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Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had to say during his weekly radio appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI on Monday, January 5, 2026.
Greg Hill: Nice to have Milton Williams and Will Campbell back.
“We’ll take everybody that we can get back.”
Jermaine Wiggins: Mike, talk about… I know you said you guys are in the dance. But do you explain to some of these guys the difference in just the level of play from the regular season into the postseason on how it seems like it goes to a whole level, whether it’s paying attention to details, just the little things?
“There’ll be a lot of things that we’ll talk to them about this week, but we didn’t have that conversation last night. I didn’t figure most of the things I say last night, they’re going to really remember. So there’ll be a lot of things that we’ll have to focus on, and we’ll have to do the things that we’ve done up until this point and just do them a little bit better. I don’t think you can jerk the wheel. And we just have to keep doing the things that we’ve been doing, do them a little better, get special teams to get us a play, try to help field position. But like you mentioned, it’s all the little things that could end up turning the tide here with a turnover or a situation play at the end of the half, anything like that.”
JW: For you then, do you feel like, All right, this being my second go-around as a head coach into the in the postseason, are there things that maybe I’m going to do a little bit different in years past?
“No. Other than try to win. No. There’s no secret formula. We’ll have to prepare. We’ll have to get to know these guys. It’s a team that we don’t know. It’s one that we’re not familiar with. They played some of these guys last year. Again, we just have to get started with our preparation. We’re on a normal schedule. We didn’t have to move anything up to Tuesday.”
GH: We were talking about this earlier. They were talking postgame about you in Tennessee, and that you were known as a bit of a hard ass, and that maybe you adjusted kind of your approach to coaching this year. Was that intentional? Did you do that?
“You’d have to ask the people in Tennessee. I don’t know. I try I try to be authentic. I try to be as honest as I can with the players. I try to make a connection with them, try to put good people around them. But I had good connections and try to hold people accountable and still coach them and teach them and care about them the same way. Probably had better moments than others. There, I think we all kind of have better moments than others. I think the thing I keep going back to is just not taking these opportunities for granted. When you don’t have something and you don’t have the ability to play, you get as a player, you get released or whatever. Or as a coach, you get let go. I think you value the next opportunity.”
Courtney Cox: First three-touchdown game from Ramondre Stevenson in his career. When you go back to the beginning of the season, people wanted to ship him out of town. Every time we asked you about him, you were so supportive and you continued to play him, even though a lot of people said don’t. To see the narrative change a 180° for him, is that the work that he’s put in, the support that you’ve given him, or the coaching staff that you have around him?
“I think that that’s, again, we always come back to these questions, and it always falls on the player. Ultimately, they’re responsible for their success, which nobody’s happier for Rhamondre or anybody in our team that makes plays or improves. I know the coaching staff works extremely hard on these things and the details, and it was great to see him go out and have success and be excited, and his mom was there. Those are fun things. That’s why you coach. But when a player has success, there’s going to be some teaching and some coaching that helped. But the large majority of that is going to fall on the player.”
JW: But I think the one thing that it is fallen on the player, but it’s also the coach giving him another opportunity and not banishing him to the gulag or the dog house. I’ve been around coaches like that. You have…
GH: He’s been banished many times.
JW: I mean, believe me. Believe me. I’m talking, but how do you walk that fine line of being like, ‘Okay, Guys made a couple of mistakes, similar mistakes, where he’s from the ball, put it on… But we’re still going to give him a little bit of a leash,’ versus ‘See you later.’
“I guess you guys would just have to go through those experiences and try to figure out what’s best for the team. That’s all I try to do.”
Chris Curtis: Well, on that, you have been a very strong players’ coach, so to speak, and being very protective and, I think, publicly taking blame and defending your players in most cases. When you were asked about the off-the-field stuff with Stef [Stefon] Diggs and [Christian] Barmore, obviously not getting into the specifics of the allegations, you said you weren’t disappointed, which was just… It hit me. I was shocked when you said that. Can you give me a little bit background about why that would seem to be disappointing to any coach that your players are in those situations?
“No, we’re just trying to get ready for this week and focus and do our best. You can see that the team is able to handle distractions. It’s hard to eliminate them. It’s about how you handle the distractions, whatever those may be.”
Chris Curtis: But if the distractions are brought on by those players, wouldn’t that be disappointing?
“Well, these things happen every day. We have a family, we have a team, and we’re going to try to do our best here to support each and every one of them and what they need, and also get ready for the Chargers.”
Courtney Cox: Diggs was obviously very emotional after the game yesterday, hitting that thousand-yard mark. For that to come off of a week that he’s had, but also an ACL injury, how impressive is that for him to be able to handle everything going around, quiet the noise, and be able to hit that milestone?
“Again, these guys are focused, and I appreciate that. With older players, they get a routine, and I appreciate Stef has a routine. I think it was cool to see Mack Hollins talk about the routine and Chiz [Efton Chism] that he helped him create. Then hopefully, we can have these little pockets of guys. Again, we have a leadership committee, and I think there’s probably 12 guys on that, and position groups are represented. I just asked each of them. I said, ‘Between you guys and me, if we can all reach four other people or players, we’ll have the whole team canvased.’ So hopefully we can find four or five guys that either, hopefully out of our position group and try to spread that out to spread the message and the leadership. But I think that’s what Diggs has done, is try to be a great leader and also create a routine and stay motivated each and every week. Some weeks there’s 10 targets, and there’s nine catches. In other weeks, there’s three targets and three catches. And so that’s been really good to see. We’ve talked about that receiver room. They all try to take advantage of the opportunities and spread the ball around.”
GH: Big incentive day yesterday. Courtney brought it up, but Diggs, Hunter Henry. My mind goes through, is that one payment direct deposit, like the 500 grand? How does that work?
“I don’t know. I’m not cutting the check. If I was cutting the checks, I wouldn’t be on this show. If I was cutting the checks, I’d be owning this show.”
JW: Back when you got your incentives. Was it one check or was it direct deposit?
“I had a lot of play time. But they paid me to play.”
Chris Curtis: I’m just curious because obviously you’ve won three Super Bowl as a player for this team. You’re entering the playoffs on it with a team that doesn’t have a lot of playoff experience. How much do you bring up or lean on your experience as a linebacker in these games, as opposed to entering it just as the coach?
“I think I’ll just try to draw on all the different experiences and try to put together a message. I don’t want to be like, ‘Well, when I played’ or ‘When Wiggy played,’ I do try to stay away from that. I know they give me a hard time about that. But I think just trying to formulate some of the attention to detail and how you’re just not really sure what play… Maybe that block field goal yesterday could have been the play that’s going to make the difference, or the end of the game or the kick at the end of the half. Those are the things that we have to talk about, and not maybe my own personal experience as a player, but trying to mold it and shape it in one that it’ll resonate in how it hits their mind and helps them understand the importance of each and every play.”
Chris Curtis: As a player, maybe, was there anything that Belichick did that you entered the game feeling like, ‘We have an edge here. We’ve been prepared this way. I know that [Mike] Martz or [Bill] Cowher or someone else is not going to have his team as ready as we are going into this game on Sunday.’
“I’m sure that that was the case. I just don’t really recall specifics. But I’m sure we always felt like we were prepared, whatever that was, situationally or maybe from a personnel group or scheme. We always felt prepared, but it’s hard to just remember and draw on specific examples.”
GH: Looking ahead to Sunday night, what are the challenges that this team presents?
“This is a big… This is a physical football team. They’re a big football team, big linemen. They got a big defensive lineman that plays fullback. The defense is good. They play a very good style of football. Defensively, they make it hard on you. A bunch of different mixed quarters coverages. The quarterback is as good as anybody, can scramble, is tough, can make the throws. Good big receivers. So it’ll be a big challenge to get going on these guys and, like I said, learn who they are and try to put a plan together.”
JW: You talk about your leadership group and this team’s identity. The one thing that, at least from afar, that I look at, and how grateful are you as a coach that you do have a team where it’s about the team goal and not the person or the individual goal of the player that might be more important at times. How grateful are you that you’re able to get this team to buy into that?
“Well, that’s a fine line because without production, we’re not going to be any good. It’s just getting them to, we talked about chasing wins and not plays. If we make the right plays in order for us to win, you’ll have made every play that you needed to make as opposed to chasing plays. ‘Hey, should I run this route how I think I should run it or how the offensive play needs me to run it?’ Or, ‘Hey, should I do this on defense because I think it may help me?’ Or, ‘Hey, I’ve got to do this on defense because it is going to be helpful in the play.’ So that was the mindset a few weeks ago, and I feel like we’ve tried to carry it over. I think you’ve seen that, that in turn, the right plays are the ones that are going to help us win.”
GH: Speaking of running, turned the motor on yesterday to get down the sideline and call that time out. You still got it.
“Waiting for that planter fash to tear, so I can feel better. I cannot get it to tear.”
GH: No, you can’t get it to happen?
“No.”
JW: Be careful. You don’t want that.
Courtney Cox: Wait, you want it to tear?
“Yes, because they say that’s the only way it feels better.”
Courtney Cox: That sounds terrible.
“It does, but it can’t feel as bad as it does right now.”
GH: Why don’t you go for the orthopedics? Don’t look at me like I’m wearing orthopedics.
Chris Curtis: Greg has the slip on Skechers.
JW: It’s tough to sprint in Air Force 1s.
GH: I’m not sprinting anywhere, clearly, so I’m impressed by it every time I see you do it. And then, obviously, a little bit bothered, I guess, by the OPI call when it came to Hunter Henry?
“We talked about that in practice. I think we just have to do a really good job of… I think when you get two hands on, whether that guy’s pressed or not, these are the things that they’re looking for. So they’re looking for the mechanics. I just think that he has to have his outside arm free or inside arm, whichever way. So I think you run the risk of when you have both hands on the guy, even though he’s creating contact with you, I think they’re going to probably look at those.”
Courtney Cox: It was great to have Will Campbell back yesterday. I know after the game, you said you thought he played well. He, after the game, said he never wants to play for another coach besides you. I know that you put everything on the players, but the impact that you’ve made in the locker room, do you feel that gravity that these players are really not just playing for themselves, but playing for you?
“Well, I hope so. I mean, I enjoy coaching them. I do. I try to, again, just come in every day, be consistent. They probably get tired of me after a while, but that’s okay. I enjoy the group. I enjoy coaching them. I enjoy watching them improve. I enjoy watching them come together. They have their little inside jokes, and if they’re making fun of me, then I’m glad that they’re at least paying attention, and they’re listening in the meetings. There’s a good banter that we have and a good workflow that we have.”
Chris Curtis: Is Drake May the most valuable player in the NFL this year?
“Yes, he is.”
JW: You win Sunday night, you talk about playing in the postseason and teams that you’re playing against. When you play against a coach like [Jim] Harbaugh, who’s been there before, what kind of problems does he present when you’re going into a game against somebody like that?
“I think they have a specific style, and their style is built for the postseason. They play good defense. They’re physical. They don’t beat themselves. And those are things that you have to understand.”
Chris Curtis: Michigan guy, he must not be a big fan. Have your paths crossed with Jim Harbaugh?
“I mean, not as a player.”
Chris Curtis: Right.
“No.”
Chris Curtis: He’s older.
“He is a little older. Yeah, not as a player, but great family, good football family, excellent coaches, and they’re good for the game. And he obviously loves football, and I’m excited to prepare our team.”
GH: First home playoff game here in six years. You’ve talked a lot about the fans this season, so you’re, I’m sure you’re expecting that they are here.
“Fully expecting. Fired up. Start early. Start early, and have fun.”
GH: Okay. All right.
“They’ve been great. They’ve traveled. I forgot how well they travel. I think that’s the thing that’s been probably the most exciting about our fans. I know they’re going to come here and they’re going to yell, but it’s just cool to be on the streets or when we pull into the hotel and there’s fans around the hotel, there’s fans as we pull up to the stadium. So that was different for me.”
Courtney Cox: When you guys are playing during the regular season, you guys were exceptional on the road. So do you give credit to that, to the fact that fans travel so well?
“I included that as part of the overall package for the road warriors.”
Courtney Cox: Because when Wiggy talks postseason, he says it’s a different animal as a player, but the home field advantage really strikes Wiggy. Does that happen for you as well? Are you happy that you’re starting at home?
“Yeah. I think that we’re happy that we’re starting at home. Of course we are. Yes, absolutely.”
JW: You know the one thing that I sit here I listen to you talk about, and I wonder when you give this message to the players, how important it is that they get it is being present within that moment and enjoying the journey and not overlooking something because we all get to a point when we’re done where we’re like, ‘Damn, I should have been in the moment.’
“You don’t want to take anything for granted.”
GH: You want to address the fellows? Is that what you’re asking?
JW: No …
“No, I don’t think he was trying to do that.”
GH: Could he, though? Is there an opportunity? Is there time?
“We’ll have alumni days in the summer.”
JW: I’d rather be there in the summer, anyway. But I mean, the way that I think as a player, as a former player, those are the things that you now reflect on. ‘I should have been more present in the moment.’
“I couldn’t agree more. I try to tell them all the time that you can’t take things for granted. There’s been instances in each of our lives throughout this season that we may have took something for granted, and try not to do that on the football field because you only get so many opportunities. So I appreciate them having done that most of the time, and we’ll try to keep getting that message home.”
GH: Well, it’s a really impressive turnaround.
“Well, thank you so much.”
GH: I hope you get a minute or two to stop and think about that before you get right back to work.
“No, probably not, but that’s okay.”
JW: Take videos. Videos are always cool now. I wish we had more videos back then.
“We do have an amazing content team. They don’t miss a trick. We get a lot of things filmed, and it’s impressive the work that they do. Again, just a lot of great efforts from everybody to make this product work.”
(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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