TRANSCRIPT: Mike Vrabel Press Conference 1/7
'Guys making plays and us all sticking together is going to mean the most.'
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Here’s what New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had to say on Wednesday January 7, 2026 ahead of Sunday’s playoff game against the Chargers:
On the fact the Cardinals asked permission to talk to [Patriots passing game coordinator] Thomas Brown and what he’s provided, what he’s done for him:
“Yeah, we’ll focus … I want the best for every single coach that’s here. I do. We’ll focus on that whenever they can talk to our coaches. We’ll approach that. I’m excited for every one of them that could get an opportunity. I’ll help them however I can. But our focus is obviously on the Chargers this week and a huge task against a really good football team.”
On, other than the obvious physical schools, what does Derwin James bring to the table that makes him so good:
“I think he’s got really good instincts. When he blitzes, whether to go inside or go outside, I think there’s a passion. There’s a love for football. There’s a play demeanor. He’s a very good tackler. He can cover, he matches up. He has versatility to play down or close to the line of scrimmage. He can play in the deeper part of the field. Again, just having the luxury to coach a Pro Bowl, he was on that team, and just an unbelievable person. I remember his mom was getting married, and he’s like, ‘Coach,’ He communicated. He reached out like, ‘Hey, I’m going to miss a day.’ I was like, ‘Buddy, I don’t think there’s any rules to the Pro Bowl.’ Just remembering that about him. I always have a lot of respect for him. Obviously, the player he is, but the person.”
On the fact it sounds like Drake has a lot of answers to defensive tests this year and what is it about him and Josh [McDaniels], the whole staff, being proactive about making sure he’s ready when he sees something maybe that…
“There’s a lot of growth there. I think a lot of growth as we worked from the offseason through training camp and joint practices versus the Commanders and the Vikings in our meetings and against our defense, and then working through the regular season, just trying to give him the best chance to put us in the right situation. And I think he’s learned from some of those instances where maybe he could have gone to something else. And I think he’s learned from that. So that’s been really good to see. And that’s credit to Josh, obviously, and Ashton [Grant].”
On the Chargers’ playing style and what he’s learned about what they do well:
“Big physical football team. They don’t really beat themselves. They’re statistically excellent in every category across the front. Defensively, they don’t just stop the run well, or they don’t give up … but they’re good on third down, they’re good on short yardage. Excellent in the red zone. When you look at a play that broke against the Texans, it was a screen to the left, and every single guy on defense is chasing the ball, and Khalil Mack wins the race and hammers the football out and causes a fumble. Those are the things that I can appreciate with a defense or for a team. And this is certainly a team that’s going to play that way.”
On how much Morgan Moses has meant to his team:
“Great veteran presence. I think that he’s played well. It hasn’t just been a presence. He’s protected the quarterback, and he’s been out there. We got some guys sick today. Morgan will be in one of that group of guys that are sick. So he won’t be getting the physical reps. But just I think everything that we wanted him to be and needed him to be, as far as changing over some personnel and adding him. So it’s been fun to watch that group gel.”
On who else is sick:
“[Garrett] Bradbury, Anfernee Jennings, Vederian Lowe.”
On how much does he rely on team identity as they get into the playoffs, and what he’s been able to build since really day one here:
“Well, we’ve said this numerous times. You can’t just play hard and hope to win, run like this with the football and hope that you’re going to be able to break tackles or gain a bunch of yards. So you need production, you need execution. So I think that it helps. It’s critical. And being able to keep our composure, whatever happens in the football game, making sure that we execute in critical situations. So again, I think that the identity is important, but execution and guys making plays and us all sticking together is going to mean the most.”
On the fact the Chargers are second in the league in time of possession and what do they do well that allows them to hold onto the ball, and in a playoff situation, how dangerous is a team that holds on the ball for a long time?
“Well, they certainly either are one or two based on whatever you look at. They do a nice job. They don’t mind being in third and three and running it to stay on track because they’re really good on third down. A quarterback that can scramble for a first down, that can run it, they can multiple different route concepts in those down and distances. So, probably the more that they possess it, obviously, the less that we get it. But I also think it’s a mentality where they’re trying to wear you down and win the game in the fourth quarter and put their five-minute offense out there and run it to win it.”
On the last time they had a playoff game here, he was the visiting team’s head coach, and he described this place as a ‘viper’s den,’ and what did that term mean to him back then and what does it take to rebuild that kind of reputation with his current team:
“Well, it just got to be a tough place to play in January. If we’re able to get there in January like we are, we have to create an environment that makes it difficult to play. Whatever the record was back when I was looking at the stats in 2019, 21-3 or whatever it was in January, I’m going to be off by a couple of games because it’s a few years ago, but we were talking about what we would have to do to come in and win. We need to create a hard environment. We need to play well and let our crowd feed off of us, and let us feed off of them.”
On Mike, with players like Milton [Williams] and Harold Landry, if he comes back this week, dealling with injuries, if he has a sense of where they might be from a pass rush standpoint midweek, or if he’ll find out first quarter once the game gets going:
“On a pass rush?”
Yes. How much rush he might have with just his typical four.
“No. I don’t think that’s ever something that you can tell in practice. You got to go out there and win in live-action. And not only win, you have to be able to get the guy on the ground. Justin’s [Herbert] just great play strength, toughness, can avoid and scramble for a lot of yards, and can stiff-arm you. So again, I think that all will have to be determined Sunday night.”
On Rhamondre Stevenson getting AFC offensive player of the week, which was actually the first time he got this award in his career, and what it was like to see him get that recognition for his performance:
“Always excited for our players and, sound like a broken record, but I think he continued to do the things that we needed him to do to help us win, and in turn was rewarded for it with touchdowns, with rushing yards, with a big catch there, but also he protected the quarterback. So I’m excited and happy for him, recognized him, and then we moved on.”
On the fact it’s the first game this season where it’s win or go home and if he’s gotten a heightened sense of urgency around here:
“We need to embrace the preparation, and I want them to continue to enjoy the execution and everything that goes on with this. I’m excited. I’m excited for these guys to prepare. I’m excited to coach them. So I hope that we’re locked in every week, and I’m imagining we’ll get everything we can out of them.
On what it means to be in this position, bringing playoff football back to Foxborough for the fans here:
“Yeah, I mean, I’m happy, I’m excited, but also, we’re not here just to get here. We have to be able to host games and compete for championships. So there’s not going to be any consolation prize for anybody. We understand what we have to do.”
On in his previous matchups with Greg Roman, what has he noticed about how he operates, and if he has a style that he adheres to:
“Well, Greg, they’re going to be physical, and then they’re going to marry to play action pass and off-the-run actions. They’re going to look at things that have given you trouble in the past. They’ve got their core concepts, mixed personnel, used big people, and Lamar Jackson, so it’s probably a little different with as much quarterback run. They have it. We’ll have to be ready for it. I just don’t know if it’ll be as much as what he did with Lamar Jackson. But there’s a lot of carry-over. There’s also a lot of growth. And what he’s done with mixing personnel, keeping you guessing, keeping you moving guys around, motioning to get guys at the point of attack.”
On the fact we’ve been discussing a lot this year about Drake as a leader and how has he seen him demand more from his teammates, and if this would be the week where he expects him to lead in that fashion:
“I would hope that he would lead as our quarterback every single week. This is the next week. It’s an important week. I think just the command that he has in the huddle. In practice, you see communication with guys off on the side when maybe the defense is working. I see things during the game where he’s trying to get guys on the same page and communicate to them and that relationship there. So I think he’s continuing to work at it. And again, everybody’s trying to become a little better leader.”
On the fact he’s had success here and the fact there have been a lot of coaching changes around the league, and if he looks back and at his year off from being a head coach as being beneficial:
“It was the only option I had, so I guess I didn’t have a choice.”
On the fact that he talked offensively about X plays coming from 70% of guys making plays, and 30 % scheme, and if defensively, if that holds true since LA has been really good at denying those X plays, and where that balance is:
“Well, I imagine that this was league-wide when I just did a quick… When you look through each week. I mean, some of those numbers may be off. But I think sometimes, schematically, I think the way you tackle goes into that a lot. The way you play the football down the field, split safety versus post-safety. I think there’s some things you want to… I just was saying that it’s not always just be the best player making a play. Sometimes you’re going to get schemed open. Sometimes we’re going to have to go make a play, and it’s a one-on-one matchup. And that’s kind of how those things are created. Running backs be like, ‘That’s a really cool run.’ It was just untouched and everybody was blocked. Sometimes you got to make a guy miss and break a tackle. Don’t take me too literal here. I apologize. I just tried to say that it’s a combination of guys.”
On the fact he’s mentioned Justin Herbert a couple of times and just with his physical skills, how much of a challenge he is:
“A lot. He’s got toughness, great arm talent, great athletic ability. He’s under duress, and it doesn’t really affect him. You don’t see him get frustrated. A lot of respect for him as a person, and I mean, obviously as a player. He’s lived up to everything that they thought he’d be as a franchise quarterback. He’s really just one of the best quarterbacks in the league.”
On the fact it seems like the six offensive line packages have been a pretty big reason for the run game success recently, and what has led to the decision to maybe lean on those looks more, and why it has been so successful for you guys:
“I think any time that we block the guys at the line of scrimage and we block the support player, that we’re able to run the football. So that’s six linemen. If we need seven, I’ll probably draw the line there. But however many guys we need to put out there that can move somebody off the line of scrimmage and block support, that’s what I’m in favor of.”
(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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