Here’s what Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss had to say during his press conference on Friday, July 25, 2025.
On if everything’s good:
“Mm-hmm. Family, three boys are all golden. Yeah, we’re good.”
On how training camp has been here:
“I think it’s definitely different than… Because when I first got in the league, it was, we were in pads, I almost felt like the third day. Maybe that was just me being a rookie, but now being a vet, getting used to it, it’s not bad.”
On if because he has three boys, if training camp is a breeze:
“Oh, yeah. Three boys, they have high motors, I’m chasing them around all the time. Camp is nothing compared to that.”
On how much he likes this group:
“I love this group. It’s a bunch of good guys, a bunch of amazing coaches, guys who just want to win. Not a lot of stuff going on. In between plays, arguing on any of that. No, we get it fixed, we move on. And that’s something that you can’t speak highly enough about.”
On how much Mike Vrabel talks to them:
“Every day. We have to stay mentally aware. We got to make sure that if he does ask us, we answer the right way, or else it’s not only shame on you, but it’s shame on your whole position group.”
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On if there’s an example of something he’s asked him or any experience with that:
“Yeah. I mean, he does it all the time. He does it all the time. Off the top of my head, he will ask me about scheme stuff. That’s not something I want to get into with you guys, but he does ask.”
On what it’s been like working with Robert Spillane and getting to know him:
“Yeah, Spills is awesome. Spills is fun. He’s very opinionated. He’s very driven. He’s very eccentric. He’s just a good guy to be around, and I can’t speak highly enough about him.”
On if he’s taken him down the road of some of the unorthodox things he does to get ready:
“Yeah, no. Every single time we talk about our pre-practice stuff, he’s out here, he’s like a golden retriever. He’s just high energy. He’s fun to be around. He’s just someone you love. He’s someone that, honestly, you play your heart out for. He’s someone that’s going to bring this defense together.”
On how much he appreciates a guy like that, since he seems like someone he’ll remember when he looks back on his career a year from now, he’ll be like ‘I remember playing with him:’
“Yeah, and he’s extremely smart. That’s why I think a lot of people… People do know that, but it’s something I want to emphasize. It’s just his intelligence with the game, knowing schematics, knowing technique, knowing everything. Even when I’m out there covering someone man to man, he’s giving me tidbits and the things that I can learn from them. I’m like, ‘You know what? I didn’t think about that, actually.’ So Spills is an awesome, awesome leader for this defense.”
On the fact he’s seen a lot of time on defense and if that’s anything that’s a little bit different for him this summer:
“My preparation to the game never changes. I think that’s what allowed me to get to this point. God gave me my ability, and I’m just trying to maximize it. So my preparation did not change, knowing that I would have a bigger role on defense.”
On the fact he had the opportunity to go elsewhere and what it meant that the Patriots matched the offer to bring him here:
“No, the organization, the front office, they believe in me. It’s something that I want to repay. I want to put out for them. I want to make plays for them. It means a lot to me and my family.”
On how different the defense is here:
“It’s very black and white. So, it’s a lot of you know your job, you know your role. They tell you how it is. They tell you what you want to do. It’s not a lot of guessing. We have freedom to go make plays. We have freedom to go do what we need to do as professionals. But my praise for the coaches in this defense is that they tell us what we do, and we do it.”
On what he means by Black and White:
“Black and white means, it’s just it’s clear. It’s clear as day. They let us know what to do.”
On how he walks the line of black and white and also playing free:
“I think it just comes with time. It comes with the game. It comes with the play. Every play is going to be different. Every moment is going to be different. You do your job first and foremost, you make the play, and then you take the play that comes with you.”
On the fact Mike Vrabel mentioned that versatility was something he values in his linebackers and how he sees himself fitting in:
“Yeah, I think I can pass rush, I can cover. God’s given me so many gifts that I can use. So, I see myself that way, and I see myself as a tool that they can use in whatever situation they want.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
