see him show up and get into that competition,” Vrabel said. Saunders is back in the mix for a 53-man roster spot and has even seen some reps with the first-team defense in the third week of training camp. Kevin Byard and Craig Woodson are starters, and Dell Pettus has primarily been used in the third safety spot. That leaves Saunders competing with Mike Brown, Peter Manuma and Eric Butler for the fourth safety spot ahead of special-teams ace and emergency defender Brenden Schooler. “Oh man, it was real motivational for me because I came in here like halfway through the season, and it was just like, I didn’t realize how hard they practice up here,” Saunders said Saturday. “And then once he told me that, then I start going a lot harder to make sure to show them that I belong here. “It was like, ‘OK, I’ll show you during practice.’ Like, I could play way harder, and then he told me to like dial it back a little bit after that. So it was just good to get that feedback and just build from it.” So, what was Saunders doing when Vrabel had to ask him to tone it down? “I was just trying to cause havoc out there because once he told me that, I was like, ‘All right, I’ll show you. I can practice way harder,'” Saunders said. Saunders, who’s 6-foot-2, 211 pounds, began his college career as a cornerback at Miami (OH) before moving to safety at Ole Miss.