Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had to say during his interview with the media on Monday, December 8, 2025:
On how much things have changed since the last time they played Buffalo, and if that film from that game is still viable for them:
“Well, I think it’s always viable. There’s a lot that’s changed. But I think you can kind of see some of the play styles, matchups, things that they may come back to or things that we need to be more prepared for, and then kind of use that as a place to go from. Then, again, some of the things that they’ve done really well, I’m sure they’ll continue to do and add wrinkles. It’s a great challenge.”
On if he emphasizes or bring up “a hat and T-shirt game” this week for his team:
“No, I don’t use the hat and T-shirt. We’re just trying to play for the Championship that we have available this week. I think it’s a great testament to our players that have put us in this position to be able to do that. Again, that’s not going to be easy. This is a very good football team. There’s a reason that they’ve won this division five years in a row. A lot of respect for them. They’re never out of it, never down. They may be down, and just like last week, it’s a football team that understands that somebody’s going to make a play, and then the quarterback is going to give them a chance to the very end.”
On the fact he’s 6-0 as a head coach coming off the bye with the understanding that it’s different years, different teams, different opponents, all that, and if there are any commonalities when it comes to player focus:
“I think that these guys have played well and that’s the most important thing is focusing on what we can realistically try to improve and kind of enhance the stuff that we’ve been doing okay with, is what we’ll try to do today. I know these guys got some rest, much-needed rest, but we got to crank this thing back up.”
On the bye being so late in the year, and if he learned just a little bit about yourself as a self-scout, or if there are things that he can look back on, and if there are things they need to do more:
“I mean, I think you kind of know by the way that the season is going, but it’s always a good time to take a look at what you’ve done and what they’re looking at analytically and try to figure some of that out or just say, ‘Hey, this is a staple of who we are, and this is what we’re going to do,’ and try to be good at it.”
On the fact he mentioned before the bye that he was expecting some players back after this week, and if he has any injury updates on specific players:
“Yeah, some of those guys may practice today. I think for sure, Wednesday. Some of those guys that weren’t available, we’ll kind of just see where they’re at today. But I think we’ll be okay come Wednesday.”
On the fact the team has relied a lot on rookies this year, and what went right in the pre-draft process that brought in the solid group:
“I think we’ll get into the player evaluation, and scouting, and principals, and all that stuff later. I think you have to rely on young guys that you draft. Hopefully, you can develop them and have them ready. Some of them have played a larger role than others, and some of them were kind of coming on, and that they understand their role, that they have confidence, and continue to improve. I think by and large, the group has done that. We’ll need a lot more from them as we move on, as we continue, especially this week. And then we can talk about how we target players and things like that later.”
On the fact he has experience as a player and a coach. With the red zone offense, what are some of the common threads he’s seen over the years that make a successful red zone offense, other than obvious scoring, touchdowns:
“You have to have positive plays. You can’t go backwards. You can’t have penalties that derail drives. Precision is critical. That space is limited. Things happen so much quicker down there. So we’ll have to score and turn those opportunities into touchdowns, and we’ll have to do a better job defensively when they do get down there.”
On the fact that when Drake [Maye] was first drafted, there were a lot of comparisons made to Josh Allen and now that things have played out a bit, if he sees them being more similar or dissimilar in how they approach the game:
“I think they’re both really good at what they do. Josh probably has got a couple of Lbs on him and can throw his shoulder in there probably a little bit more than I would want Drake to. But I think they’re both great competitors. I think … got a lot of respect for Josh and just his ability to make something out of nothing. I have enjoyed watching Drake’s growth here, but I’m not going to say one’s a certain way and one’s the other. Just a huge challenge going against a quarterback that’s under control, he’s got command, and he doesn’t look panicked or rattled, and when you rush him or gets them into the right play call, whatever that may be. Just an excellent, obviously, MVP quarterback.”
On the fact they’re playing for a division Championship this weekend and the fact he referred to his players, both in front of [the media], and then with them after the game on Monday as ‘champions.’ Or ‘you competed like champions.’ ‘Champions are never satisfied.’ And why use that word with referring to his team:
“I think you’re probably just reading too much into it. You guys got too much time since the last time we talked. I don’t know. I apologize. I could call them something else, but then you guys would yell at me for using that language.”
On the trend league-wide of teams posting after a win, the head coach’s locker room thing…
“It’s a lot of pressure.”
…And if it’s changed his mindset at all? Like going in there, knowing that fans are going to see everything he does and says:
“Well, they don’t. I get the final say on that. You know what I mean? Like, Stretch can edit that to make it look as good as we want. Here’s what I do. I think that our content team does a fantastic job, and the content teams across the league, to bring our fans really great access, something that’s inside the locker room as quickly as they can get that turned around. And so I appreciate what they do. I think it’s fantastic. I don’t give it much thought until I need to start thinking about it because I don’t want to look ridiculous. I’m glad that they’ve given me plenty of opportunities to have some excitement in there. That’s what I appreciate the most is from the players giving us an opportunity, and then the content team to continue to deliver really authentic content to our fans.”
On if he watches any other coaches and how they do it:
“No. I’m not taking my shirt off. I can promise you that.”
On if he practices in his office:
“No, I’ve not practiced in the office.”
On the fact some coaches might not care if the fans have access to that stuff, and why it’s important to him for the fans to have a coach …
“We’re in the entertainment business. It’s a large part of what we do. I think that that’s important, that our fans have some connection to our team, to be able to come out here to training camp starting in July. I think that’s important. I think it’s important that our fans can come into the stadium and watch a scrimmage. I think it’s important that, again, they have things to cheer about on Sundays, and when we play, I think it’s important that they see our players in the community that, not only as players, but men trying to make a difference and trying to make an impact and help. So the more that we can do and the more that we can share with our fans, the better.”
On the fact the strength of the wide receiver unit is the unit, and why it’s so important to spread the ball around against the defense:
“I think just so that they can’t sit there and key on one guy or say, ‘No, this is where it’s going.’ I think that’s the way that the group is built. Some other years, it may be different, but that’s what it is this year, and that’s what I think is best for us, and that’s kind of what it’s proven to be.”
On those locker room moments and the fact we’ve heard him differentiate between ‘motivate’ and ‘inspire,’ and that his job is really the latter, not the former, and if those are moments where he can inspire guys, or does that happen at a different time?
“I don’t know if that’s very inspiring. I’m sure they’re looking to get a shower and get the hell out of there. I would imagine that they want that short and sweet. At least I would always want that. That game day is a long day. Starts early, especially the night games. There are some things I say to them before leading up to the game, and that plays out, and it plays true. Then I try to remind them and thank them for understanding what it is we were trying to get done.”
(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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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.
