TRANSCRIPT: Mike Vrabel on WEEI 12/14
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Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had to say during his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show on Monday, December 15, 2025.
Greg Hill: Well, you said it postgame, you needed 60 minutes, and you didn’t get 60 minutes.
“No, we did not. But we got to pick up the pieces and figure out how to win another game here this week.”
GH: You say no naps. Was that a nap?
“No. I mean, again … They made plays, and the quarterback, the field position, we couldn’t get turnovers. We got a third down stop, and then they convert on fourth down, a big X-play, and whatever it was, penalty, X-play, whatever. We had talked about there were going to be some times in the game where we were going to have to make the play. When that came up, we needed to make it. There were times where we did, and then, unfortunately, times where we didn’t. We didn’t in the second half and knew that we were going to need to be better than what we were in the red zone. That’s concerning. We have to force teams to kick field goals when they do drive it on us.”
GH: You and Wiggy played the game. You coached the game. I just watched the game from a fan perspective. But it seemed like watching in that way, defense was able to disrupt Josh Allen pretty well first half, second half, not so much. Was there a different approach there? Were you more conservative?
“No, not a different approach. To be able to pressure him on third down, you have to create third-and-longs. We did that and got off the field. They missed a couple. Then, like I just said, we had second-and-10 a few times and didn’t do well enough. He extended and scrambled and just wanted to try to mix it up like we talked about before the game, and being able to blitz him sometimes, play some zone, and play some man, and try to spy them.
Jermaine Wiggins: Mike, one of the things that you probably talk about with your team, and you talked a little bit about after the game, is why Josh Allen is such a good quarterback. But the one area that you guys have been relatively good has been your special teams. You had two huge returns, one was a penalty. If you’re going to make a guy like Josh Allen score and you at least make him go the length of the field, what were some of the things that you said to the special teams group about those big plays that they gave?
“Well, we knew that that was going to be a challenge. He had a 98-yard touchdown against the Texans. He was averaging, whatever they was, a good average, top six or seven in the league. Listen, we knew that they were going to clamp you, and they were going to… It’s only a penalty or a holding if they call it. If they clamp you and we don’t do enough to show the separation and the restriction at the point of attack, then that’s what’s going to happen. We have to do a better job of creating disruption, but also not just running into guys and making sure that the lanes are filled and they had a couple of double teams, and then the guys that aren’t doubled have to show up. So that’s been a strength of ours, and certainly covering kicks has been. It wasn’t yesterday. So we have to get back to that unit, helping us and keeping teams starting at the 30-yard line.”
Courtney: Drake came out so hot yesterday, and then in the second half, things kind of fell off a bit. What was the main difference in your mind from the first half to the second for him?
“Well, I think just being able to get to get the first first down and get into drives. We came up short a little bit there, and they played a little bit of man against us. We have to be able to separate and protect. We just never really got into enough drives in the second half.”
Curtis: It just felt like the possession of the momentum of the entire game just felt like it couldn’t stop in the Bills’ favor. And then the first half, the offense had such great play calls. The double pass, he had an excellent plan for the Bills, and that felt like it totally went out the window in the second half.
“You can only run so many double passes that gain 13 yards. You know what I mean? That’s cool, and it’s cute. But you can only run so many of those before. … Again, you can only dial up so many of those. I’m not going to sit here. I’ve never really tried to second-guess the play calling. I always think that the best plays are ones that are decisive and that the players know that they trust. Obviously, there’s some better ones, but I don’t think there’s a perfect call. We get back, and we look at it, and I’m sure there’s always going to be some ones that we’re going to want to have back. We had it first and 10 at midfield, second and 10. Then the penalty, it’s third and five, it’s third and 10, and it’s third and 25. It’s just like, That’s not us. I don’t know what play call is going to fix that. But I do always understand that there’s a great balance between the play call and the execution, and obviously the decisions that we make. There were times along the game that all three of those were really good. Then there was times in the game where those really didn’t align, and they weren’t very good. And so that’s on all of us. That’s on the coaching, that’s on the players. I’ve always been in this, and it starts with me. I know that that sounds cliché, but we want to have the balance in the players’ trust what we’re calling, and that the coaches trust the players, and the players trust each other to do their job.”
Curtis: Is there a back and forth in-game in terms of play calls? Are you on a splitter where if Josh calls something in, you could jump in, or is that Josh?
“I think what I’ve always tried to do, I am responsible for everything that gets called. But I’ve also learned that if I don’t make a suggestion before they spot the ball, that’s really hard to do on a play caller, that we have multiple personnel groups, offensively or defensively. And so for me to say when he says, I’m not going to get into the personnel groups, or let’s say it’s a two tight-end grouping with two wide receivers in a back, and all of a sudden he calls for that, and I say that I want another play that’s out of another personnel group. Now we’ve got guys running out to the field. So again, I’m all for making suggestions, but I’ve learned that my suggestions need to be done before they spot the ball. And that may be, ‘Hey, let’s run it here out of big people,’ or, ‘Hey, let’s spread them out,’ or whatever it may be. But I always try to make that, and I think I’ve learned. I used to do that probably too much in Tennessee, where it was too late, and then it’s causing this panic in the play clock. So I’m all for making suggestions. I just have to try to do it before they spot the football in order to give the play call or a chance to get a grouping in there and a play in there for the players.”
GH: It’s like on this show when we need to go to a commercial break and Wiggy starts a story.
Jermaine Wiggins: I’m such a good storyteller.
GH: It could go on for hours.
“Did you just say you’re such a good storyteller?”
JW: Yeah.
“I like it. Self-proclaimed.”
JW: I mean, at least they’re good stories to me. I can’t help everybody else.
GH: Stef Diggs said post-game that this loss may have been a good thing for this team. Are you ever of that mindset?
“Well, I think that it can be an opportunity. It’s an opportunity that we have to learn from, and I’ve tried to stay consistent in my messaging and in what we’ll do. We’ll take a look at all the good stuff, and we’ll have to fix the stuff that gets us beat. We’ll have to talk to these guys about making great in-game decisions and all the details and the techniques and the things that cost us and try to get back and get healthy and get back on the road and win a game.”
JW: Mike, I’m an outsider looking in, and I know that the officials have a very difficult job. My biggest thing, even when I was a player, is just be consistent. I don’t get some of the tug and pulling, the hand fighting. They call it pass interference on both Marcus Jones and [Carlton] Davis. Then they don’t do anything about the McHollins play in the end zone. I know it’s got to be difficult for you because you understand what they go through. But what do they say to you out there? Because we’re just on the outside looking in.
“Well, first of all, you know a lot about tug and pull, okay? I would say that it does…”
JW: You don’t think I was able to get open without the tug and pull?
“It is a difficult job. They do have a difficult job. The consistency, sometimes I struggle with it. I’ll say this, the Bills lead the NFL in offensive holding, and I’ll leave it at that. And that would be hard for me to understand how the team that is coming into the game leading, and that’s how they play, didn’t have one yesterday. That’s hard for me to understand.”
GH: That second drive, homer take, but that second drive of the second quarter, you could have called five times on them.
Chris Curtis: There was a Dion-Dawkins hold on left tackle in the third quarter that even the broadcast was like, ‘Yeah.’
JW: The pancake one where he was pulling with his inside hand and he had his right-hand up to make it seem like I’m not doing anything.
“And they’re fine with that. And again, that’s how they play. They’ve been successful, and they’ve been able to overcome those. And that was just my point was, listen, just if they’re there, call them. And I’m sure ours are penalties, and we can debate Marcus Jones, I don’t think it was a catch. Whether we think it’s a PI, that’s their call. So we’ll just, again, we have to know what the rules are. We have to know how they are calling it, what the mechanics are. Listen, if you’re not playing the football, the margin for error goes way, way, way down. So when you’re not playing the football and there’s perceived contact or whatever it may be, the margin for error goes way, way down.”
Chris Curtis: But if you intercept a pass, how are you not making a play on the football?
“Well, because you’re not looking back and playing it. I’m playing Wiggy. Wiggy gets his arms back through me. And whether he’s coming back or we’re drifting, that’s where the, I think, struggles. You can face guard. It’s just you can’t face guard with contact. I felt like both players were still drifting away from the football as opposed to going back. I know that his arms went back, but he continued to drift. That’s where sometimes they don’t get called. That wasn’t the case yesterday.”
GH: Coming off the bye, did you feel like this is a good week of prep going in? I know there was some talk that you were upset Wednesday or angry Wednesday at practice. I don’t know if that’s.
“Because I’m not sure who reported that.”
GH: I don’t know who it was.
“Who was it?”
GH: I don’t pay attention to that.
“You just report stuff.”
GH: Probably Edelman. I saw Edelman in The Athletic say that you’re an a-hole. I don’t know if you saw that or not. I don’t get that vibe from you. What’s he talking about?
“I think it was in jest.”
GH: Tongue and cheek?
“Tug and pull.”
[LAUGHS]
“Obviously, the way that we started the football game is how we wanted to start it. It was just being able to sustain. The whole emphasis was that this was going to be an identity matchup and battle for four quarters. We knew that that’s what this was going to be. A lot of examples of the Bills not panicking and having a veteran football team and being able to come back in the second half and make some plays. We’ll have to learn from this, and it’ll only be a good opportunity from a loss is if we learn from it.”
Courtney: After the game, the guy’s upset, but weren’t beating themselves up too badly. Jaylinn Hawkins said that came from your messaging to the team after. What was your main message to them after a loss like that?
“We got to pick the pieces back up. We’re 11-3, and we’re going to work our asses off to be 12-3. I love coaching these guys, and it’s not perfect, and none of us are. This happens in the National Football League. It’s 83 days since we lost. We went 83 days, and it was a good run, and we have to start another one. We got to get back to work here and practice. But we will. We got a bunch of good dudes.”
JW: Mike, everybody in that building and outside this building knows that you’re a good football team. How do you make sure… The messaging where it’s three games left, and it’s just human nature for players to start to say, ‘Okay, where are we playoff-wise? Where do we sit? Where are we doing? What are we looking at? Homefield, second seed.’ How do you make sure that guys don’t get caught up in that?
“Well, I think you have to just continue to focus on the opponent, focus on the corrections and the things that we did well, which I’ll have to point out, the things that we didn’t do as well as we should have, and then just focus on make it all about the Ravens and make it about the challenge of going on the road and trying to beat them.”
Chris Curtis: Were you impressed? I know you probably haven’t had much time to watch anything but your own game, but that Philip Rivers returned and didn’t completely fall flat on his face.
“Didn’t break his hip. No. I mean, that is impressive. I mean, just coaching high school football and going back out there and being able to operate and function, I think, is pretty impressive.”
Courtney: Wiggy is next.
JW: No. Not even close. Not even close. There’s not enough pulling and tugging in the world, that’s going to get me open.
“Trainer.”
GH: Josh McDaniels said this week he looks forward to being here for a while and building this thing with you. How important is he to the success that you’ve had this season?
“Well, not only Josh, it’s the entire football coaching staff and the support staff. Josh has been a large part of that. And it’s been good. I think he’s enjoyed it. I think that every team or staff that you’re on is a little different. It’s got a little different feel to it. It’s got different coaches to it. There’s a lot of new faces here for him, and I think that that’s been good. I don’t want to speak for him, but I hope he’s enjoyed being here and coaching here and getting us started in 12 games in or however many games in, what is it? 14 games. But it’s been great. Been great to work with them. Excited to see the growth and the continued development of Drake and everybody else. That’s all I try to … put a good staff together that can support each other, challenge each other, and then also, most importantly, help the players.”
Courtney: I’m sure there’s a focus on when it comes to the negative plays from yesterday, but one positive play that got our group message all fired up was Drake’s block for Henderson.
GH: Can we call it a block?
Courtney: Yes!
GH: It was an attempted block.
Courntey: It was a block.
JW: It was get in the way. It was get in the way.
“High screen.”
Courtney: I thought it was impressive by him. Did you?
“Anything that we can do to help protect the guy with football, I’m for.”
Courtney: He was fast, too. He looked good. He looked good. He got [Chris] Sheim, 0-100, six to midnight.
“Yes. As long as he can stay out of the way and take care of himself. I think that that’s a great thing to see.”
Chris Curtis: I don’t think we asked you last week with the Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick being finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I assume we know your answer, but your thoughts on both of their eligibility.
“Oh, gosh. I think they’re both very well-deserving. I think you look at our organization and our franchise with Robert and his leadership and the success that we’ve had, the development of this stadium and this Patriot Place. The one thing that I always respect is this. I came back, and the stadium is completely different. It stayed modern. Our club levels and our suites and the end zone things are just… I think it’s always just been cool to see, as opposed to other stadiums that were built around 2001, our record. And then obviously, the success that Bill had as the head coach here is unprecedented. And so they’re both very well-deserving. I would say not that I get a vote, but I hope they both get in.
JW: Yeah, Robert long overdue.
GW: A little turnaround for you on Patriot Place. You weren’t a fan of it when it started.
“Why would I not be a fan of Patriot Place?”
GH: Wasn’t there a quick comment or something about spending some money on Patriot Place? I don’t remember that. Was that you when you were playing?
“Yeah, that was me. I wear a lot of different hats. I was representing Wiggy. I was trying to get Wiggy every last dollar I could as a player rep.”
GW: You’re fighting for the other guys. You’re fighting for the guys at that time. Yes.
JW: Believe me, I could use every last dollar. Mike, the one thing I…
“Yeah, those neck tats aren’t cheap.”
JW: No, they’re not. I’ve had this forever, though. I got this back when I was in Carolina. The one thing I’ll give your players a lot of credit for, whether it’s Stef Diggs or we heard some guys after the game, they don’t really get into the, ‘Woe is me,’ complaining about the officials. It seems like these guys have really taken on the personality of, ‘Hey, we learn from our mistakes. We take our L like a big boy. We blame ourselves for what we didn’t do, and we move on.’ Talk about your players and their ability to do that.
“Well, and I appreciate that. I think that we always talk to, We’ll hear their explanations, but we can’t accept excuses. We just own it, and we come in with a willingness and a humility to improve. But also, I’m hoping that we don’t, we’re not walking around with our heads down. We have to get back to work, and it sucks to lose. It sucks to lose like that with an opportunity to win the division and it didn’t happen. That’s what you have to learn from. You can work really hard for stuff, and you can want stuff really bad, and sometimes you don’t get it. You have to be able to just come back and compete and pick up the pieces and put them back together.”
(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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