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"Do you feel like this team wasn't ready?" Patriots HC Mike Vrabel joins #Live at Gillette Stadium! Vrabel: "We just did not give ourselves a chance"
What concerns Vrabel the most?
What concerns Vrabel the most?
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00:00Post-game, you said that you needed to get a practice plan
00:03that has them ready for Sunday.
00:07Did you feel like this team wasn't ready yesterday?
00:10Oh, no.
00:11I mean, again, when we play like that, there was, you know,
00:14we knew we needed to start fast.
00:15And, again, if you don't, that doesn't mean the game's over.
00:19You know, just as looking historically what Jacksonville had done
00:22in the last 10 games at home, been outscoring opponents
00:26by 10 points in the first half.
00:28They were converting turnovers into points at a really good amount.
00:34All the things that we ultimately did, you know.
00:38And, again, you can go back and look and say, hey,
00:41if this game just unfolds the way that we needed it to, it's 14-9.
00:46We have a chance.
00:47We feel like it's a game and give ourselves a chance.
00:51And we just did not give ourselves a chance.
00:54We turned the ball over.
00:56We missed a field goal.
00:57And then when we had the other chance to kick a field goal,
01:00we turned it over again.
01:01You also said yesterday that your concern level for this team is very high.
01:05What concerns you the most?
01:06Well, I mean, again, it's just there's a lot of first- and second-year players.
01:10There's a lot of new players, again, on our roster.
01:12And I think that the – I'm not – at my concern level isn't, you know,
01:18coming off that game, you're just concerned sitting there and watching how it finished.
01:25But I'm confident that we'll be back and we'll continue to improve and fight
01:30and do the things that we've done a lot here to help us win.
01:35And if you play like that and you coach like that, you're just not going to win,
01:38certainly on the road, against a good football team.
01:42Mike, you always talk about we know how important ball security is.
01:46What do you believe is leading to maybe some of Drake's poor decision-making?
01:51I think quarterbacks want to make plays.
01:53I think they do.
01:54I think they want to throw touchdowns.
01:57And I think sometimes, you know, when Greg and I go golfing,
02:01we really want to make a good score, right?
02:04Sometimes we're so focused on it that we try to, you know,
02:07choke the life out of the golf club.
02:09And we're squeezing it so damn tight that the ball has no choice but to go sideways.
02:15And we need to stop trying to choke the life out of every single play.
02:19We need to relax.
02:20We need to settle in and go play and go play football
02:24and not try to force things that aren't there.
02:27So, like that ball that he's trying to throw to Chisholm in the end zone,
02:30he just believes that he's going to be able to –
02:34I don't know.
02:35You'd have to ask him what he believes.
02:36I can't, you know what I'm saying?
02:37Like you guys asked me a question about what he believes.
02:39I know.
02:39Okay, so –
02:40Well, then ask me what my assessment is.
02:42What's your assessment of it?
02:43That it's a terrible decision.
02:45Yeah.
02:46You know what I'm saying?
02:47Like, again, we want to throw touchdown passes.
02:50We want to sack the quarterback.
02:51We want to intercept the ball.
02:53But if those opportunities aren't there,
02:56we always talk about those split-second decisions, right?
02:59If it's a DB that's going to go for the interception
03:01and he goes with the wrong hand and the guy catches it,
03:04it's like, man, we needed to go for the far arm
03:07and be able to have a little more length and stab it out of there.
03:11Or if the quarterback, you know, if it's not there,
03:14and then again, however long you can progress.
03:16But we can't – that's all that is.
03:18You can't make those plays down in the red zone.
03:22So, again, unless it's four down, unless it's two-point conversion,
03:27things like that.
03:27We could have some points there.
03:29It seems like he wasn't making those, as you described them,
03:33terrible decisions last season.
03:35Well, I don't know.
03:36We'll have to see.
03:38Again, we're not – we're focused on last year.
03:40I don't know what the – where the situation was.
03:43Each situation and each game and each play is different.
03:47So, again, whether he had that many decisions that were close like that,
03:54I don't know.
03:55I just know that that's what it's been up until now
03:58and certainly inside the red zone for scores.
04:04What about accountability after the game, saying that there was blood on the football,
04:08saying that his shoulder – he was sort of odd when he was asked,
04:12talking about his shoulder injury, about if he was 100%.
04:15Do you think he was accountable after the game with the way he played?
04:18Well, I think accountability has to come to – with your teammates
04:24and your actions and how you play and how you work and how you prepare.
04:28So, I can't speak on what his shoulder feels like.
04:34That's nothing that I even have ever heard anything about.
04:41You know, if the center's hand's bleeding, then, you know,
04:45we're going to have to find a way – you know what I mean?
04:46There's going to be some things on the football at times.
04:48So – but those are facts.
04:51Those are explanations.
04:52We can hear explanations.
04:54We can't allow for excuses.
04:55We saw you on the sideline talking to him.
04:58During the game, what's a conversation like that in-game with him?
05:01Is it just, you know, forget about it and move on?
05:04Is that the type of guy that Drake May is?
05:06Well, we have lots of different conversations.
05:08Sometimes they're long.
05:09Sometimes they're short.
05:10So, we have lots of different conversations.
05:13For the one yesterday, I guess.
05:14I don't recall.
05:16Mike, when you look at Drake May or you communicate with him daily,
05:20you've been in positions where you've seen guys that have had so much success one season.
05:25And then as they head into that next season, they start to put a lot of pressure on themselves, right?
05:30They know that their teammates are looking at, their teammates are, like, starting to elevate.
05:34Do you feel like at times he tends to put a lot of pressure on himself because he has talent?
05:40And then that leads him to do things that you go, man, just –
05:45I think being counted on is a really cool thing.
05:48And if you're worth a broke one, you could be counted on.
05:53And, again, if you're not – it really don't matter to the success of the football team,
05:58then it's like, well, nobody really notices.
06:00And so, the quarterback's counted on.
06:03And so, again, people notice, and that's the obligation.
06:07That's the responsibility that we have.
06:10And then I'm confident that, you know, he'll continue to work.
06:14He'll continue to make – or begin to make consistently better decisions.
06:20And everybody around him will continue to improve as well.
06:24So, you have to be counted on.
06:26There's pressure on all of us.
06:27This is professional sports.
06:28We understand what this is.
06:30And so, I think that the fun part and the exciting part is going about getting it fixed.
06:36What's the feeling on the team like after a loss like that coming home
06:42and you got a chance to talk to guys?
06:44Like, what's the mood like?
06:45No, I mean, I talked to them today.
06:46I mean, the mood sucks.
06:47I mean, like, you're going to come back here.
06:51You've got to work.
06:51You've got to be disappointed, be frustrated, be all those things.
06:55And then at 4 o'clock today, like, we're going to have to let it go.
06:57We're going to have to find a way to move on because it just gets tougher
07:02the longer you get into the season.
07:05We go on the road.
07:06Team that's won 20 out of the last 22 games at home.
07:09So, you know, that's the next challenge.
07:11Mike, is it easier in a way to coach bad technique up as opposed to a guy like Drake
07:17where it seems like it's just in his head, if that makes sense?
07:21Like, you don't really know how to unlock it.
07:22You've seen him perform at the highest level.
07:24He was runner-up for MVP.
07:26What we've seen is arguably one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL this year
07:30after being arguably the best last year.
07:32How do you bridge that?
07:34Well, every year is different.
07:35You guys, I think I'll talk about last year or last week.
07:39I think we have to focus on today and what we do to improve,
07:43whether it's the technique, the decision-making, pre-snap awareness
07:47from, you know, the entire football team.
07:50The communication, you know, we have to allow communication to help us do our jobs
07:57with the guy next to us, like how well we work with somebody,
08:00how well we are able to talk about what pressure is coming
08:04or work with receivers.
08:06So everybody has a responsibility, but also how we can work with each other,
08:11whether that's the technique that you talked about.
08:15But, again, everybody has those split-second decisions.
08:18Do I go inside?
08:19Do I go outside?
08:20How do I run this route versus this particular coverage?
08:24The discipline yesterday, the penalties,
08:26do you feel like there's an issue when it comes to discipline?
08:28I mean, I think the discipline is – that's always, I think,
08:31an easy word to throw around.
08:34I don't think that we're not disciplined.
08:35I think that that's certainly terrible decisions.
08:40It's an emotional game.
08:41We can't become emotional.
08:43We have to be able to regulate emotions when you're up,
08:47when you make a play, when you make a mistake.
08:50And we saw a lot of that.
08:52And, again, that's frustrating.
08:55You know, we've had things that happen that, man, we've –
08:59we really became a Friday tape in one short afternoon
09:03of all the things to not do and things that you have to avoid.
09:07Would you put the taunting penalty high on that list by Mack?
09:10I mean, they're all high.
09:12But certainly that's one of them.
09:14And, you know, what I could already tell, you know, Mack knows the difference.
09:18Again, he's excited.
09:18He got – went inside and got the shit knocked out of him and, you know,
09:24and got up and responded in a way that we didn't need to,
09:28whether that's, you know, trying to rush the passer
09:31and being in a neutral zone on a hard count, not straddling the sidelines,
09:37the out-of-bounds line on a kickoff.
09:40You know, these guys all – you know, I know Kyle wants to make a big play,
09:44wants to return it out past the 40 and, you know,
09:48talked about trying to run up and get moving forward when he catches the ball.
09:51But also now, hey, when we're on the sidelines, like,
09:54hey, we straddle, put one foot out there and, you know, we'll get the ball.
09:57That's another way to get the ball to 40, Kyle.
10:01Blocking guys in the back on kickoff return, so we start inside at 20.
10:04You know, those are all things.
10:06And then there's a million of them that we have got to get fixed.
10:12In that situation, like the Kyle Williams on the sideline,
10:15does he realize if he steps out of bounds and then keeps the other one inbounds,
10:19he knows, like, all right, the ball's at the 40?
10:22Does he realize that?
10:23Or is that something that maybe he just – because of the moment,
10:26he's not thinking about?
10:29I don't know.
10:30Ask how.
10:30I could tell you he knows.
10:32Okay.
10:32He knows.
10:33He's been shown.
10:34We practice it.
10:36But, again, I've never returned a kickoff.
10:38And I know that we're talking about – the coaching point was, man,
10:42if you catch these things with a drop step, then these guys are on you.
10:47So, it was – you know, the whole thing that you work on with the kickoff return
10:51is being able to catch the ball going forward, right,
10:54with your momentum going forward to give these guys a chance
10:56so that the timing of the play, they're not on top of you.
11:00You can't – you know, you're five yards from the guy.
11:02You can only hold a block for so long without tackling them or whatever.
11:07And, you know, I know that that's what Kyle was trying to do.
11:09Didn't execute it.
11:10And I'm hoping that the next time that we get that situation or he's in that
11:15situation that he'll be able to put a body part on the line
11:20and be able to take advantage of the rules.
11:22We have a player like Drake who's going through what he's going through.
11:26In your experience, coaching guys, is it better to just get him right back
11:32out there and get him back to doing it?
11:34Or is there a benefit to some time off for a player like that mentally?
11:41I mean, I think it's about just getting back and working,
11:44being around people you care about, having a small circle,
11:48focus on the people that truly matter, and trying to get back to work.
11:55I don't know – you know, Drake's our quarterback, man.
11:58We've got to get this thing right by all of us.
12:01And our attitudes and the way that we approach work
12:04and our willingness to be coached
12:09and our willingness to try new things
12:10and all these other things that we have to try to do
12:12that I have to get going here
12:14and make sure that that's what we're doing.
12:17What are you guys – excuse me.
12:19Going obviously into Buffalo, you guys know what Josh Allen is.
12:23And if you give him time, his ability to make plays with his legs.
12:26Yesterday, I think one of the areas from when I was watching the game
12:29is it seemed like Trevor Lawrence had some time.
12:32What do you guys got to maybe do better?
12:33I guess we have to blitz him.
12:35I mean, we missed a couple sacks.
12:36We missed a lot of opportunities for big plays.
12:39Dropped two interceptions.
12:41Missed a quarterback multiple times.
12:44And then, you know, had some missed tackles that led to X plays.
12:49So, you know, we know what the challenge is.
12:53And certainly, you know, if you get there with four, then great.
12:56If not, you're going to have to blitz.
12:57And that's, you know, that's where we're at.
13:00Is there any concerns about the chemistry of the team?
13:03Is there any concerns?
13:04There's been some talk about vibes around the organization.
13:07It seems like guys, maybe it's just losing.
13:09But is there any issues that you have seen that you need to figure out
13:13as it pertains to guys playing together, playing for each other?
13:16I mean, vibes are based on, you know, that's everybody's own responsibility
13:22is their vibe.
13:23Like, they're responsible for their attitude.
13:25I don't know.
13:26Winning usually helps.
13:28So, we start playing better and we start winning.
13:31And then, I would imagine that vibes would be better.
13:34You know, that's just how it goes.
13:37So, you know, but we have to come to work each day with a great attitude,
13:40willingness to work.
13:41And, you know, that's just what it is.
13:44I don't know what, you know, but everybody's responsible for their own attitude.
13:49What do you take away from, I know obviously it's a tough game,
13:52but we always try to talk about where might some silver linings go.
13:55What do you take away from yesterday's game where you go like, okay,
13:57if we can continue to build off this, whether it's pass protection,
14:02whether it's run blocking, I don't know, whether it's playing the run,
14:04defending the pass.
14:05What are some of the things that you maybe said, all right,
14:08at least we got to continue to keep getting better at that?
14:12Yeah, I think that that, you know, coming out of yesterday, it's, you know,
14:16it's just a frustrating loss.
14:18And, you know, well, there's signs of good football.
14:23There's signs of good football of getting off the field on third down,
14:27of, you know, being able to get stops defensively on third down,
14:33make a few plays in the red zone, and then give up a third down touchdown.
14:36So that's frustrating.
14:38So I think it's just a consistency level.
14:40We didn't do anything good enough yesterday to help us win.
14:43You know, offensively, we took advantage of some opportunities.
14:47We hit some plays down the field.
14:49We missed, you know, again, we had missed pop.
14:52We got to be able to hit that play.
14:55So there were some good things that happened.
14:57But, again, just the small one or two breakdowns really lead to negative plays
15:03on offense or plays that aren't successful.
15:04And, you know, we really just have to get back to work.
15:08You said at 4 o'clock today that you guys are going to be able to move on
15:11towards Buffalo.
15:12Do you feel like the guys you have in that locker room are able to shake off
15:15a loss like that and move on?
15:17We'll see.
15:17I mean, hell, I don't know.
15:18It's not 4 o'clock yet.
15:19So, you know, really we have to just go and meet with these guys.
15:23I didn't bring them in at 6 this morning.
15:24So, you know, we're going to meet with them here at 1230 and, you know,
15:29pick up the pieces and get back to work.
15:31That's all I know how to do.
15:32So, all right, that was the question of the week brought to you by
15:36Rocky's Ace Hardware.
15:37More tea.
15:38Celebrating 100 years of hometown service.
15:40More tea.
15:41We like the victory shots.
15:42So let's get back to that.
15:44More tea.
15:44We wish you good luck.
15:46That is the head coach of the New England Patriots, Mike Vrabel.