TRANSCRIPT: Mike Vrabel’s Press Conference 10/1
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Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had to say during his press conference on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
On the fact all eyes are going to be on him and his team Sunday night, and if he enjoys the primetime spotlight:
“I think if you want to get to where you want to get to, I think you certainly better enjoy it, better enjoy playing in primetime games. That’s something that we’re trying to prepare for right now. I think that certainly it’ll be a huge challenge. The last time they lost at home was 14 games ago. We’re well aware of that and have to do a lot of really good things to give ourselves a chance. Playing good football. They’re playing clean football. They’re not beating themselv”es. They’re doing a nice job in all phases.
On the fact he faced up against Josh Allen in the the first five years of his career, and what his development from year one to when he saw him from year three to five and, how impressive was that, and there’s anything him or anyone else can take away from how he grew as a player:
“Well, I think he realized that he’s got immense talent, and I think he’s done a much greater job, better job of taking care of football. And really, that’s been the big difference for me, just watching it from afar. A few years ago, he was forcing things in the red zone, and that led to some turnovers, some interceptions. And now, I think he just has a greater understanding of taking care of the football in those situations, and they’re still scoring touchdowns.”
On if he has an update on Jahlani Tavai and if he expects him to be out there this week:
“I expect him to practice, yes. I don’t have an update on the game, but he will return to play and practice.”
On how he finds that balance when you’re trying to defend a quarterback like Josh Allen, and the fact they want to have a penetrative defensive front, but also maintain gap discipline:
“Well, there’s always going to be gap an extra in there unless you send two guys, right? There’s a gap somewhere in there. If you rush four, there’s a gap in there if you rush five. But again, I think that it’s just good coordinated, relentless coordinated rush. Even when guys are free, he makes them miss. He spins or he’ll extend out past the numbers to the red line and continue to make plays down the field, or heaven forbid, he scrambles up the middle and makes a move on a guy like he’s done in the past in the last couple of weeks, or breaks the stiff arm out. So again, it’s a huge challenge any time that he’s carrying the football. Then obviously, the accuracy and the timing that he’s had throwing the football will be something that we’ll have to work on.”
On what’s allowed James Cook in this Buffalo run game to have so much success and what are the keys to trying to contain them this week:
“Because he’s a good player. They got good guys blocking for him. The tight ends have done a really nice job. Then I think his vision, his patience, and burst. Everybody’s at the point of attack. He runs where you’re not. If you have bad discipline or you don’t chase your gap when it’s moving away from you, he’s going to come back and find it. So he’s really been a nice back for them and it’s just taking care of the football with the amount of carries that he’s had.”
On the fact the Bills seem to embrace the heavy personnel more than anybody. Last year was the extra offensive linemen. This year, they’re using [Jackson] Hawes in that role, but it’s 22… The league averages three, about three snaps a game for 22 personnel, and they’re in the 13, 14 range, and what challenges that presents for his team:
“Well, not only the 22 personnel, the 13 personnel, that those are basically heavier personnel. They do a nice job of having a run plan each week out of it that they like and that they think is going to give them success, but then also still having the ability to keep the route integrity and running some of the stuff out of that with [Dalton] Kincaid and [Dawskon] Knox and being able to do all those things that they would do out of other personnel groups.”
On the fact it seems as if with Josh Allen, the Bills embraced really quickly the notion that, ‘Hey, he’s going to run, he’s going to make mistakes, he’s going to be a little bit of a wild stallion, let’s do that,’ and he’s now come out the other side of it. And with Drake, he’s very much stressed, ‘Let’s be a passer first’ and if he anticipates over the course of time that he would become more of a potent runner and embracing it the way that Allen does:
“I don’t know if I necessarily agree with that. I think that we want Drake to play quarterback, and that’s to work the progression and work the scheme of the play, and then, I’ve never said not to run and just to protect himself and to protect the ball. So I don’t necessarily agree with that. And then with Josh Allen, I think he’s going to play quarterback how he feels like it gives him the best chance to win and lead his team to victory each week, which has been pretty successful.”
On if his this athletic skill set, the size, the speed, the power that he uses, if it’s like [Steve] McNair, or [Ben] Roethlisberger], and the fact he’s bigger than that…
“Not into comparisons. I think that he’s a very, very good athlete. I think he loves football. I think he’s got an energy to him. And there’s a willingness to run. Certainly, contact courage, doesn’t lack any of that. It’s like Wild Cat when they choose to run him on design runs.”
On without getting into the one-for-one comparison, if his skillset as difficult to defend as maybe any other quarterback he played or coached against:
“It will be this week. It’ll be the toughest challenge this week. But again, the reason that he’s up there in the MVP every year and that his teams are very successful. Got a lot of respect for him, and he knows that.”
On, with four games under his belt now, how far along does he feel like he is in identifying the consistent strengths of the team week to week, and if it’s where he expected it to be:
“I didn’t really have many expectations, just because you never really know. I think we’re just trying to do it each and every week, and we have to continue to build that and practice that. But it’s a good reminder that when we can do those things, that we can have success, and we give ourselves a chance to win.”
On being in a big moment in the spotlight on a Sunday night, if he relishes the opportunity to go into a place like Buffalo where they’ve had so much success and the crowd is so into it:
“Sure. I think you have to. One, we don’t have any other choice, but I think you have to. I think it’s important that we can take the next step and show that we are ready and that maybe some of our identity has a chance to let itself out on Sunday night. But it’ll be a great challenge. It’ll be a challenge to even just prepare today and get going and focus on all those things that are going to help us in the road environment.”
On the fact historically, Todd Downing has done a lot of work in the red zone for the other teams he worked with and where has his work shown up there for his team, if at all:
“Same. You know what I mean? It’s the same. I like to go in and talk with Todd and Thomas and get some preliminary thoughts and some things that we may like, and then be able to present it to Josh as we work through the week. Those guys are as involved as they always have been.”
On how he assesses his depth at safety, and if he needed to tap into that, if there’s anyone in that corner room that might have some flexibility to play back there:
“I haven’t thought about… I don’t think we’ve thought about taking any corners and making them safeties just yet.”
On what’s made the Bills’ pass defense as effective as it’s been, and the fact they’re number one in the league in yards per pass:
“Very sound. They’re great vision and break players. They got some guys on the corner, on the edge that have some length. Backers are fast, they’re instinctive, and the safeties do a great job of disguising. Then once the route declares being able to match it and play it, they’ve done a really nice job. They stay multiple, proficient in a lot of different coverages, and they mix it up on you.”
On if they’re trying to keep things in front for the most part, and the fact it seems like there haven’t been a lot of deep passes:
“I think that’s probably fair, but it’s not like they’re playing cover two extensively. There’s a lot of post-safety, and they get into their quarters, and then they blitz different people off of it. But it’s a very sound and instinctive defense with guys that trigger, and when it gets thrown short, they do a great of breaking and vice tackling and not missing a whole lot of tackles when the quarterback decides to check it down.”
On the fact that they’ve been rotating at linebacker over the last couple of weeks, and if he sees that continuing, or if he’d prefer to stick with one guy:
“I don’t mind rotating. I think that everybody’s just trying to help us out. We got a lot of guys that play special teams. We got guys that play rate in there on defense. We play a lot of different skill players offensively. I think that that can be a good balance.”
On the fact this will be his last visit to Buffalo unless they go back in the postseason. What are your recollections of that stadium, that environment, and if he really, really loved the visitor’s locker room:
“Yeah. Wasn’t it Ralph Wilson Stadium?”
Yes.
“Yeah, I think, again, I love the ride up. I love the passionate fans and coming up into that thing and driving down the road and seeing the same things you saw for 20 years being in this league. So it’s a great sports town, and we’re excited to go there on Sunday night.”
(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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