TRANSCRIPT: Mike Vrabel Interview on WEEI 8/11
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Here’s what Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had to say during his interview on WEEI on Monday on The Greg Hill Show.
On Courtney being in for Greg, who is at Nantucket:
“That’s okay. I thought he was going to Myrtle Beach and go down there and play some put-put, get some all-you-can-eat seafood. I think we should make this the best show of the year since Greg is gone, and we’ll have fun. And then when he comes back, we can go back to whatever. But let’s have a good time.”
On how things started off Friday and if he was impressed with his players, including TreVeyon Henderson who got off to a fast start:
“A good way to start. I mean, a good way to start. We’ve really moved on to the next phase, and to the next week, and to the next challenge. But I really appreciated the players’ energy and enthusiasm and excitement and obviously the execution.”
On the fact things are different with three preseason games and tyring to keep guys healthy in the practices, and what’s the one thing he’s tried to come away with from a team perspective and what he’s looking at from guys in these preseason games:
“Just how they make adjustments and how they respond to live-action, whether that’s tackling, whether that’s breaking tackles, the physicality, the finish. The overall operation, I think, from all of us, I thought was clean, which was good to see. It looked like there was an organization to what we were doing. It was a good test defensively. They didn’t huddle for most of the game. So I thought that was a good challenge to start the preseason. And substitution, we didn’t have guys running out there late on different things, or 12 men on the field, or we didn’t have operation penalties. They didn’t have to … We got close to one time down there and then called the timeout down in the low red [zone]. Probably would have gotten a snap off, but just wanted to make sure that things were good there.”
On the fact that previously there was always something ‘clunky’ and for week one of this preseason, it seemed pretty smooth all around:
“We’re trying to get a flow to our building and what everybody does and what everybody’s responsibilities are each and every day. I feel like there’s been a good flow to camp. I’ve really been blown away by the fans that have come out. I want to thank them. We’ve wrapped that up yesterday. Had a lot of people the entire camp. I thought our players did a great job of interacting with them and engaging them and trying to sign as many autographs. It’s hard after a long practice, but I felt like guys tried to engage and sign for everybody that came out.”
On the fact media seems to get too high or too low on the guys and it seems like they jump to conclusions or exaggerate what’s going on:
“You mean the media? No.”
On how much you can really learn from just a preseason practice, and if everyone is just trying to figure it out at that point:
“Yeah. I mean, again, I think you can… To that, the ups and the downs, we talked about staying off the roller coaster. You know what I mean? Roller coasters go up, they go down, they get stuck sometimes, and then you’re really in trouble. So we’re trying to stay off the roller coaster and just continue to build some consistency in what we’re doing, positively.”
“So again, people will form their own opinions based on things that happen, more so the plays that are made, maybe sometimes that the negative reaction may or may not be warranted based on what they’re seeing or what the responsibility was, what was going on in the play.”
On the fact the biggest up and down we’ve heard has been Will Campbell and how he is fairing in his mind:
“Well, continuing to improve. I thought you saw his play demeanor and style come out in the game. With protection, obviously, that’s always going to be looked to improved upon, whether you’re taking on a game or you’re staying inside out or whatever that may be. I think the thing that Will is realizing, as a lot of young players and all of us are realizing, is that there’s just different play styles and skill sets for each guy and each player that you’re going against. And that’s the big thing, is how one tight end runs routes, how one pass rusher rushes, what he’s good at, what his go-to moves are, things like that. So that’s critical to understand and be able to adjust to quickly. So he’s done that. He’s seen a lot of different players.”
On having Campbell and [Jared] Wilson over there, two rookies, on the play where they got bumped into each other a little bit and how Doug Marrone can make them understand not to panic and ‘just relax and communicate:’
“Well, the communication, I think, is something that we did talk about throughout the team, and continuing to improve that, and then helping the guy next to you. I mean, it was third and seven. Should be no shock that there was possibly a game on third and seven, whether that’s a TE, game, ET, whatever everybody calls it. That shouldn’t come as any surprise on third and seven. And making sure when you’re on the man side, that you’re able to block those and you’re able to help the guy next to you. That’s critical. If they can get the guy in the crease, and then now you get two on one. So again, it starts there. And then the quarterback being able to get rid of the football or then being able to make a great decision of just kind of taking a sack there, and we’ll punt it, and we’ll play defense.”
On the fact when it comes to the quarterback, he was clear at halftime that the fumble just can’t happen and what the communication was like with Drake Maye and as a coach, what he can do to help ensure that stops happening:
“Well, the communication is pretty much… I think it’s clear how I communicate. I tell them what I’m thinking and what needs to be said. But I think it starts with, obviously, the things that go on before that. What is happening pre-snap? What’s the situation? Confirming coverage post-snap and then making the right read with the football. But then I think the more… And those things, you don’t see that in practice, right? So you look at the preseason practices and even against Washington, if it could, ‘well, maybe that was a sack or we’re scrambling, we extend outside the pocket.’ And now there’s no… The stove isn’t hot, you don’t have to touch it. And I think in the game, we’re able to see those things. And that’s why we have preseason games, and we get those actions and understand that when you say, ‘Hey, I’m just trying to make a play,’ sometimes we can’t try to make plays because they become bad ones. And so I think he’ll learn from it and understand, ‘Okay, I’m not going to be able to play Superman all the time, and I can reserve the right to punt and help this football team, and we’ll flip the field and play defense and get another crack at it.'”
On if holding Stefon Diggs back on Friday was just out of precaution with his recovery?
“Coach’s decision.”
On the fact he talekd about tackling and breaking tackles and if it’s easy to get guys to tackle when they don’t have as much time to do it and be physical due to the new rules with pads and how they’re working on that in practice:
“I don’t think it’s the time. I think it’s just the decision to that we’re not going to go to the ground at practice. I think it’s about getting in good positions. I think it’s about working to tackle like we tackle in practice. We go in practice and we say thud, and guys go up and they stay on their feet and they hit the guy and they wrap, and then they let them run. And then everybody else hammers the ball, and we get into the game. Sometimes you don’t think of it like that, and you go diving off the diving board, you can miss tackles, and then they make you miss. Or we don’t maybe bring our feet and things that we’re doing in practice. So I think it’s just continuing to trust the way that we practice and say, ‘Hey, thud is just the same thing you’re going to do in the game. You’re just not going to take them to the ground.’ And realizing that those are good tackles in practice, then they have to translate to the game.”
On Tom Brady being a big figure and the fact he has a statue, and how he handled that with a team and if Tom spoke to the team while he was in town:
“Never said a word, and no, he didn’t.”
On one of the highlights being the running back group as a whole, Rhamondre [Stevenson] was awesome, TreVeyon [Henderson] looked spectacular, even Antonio Gibson had some good moments, and what dynamics they bring being versatile to interchange them throughout the game:
“Well, I think you saw the impact that both of them can make on kickoff return. If that play is going to be as important as we think it is, forcing teams to really now make a decision, are they going to give it to us on the 35, or do we have two guys back there that can really be weapons? You saw what that unit was able to do. I’m excited about that. We have to be able to block and do those things without penalties, but certainly have some guys back there that can change the game from that standpoint, offensively, then you add in Rhamondre, who did run hard, he’s got receiving skills. I think they’re willing to protect. I thought that they got off to a start with how they ran and their physicality. Sometimes we’re just going to continue to coach and teach and show them all the opportunities where the ball may be in jeopardy. There’s one thing about making extra yards and trying to run hard. You just can’t do it with the ball loose and with the ball exposed.”
On players and coaches talking about Drake Maye and the jump from last season when it comes to leadership and confidence and what he sees out of him and what he expects to see from him this season:
“Well, I mean, the expectations that he’s leading this football team, that’s what the job of the head coach and the quarterback is. That’s pretty much how this thing goes. And that can’t take days off. I mean, sometimes the performance isn’t going to be extraordinary, but the leadership and the demeanor has to be. And I think he’s learning that. I love the fact that he’s willing to learn and push and try to do those things to where he’s demanding of everybody and making sure that everybody’s on the same page.”
On how important it is to have a coach that can help develop players and the type of advantage it is having someone like Josh McDaniels for Maye to be not only his playcaller, but someone who can help him develop:
“Well, certainly, it’s key to coaching, and things that we asked our coaches to do is just try to develop players. I think that the one thing that’s important is, yeah, you want to use testimonial of other players, but you also have to be careful kind of how you frame it, right? And making sure that it’s similar and that they can see the similarities, and maybe who you’re trying to use as an example, right? And just different players that he’s coached and not just Tom, per se, but the development of other young quarterbacks through this system, I think, can be very beneficial.”
On the decision to move on from Joe Milton and the importance of giving Drake Maye the runway to be a leader and take ownership of the quarterback room and if he can walk us through the decision-making on why the organization thought it was best to bring in [Josh] Dobbs and move on from Joe Milton:
“Just another coach’s decision. I felt like this is what was best for our team, trying to do what’s best for the team.”
On the reports in camp that he was running them soft and if he laughs at those people and what he would say to those people:
“Again, I think there’s a plan. There’s a practice plan. I hope that people could watch the game and not use the word soft when they watch us play. So I don’t know. I mean, you guys just got done basically throwing a bunch of flowers at our play demeanor and how hard guys ran and how we finished. So again, I think that there’s a plan to everything. Big week here for us. So looking at two practices, today, two practices in Minnesota and a game. So a lot of this is by design as far as when we try to ramp up in the days before, I mean leading up to pretty unique schedule with the scrimmage on Friday, and then Washington coming in. There’s a day off that you have to give them every seven days, and then wanted to try to have them tuned up and ready to go for Washington.”
“So some of those walk-through days where we’re still trying to get a bunch of plays in and split the teams up and everybody’s working. They only work if we get something out of them. And if I felt like they weren’t taking advantage of them, then we would have to adjust the schedule. That was my conversation with the players. I felt like they did exactly what I needed them to do in those days. And then the other days we worked, then I felt like we’ve been working.”
On the fact he jumped in the fray, and that he might want to be careful jumping in with some of the young kids:
“Well, just because you’d be back in the back, hiding.”
I’d be back pulling people out [Wiggy]:
“You’d be back in the back, hiding. You know what I mean? Run to the roar. I mean, some guys run into the fire, other guys stand back there and wait for people to put it out.”
On when he starts to look at the culture he’s trying to create, what his mindset is and if there’s an expectation he’s set:
“I think it’s just figure out what this organization needs and what this team needs each and every day, and then help to accomplish that and help the people that we have here, how I can help them do their job better, and figuring out what that is, and having a great pulse of the team and what we need and how we need to prepare to win each and every week, what that looks like.”
On the fact they’re hoping to do these interviews in person and if he likes that or prefers to call in:
“I think this works out perfectly. I’m watching film right here in the office, so this is lovely.”
On if he can grade the Brady statue:
“I would say it’s good. I thought, again, those are hard. I would say that those are hard. I think that it’s impressive and it’s well-deserved. And so now you’d have to change it up. You’d have to have some sunglasses on and some fancy shirt if they did that now, and they made a statue of him now. I think it was a very good representation of Tom coming off the field.”
On his face being handsome and his face looking good:
“It’s all Courtney cares about.”
(Editor’s Note: This transcript is done via the available footage and is subject to typos. If you spot something, please take a moment to let me know in the comments below.)
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