TRANSCRIPT: Mike Vrabel’s Press Conference 9/26
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Here’s what Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had to say during his press conference on Friday, September 26, 2025.
OPENING STATEMENT:
“Okay, just with the inactives or, excuse me, the injury designations, Jared Wilson will be out. K’Lavon Chaisson will be questionable. Christian Gonzales will be questionable, and Mike Onwenu will be questionable. So that’ll cover that.”
“The other thing is this week is Crucial Catch. And I, unfortunately, I have to tell you that Terrell Williams was determined to have prostate cancer and is in the process of treatment, meeting with specialists, and figuring out the best plan of attack to be able to attack this and heal it and fix it and allow him to get back to better health. You know how much Terrell means to me personally and to the people on this football team. So again, we want to send our regards and just publicly let everybody know that’s what he’s dealing with. When he’s ready to talk, he’ll talk on his behalf. But I wanted to let you know that’s what was going on.”
“So we’ll continue as we have been with Zak Kuhr calling the defenses. I felt like that went well. I think the communication through the week, the organization hasn’t missed a beat whatsoever. I think those guys are doing a great job over there. Vinny DePalma is helping as he progresses to working with the linebackers, and he was doing that role anyway. Again, really comfortable with where we’re at and how we’re operating. But just our thoughts and prayers and ‘T’ knows all this, we talk all the time, but just that are with him. His family has been through a lot, and we care about him. OK? That’s all I got for announcements.”
On if Terrell [Williams] will be treated here:
“I think that would be the plan. I don’t know if you could get any better anywhere else, but our medical staff and people in this town have been fantastic to help him and get him started with that process.”
On the fact he has a clear level of affection for him that goes back a ways and if he can share anything on that:
“I mean, this a hard business. This is tough. There’s a lot of dynamics that go to this. You guys have been spoiled. You guys had Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for 20 years. Let me just tell you, that’s fantasy land. We can call it what it is. When you do this, you got to have people that you trust, implicitly, that are loyal. He’s been that. When you get into a s*** storm, like you do during the season and things and teams and rosters, he has an ability, again, to reach everybody. It always kept me in perspective. Very few people … was always willing to share his thoughts with me as if I needed a guardrail. Again, going through this thing for the first time and having guys like him with me, I’m very conscious of their ability to help me do my job and to help the team.”
On who he plans to start at running back:
“We have different packages. I’m sure, if we go, I don’t know what the first package is, but if you’re asking me if Rhamondre [Stevenson] is on some discipline, no. The discipline is we need our best players to play in the game and do their job and take care of football, and we all have to do that. And so, Drake had an interception and a fumble. We’re not going to play Josh [Dobbs] right now. So we have to fix those things. The people around them have to be better, and I’m confident that we will. And if it continues to… I’m not going to talk about the alternative. I’ll go down that road later. But those are things that we have to get fixed, but we also have to do good things with football and make people miss and make yards and catch it and block when they blitz. We’re confident that those guys can do that.”
On the level of confidence in Ben Brown with Jared Wilson out:
“High. You know what I mean? Ben’s here because we believe in him. He’s worked at center, he’s worked at guard through camp. Again, he’ll compete and excited to see him play. Everybody’s here for a reason. Take advantage of your opportunity, and I’m sure that Ben will do that.”
On Terrell, some of the assistants shared yesterday he’s been around and provides input, and if he expects him to be-
“As much as he can, and again, that would be speculation based on how he feels and based on what those treatments entail. I can’t tell you what it’s going to look like because I’m not sure. That’s really where it is. If he feels good enough to come in and contribute and to be able to add value, then that’s what we want. We want him to be able to do that.”
On Joshua Dobbs, from a roster-building perspective, what in his eyes makes for a good backup quarterback?
“One that can challenge, I think, but support and be able to have that role of being a sounding board, being able to provide assistance to the starting quarterback, and one that obviously can go in and execute when called upon and have to go start and play. You want to make sure that that’s also a part of it.”
“It’s a unique dynamic being able to manage different personalities with the offensive staff or with the quarterback. Josh has done that, and he’s done it pretty well.”
On how Christian Gonzalez has looked over the course of the week:
“I think he’s taken all the reps. Most of the reps, I think he’s continued to get into better condition. We’ll see how he responds from today, from the speed work today. Then we’ll go and make a decision that is best for him and best for the football team.
On the fact Mike Onwenu was not on the injury report, and if this is something that popped up:
“Yeah, nothing… We have to do it just for the sake of doing it and making sure that we’re following the rules.”
On the fact Khyris Tonga has made plays each time that he’s got an opportunity and if he’s been what he expected when they signed him, or has he been more than what he wanted:
“I don’t know. I didn’t really know Khyris. I love him as a person. I love everything about him as a person. I think he probably moves better than what I thought. I think just from watching the tape from Arizona, I think he moved better, and we have to get him out there. He’s factored. I like him as a person, and I think when he’s been out there, which we increased his snaps, and we’ll continue to increase his snaps, he’s done a good job for us.”
On what he made of Ted McMillon pre-draft?
“I don’t know. I don’t know really where that stands… He’s not on our team anymore. Again, I told you about him. I think he was athletic. It was fun watching his tape. Plenty of targets, athletic. Good body control for a player that size. He’s a smooth mover. When you talk about catching the ball outside the frame of your body, not fighting it, I thought that was something that he did really well.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This transcript was done based on the available footage and is subject to typographical errors. If you spot anything, please let me know in the comments below.)
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Wishing Terrell Williams well.
Gonzalez: “Has taken all the reps” but is listed as “Limited” all week. That doesn’t compute to me. Nice if he’s back, even for a limited snap count. Need him for BUFF next week.