{"id":62087,"date":"2025-08-18T09:30:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T13:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=62087"},"modified":"2025-08-18T10:00:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T14:00:56","slug":"monday-patriots-notebook-8-18-vrabel-firmly-in-control-big-roster-questions-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2025\/08\/18\/monday-patriots-notebook-8-18-vrabel-firmly-in-control-big-roster-questions-remain\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday Patriots Notebook 8\/18: Vrabel Firmly in Control, Big Roster Questions Remain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some Patriots news and notes for this morning:<\/p>\n

1) It’s safe to say that this preseason has been night and day compared to a year ago, with new head coach Mike Vrabel<\/strong> clearly coming in and laying a foundation that feels far more solid than things did at this point in 2024.<\/p>\n

Last year, the preseason performances were sloppy.\u00a0 On defense, there was not a lot of energy and a fair amount of bad tackling. That’s probably been one of the most drastic differences we’ve seen so far, with players swarming to the football and doing a great job of flying around on each snap and then wrapping up and making the play.<\/p>\n

So far, everyone really feels like they’ve bought in, and Vrabel absolutely looks like he’s in control.\u00a0 He’s preached competition, and we’ve seen some pretty drastic changes at various levels on both sides of the football, with guys who were established starters now looking like they could be in jeopardy of being a part of this team in 2025.<\/p>\n

Given that drastic a shift, especially since several of those names clearly have friends in the locker room, you would think there might be more pushback and potentially issues brewing.\u00a0 To this point, that just hasn’t been the case.<\/p>\n

We’ve seen players elevate and then move back down on both sides of the football.\u00a0 It feels like things have been fair and even, and the guys who are working hard and playing well are being rewarded, while others who haven’t risen to the level they’ve needed to have been relegated down the depth chart.<\/p>\n

We’re seeing many of them showing up on game day, and the mentality Vrabel continues to preach is being reflected on the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that that\u2019s exactly what we talked about,” said Vrabel after Saturday’s 20-12 win over Minnesota.\u00a0 “This has to be a work day, this has to be an identity day, but this also has to be an earn a role day, and making sure that we showed up with that mentality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through two weeks, Vrabel definitely has them headed in the right direction.\u00a0 But unlike last preseason, the boat feels less rocky and more steady, and it’s just amazing what a difference a year makes.<\/p>\n

2) The Patriots have been in need of a playmaker on offense and running back TreVeyon Henderson<\/strong> has been one of the biggest bright spots of the preseason.\u00a0 So far, the rookie has put together two terrific performances, which included another solid one on Saturday.<\/p>\n

He made two big plays against Minnesota, making an impressive run on a 3rd-and-10 that went for 11-yards and got them down to the Vikings’ 14 yard line.\u00a0 On that play, the rookie exploded through the line and moved the chains on the Patriots’ second possession, which kept the drive going instead of having to potentially settle for a field goal.<\/p>\n

He followed that up with another big run a few plays later on a 3rd-and-4 at Minnesota’s 8-yard line, breaking through multiple tackles and finishing in the end zone for a touchdown.\u00a0 That one essentially showed how strong he is, with Henderson running through a couple of arm tackles as he ran in standing up and gave his team an early 7-0 lead.<\/p>\n

Overall, he finished with 4 carries for 20 yards, and he’s just been electric so far this preseason.\u00a0 He currently sits with 5 carries for 38 yards, averaging a team high 7.6 yards per carry along with a touchdown.<\/p>\n

When asked what he saw from Henderson’s touchdown, Vrabel praised the rookie’s vision and the purpose he runs with.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat he runs hard and protects the ball, and guys were finishing and gave him a little bit of crease,” said Vrabel.\u00a0 “You don\u2019t need much. He finds it, and it was a good run early in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"Anfernee<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Eric Canha-Imagn Images)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

3) Vrabel has said from the beginning that everyone has come into this season with a clean slate, and it’s looking like that might work out great for some and certainly not so great for others.\u00a0 Both Anfernee Jennings<\/strong> and Kyle Dugger<\/strong> are two names that stand out, with both being out on the field late into Saturday’s contest.<\/p>\n

When you’re two guys who are starters at this level, you should look like men among boys late into the fourth quarter against third and fourth stringers.\u00a0 For Jennings, he answered that bell, registering three second-half sacks and finishing second on the club over that span with six tackles<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 He was pushing guys out of the way and looked like a dominant player while he was out there.<\/p>\n

As for Dugger, there were flashes, but he remains a question mark.\u00a0 He finished the game fourth on the team in tackles with five of his own<\/strong><\/a>, three of which came in the second half.\u00a0 But overall, he looked like just another player out there over the final two quarters.<\/p>\n

However, what should have been a game-clinching interception was nearly a disaster.\u00a0 On the play, Dugger picked off the ball and seemingly opted to run it back rather than just taking a knee and ending the game.\u00a0 As he did make the decision to go down, he nearly lost the football, with the play looking close enough where, had it been a regular-season game, the Vikings may have come away with a touchdown, having recovered the loose ball, and things would have been a two-point conversion away from going to overtime.<\/p>\n

On the interception itself, it’s not like Dugger made a great play on the ball.\u00a0 He was playing back covering the middle of the defense and it was a bad throw by Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer, who overshot tight end Bryson Nesbit as he was coming across.\u00a0 The ball was essentially thrown right to Dugger, and the veteran made the turnover.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, he then received what felt like a gift from the officials on the replay review, with the referees deciding to save us all from what would have been a nightmare scenario, given that no one enjoys seeing overtime in the preseason.<\/p>\n

After the game, it was Jennings who received praise from Vrabel following his performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen a competitiveness, and Anfernee has been around,” said Vrabel.\u00a0 “Again, we\u2019ve had really good conversations. You try to draft some guys, and there\u2019s some young guys in here, and it\u2019s a fine balance. To his credit, he\u2019s done nothing but compete in practice, earn reps, earn opportunities in the game, and take advantage of everyone that he\u2019s gotten, and to factor today and even last week.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Dugger, Vrabel has made his feelings when it comes to playing smart football quite clear, and one would have to believe that final sequence probably didn’t sit well with him.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Mike<\/p>\n

(PHOTO: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

4) One thing that was notable was what Vrabel said during an interview with Dianna Russini, talking about a big thing he learned during his time in Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Vrabel emphasized how important it was to really get to know and understand his players, which he said became even more apparent during the year he spent in Cleveland.<\/p>\n

“I learned how important relationships are with players,” said Vrabel<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 “As a coach, as an assistant coach, I had a lot more time to spend with players and try to figure out what they need to improve and how I can help them. I wasn’t worrying about injuries and the day to day. I was able to invest just in the players.”<\/p>\n

Vrabel joked that he was so invested in the players that he garnered the nickname ‘human resource,’ which he wasn’t quite sure whether or not that was a compliment.<\/p>\n

“It was a great reminder of what’s important,” said Vrabel.\u00a0 “When you’re a head coach dealing with all the other stuff, the most important thing is still going to be the players and the there. Somebody gave me the nickname human resource, and I’m like, ‘I don’t even know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.'”<\/p>\n

That experience appears to be paying off.\u00a0 The overall vibe from the players feels like everyone’s on the same page.\u00a0 It also feels like there’s a connection where guys are responding to the new staff, which is obviously led by Vrabel.\u00a0 Things just feel like they’re clicking as we head into the home stretch, and the impression is that there’s momentum building each week.<\/p>\n

For now, it’s a short week as the Patriots prepare to head to New York on Thursday for the finale against the Giants.\u00a0 With a lot at stake for several players and some questions with some others, it should be interesting to see how it all plays out.<\/p>\n

Odds and Ends<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vrabel was asked by Russini to describe John Streicher’s<\/strong> role with the team in 10 seconds or less.\u00a0 “John Stryker is the heartbeat to what we do as an operation as far as training room, weight room, our connection to our players, our staff,” said Vrabel.\u00a0 “He’s an extension of me. And so I think people realize that if they need to get to me and don’t get to me, they go through Stretch. There’s a lot of trust there that he’s built. So he’s helped us win a lot of football in Tennessee, and I’m excited that he’s going to be with us in New England to help us win there.” …\u00a0 Kyle Williams<\/strong> took a pretty good shot in the Vikings game before coming off the field with an apparent head injury.\u00a0 It didn’t help that Josh Dobbs<\/strong> put him in harms way, and it was obvious in the broadcast that the quarterback has a bit of a history.\u00a0 With the broadcast being done by the Vikings commentators, they mentioned the term “hospital ball” multiple times when referring to the QB, citing that Dobbs was the reason for an injury Justin Jefferson<\/strong> suffered last season due to a throw that saw him take a huge hit.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Williams suffered a similar fate, and his status heading into this week is now in question. … Apparently\u00a0Josh McDaniels<\/strong> and\u00a0Drake Maye\u00a0<\/strong>live fairly close to each other.\u00a0 “Yeah, he gets on me for getting my landscape, I need to get it going,” Maye told Russini in his interview.\u00a0 “But I’m worried about football right now.” … Maye is starting to get fired up for the season.\u00a0 He seemed excited when asked whether he was ready for camp to wrap up, with the opener against the Raiders on September 7th at 1:00 pm now just a few weeks away.\u00a0 “Kind of anxious for the season,” said Maye. “We’re less than a month away, so it’s coming soon.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s safe to say that this preseason has been night and day compared to a year ago, with new head coach Mike Vrabel clearly coming in and laying a foundation that feels far more solid than things did at this point in 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":61892,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[23805,664,44],"class_list":["post-62087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-patriots-news","tag-2025-patriots-preseason","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\nMonday Patriots Notebook 8\/18: Vrabel Firmly in Control, Big Roster 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