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"I always feel good when we win" Patriots HC Mike Vrabel joins live at Gillette Stadium! Vrabel: "Lot of good stuff. A lot of stuff we can clean up"
Is Drake Maye putting "too much pressure" on himself to make every play? Does that pressure lead to mistakes?
Is Drake Maye putting "too much pressure" on himself to make every play? Does that pressure lead to mistakes?
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00:00Your first win as a head coach against that Steelers team.
00:04Yeah, yeah.
00:05Feeling good about it?
00:07I always feel good when we win.
00:09Yeah.
00:09Yeah, no matter who it's against.
00:11So, you know, a lot of good stuff, a lot of stuff that we can clean up.
00:15Some things we have to eliminate, same thing as always.
00:19But it was fun.
00:20Yeah.
00:22When you look at defense, certainly looked excellent yesterday.
00:29Questions about the offense?
00:30We talked about that as we go through this.
00:32I mean, there's going to be things everywhere.
00:34You know what I mean?
00:35I don't think this was, you know what I mean?
00:37One of the best offenses we'll face all year.
00:39So, I try to keep things in perspective and go from there.
00:44One of the things, Mike, that I looked at coming into this season,
00:46my expectations, obviously, for the offense of Drake May were extremely high
00:50off of what happened last year and, you know, just the growth of him.
00:53Do you feel like at times watching the film that he might be putting maybe too
00:58much pressure on himself to kind of make every play and that's what's leading
01:02to some of these mistakes?
01:04Well, certainly to the decisions.
01:06I mean, I think that, you know, we all put, I think, pressure on ourselves to be
01:12great.
01:12I think that that's what really good players want to try to do.
01:16And, you know, I just think you have to, again, find the fine balance of reading
01:23things out, being able to kind of somewhat predict and have the timing to make
01:27decisions, to throw the ball downfield.
01:29And, you know, I thought for the most part that was pretty good yesterday.
01:35I think there were some things that, you know, Drake could obviously do better.
01:39There's the things, you know, that a lot of guys could do better offensively.
01:42I always say to my uneducated eye, my uneducated fan eye, it looks like he is not
01:50as confident, perhaps, as he was last season.
01:53Is that?
01:53I mean, I don't know.
01:54I thought he threw a confident ball to Eli.
01:56I thought he threw a confident ball 55 yards down the field to Romeo.
02:01He extended on third down, kept his eyes down the field and converted.
02:06You know, so again, everybody's going to nitpick and there's, I'm just telling you,
02:11there's good things in there and there's things that we have to fix.
02:13When it comes to Ramondre Stevenson, the turnover yesterday, the fumble for him,
02:17that seems like it's, it always starts the beginning of the season with him
02:20turning the ball over and then he's able to work through it and then be great for
02:24you guys.
02:24Is that just something that Ramondre deals with on and off?
02:28Like, how do you get a running back to, to be able to work through that every
02:31single season?
02:32I mean, it's just something that ball security is at a premium and, you know,
02:37once you put it out there on tape, you know, you, you can kind of see that that's
02:40what everybody's going to do.
02:41That's how they're going to tackle.
02:43And if we can take care of the ball, I think we have chances to, to run through
02:47some of those hammer tackles where they're not wrapping up and they're just
02:49coming in.
02:50I think you saw that in the second half, a couple of guys tried to do that.
02:53And we had some X play runs with Ramondre in there.
02:57But once you, you do that, you know, it's a, you're going to say,
03:01everybody's going to do that and continue to try to hammer at the football.
03:04And, you know, I think it just comes from, you know, a high alert, but I also
03:09think it's also everybody else being able to protect the guy with the ball.
03:12So he only has to worry about guys he can see, not guys that he can't see.
03:15We saw you go, go right over there.
03:17Talk to him after that fumble.
03:18What do you, what do you say to him in that situation?
03:20Just trying to be a coach.
03:21Just trying to be a coach.
03:22Mike, you know, that there's no way you can get back to where you were last year.
03:28If Drake doesn't play better and the confidence, obviously you said he made
03:33confident throws.
03:34He definitely did.
03:35How do you manage that?
03:38You know, understanding the outsized importance of that position, knowing how
03:42talented he is and seeing him perform beneath what your expectations are.
03:48So just try to focus on Jacksonville and, and get us, you know, get us going here
03:53in a good week.
03:55And again, just coach things up and understand how critical everybody's role is.
04:01I think in, in helping the guy with the ball and the quarterback has it the most.
04:05So again, when he feels good about protection and he feels good about where, where
04:10guys are in the routes and, you know, when we can run the ball and he feels good
04:14about the play action and the space and, you know, in the defense, but, but I do
04:19think it takes, it takes everybody.
04:21And, you know, if there's a breakdown on one particular player, the quarterback
04:26feels pressured or, you know, I think you just start to build the confidence
04:29through practice.
04:30And I think that that, you know, the passing game has to be done with, with speed
04:35and timing and precision.
04:37And then you have to tie it in with protection.
04:39So, you know, we'll just continue to build and, and know that we were playing a good
04:44defensive front and, uh, you know, take the positives and try to fix what, uh, you
04:50know, the negative plays that showed up yesterday.
04:52Speaking of running the football, that, that 39 yard run from Travion felt like it
04:56was big momentum wise for the football.
04:58Yeah.
04:58I mean, it was a well-designed play and well-executed.
05:01I think, you know, you saw, you know, starting at, you know, AVT was able to pin the two,
05:06two eye and, and that's a long block to hold.
05:09Um, Morgan did a fantastic job of getting around and getting up on the linebacker, you
05:14know, pop, uh, executed a perfect, uh, second level block, something that we've been working
05:19on, uh, a lot, which is fun to see, um, you know, when guys take the drill, uh, and it,
05:25and it comes out and you see it in the game.
05:27So it makes it easy to kind of say, Hey, this is why we do this drill, because this is
05:33the
05:33angle that you're going to be coming in.
05:34And this is where the safety is going to be.
05:36He's got a couple of choices.
05:37If he does this, this is how you want to continue to attack them.
05:40So I think those are the things that are fun for me.
05:43So I can show them exactly, Hey, this is why we did this drill.
05:46Mike, when you look at your defense, uh, I mean, we've, we've talked about a lot, how
05:51we really are impressed with what you're doing defensively, but there have been some young
05:55guys really contributing, especially on the defensive line, you know, Gabe, Elijah Ponder.
06:01Um, what have those guys shown you these younger players going out there and making some
06:05plays?
06:06What, what, what are you playing hard about?
06:07They're playing hard.
06:08They, um, you know, they have a role on special teams for us and they've been rotating, uh,
06:13as to kind of a three guys in there.
06:15And then Dre went down.
06:16So, uh, they played a lot more Q got it.
06:20And I think they just continue to work each, each and every day, you know, we did, they're
06:24young, they're very coachable.
06:25Um, you know, and they continue to work, uh, continue to put the work in and, you know,
06:31coach Smith does a fantastic job with all those guys.
06:33And, you know, we'll have to, you know, get some contributions from some younger guys
06:38as well, just based on injuries going forward.
06:40Speaking of injuries, the reports are that Mike on one, you it's a broken right ankle, uh,
06:44for you, what is a, what does a blow like that do for your team?
06:47Well, it's just, uh, been consistent and, um, been a consistent presence over there.
06:54Um, you know, we'll have to, unfortunately, try to try to replace him.
07:00And, uh, you know, Greg jumped in there yesterday, did a great job, but, you know, I feel for
07:04Mike, he always is very consistent and that's the one thing I can appreciate about him.
07:09And, um, you know, we'll see where he is today and moving forward.
07:13How do you, it seems like several times over the first two games, you'll make a
07:17big play, you'll get inside the red zone, you'll get inside the 10 yard line, and then
07:21you either have a penalty, you have a run into the line, you have a holding call.
07:24It seems like you've had a lot of drive stall after big plays.
07:28There's been momentum killers.
07:29To me, it seems a little, the play calling, the third down, the, the, the quick screen to
07:34the left of the receiver yesterday that lost a yard, but set up the field goal that Boralas
07:39missed.
07:39Like, it just seems like the play calling inside the red zone has left a little to be desired.
07:43Would you agree with that?
07:45Well, I guess what didn't you like about the play call?
07:47I, to me, it seems, uh, very conservative in those plays where you're, I mean, Hunter
07:54missed the block, Hunter whiffed.
07:56So if Hunter makes a block, it's a, it's a better chance.
07:59I don't know.
08:00I mean, again, I mean, I did, there's plays where we, their dog shit calls and the players
08:04make a play.
08:05There's good calls and the guys don't make a play.
08:07Like, did you catch that one?
08:09You have to watch the, you have to watch like every play, like there'll be an X play run.
08:14And I watch every 20 yard gain and I'm like, it's either a guy making a play or there's
08:18a holding call that they miss.
08:20And that's what it is.
08:21And again, I think the easy thing is to say, well, that's a, that's a terrible play call
08:26or, you know, the guy should have done better.
08:28Fellas, we have to be able to get into a rhythm.
08:31I agree with you 100% that we cannot have mistakes that it, once you get to the red
08:38zone, we cannot have a negative plays are guaranteed field goals.
08:41We learned that we need to be known that for a long time.
08:45The, the mindset that we want to create is when we make a positive play, like we had a
08:50couple of good runs in a row, like we need to keep going.
08:53We need to be sprinting back into the huddle.
08:54We need to be sprinting out of the huddle to continue that momentum, or we hit a big
09:00play down the field or Rome.
09:02And it's like, how are we going to delay a game?
09:04Like guys get back in the huddle.
09:06You know, we want to celebrate, but we also, we have to continue the drive and the momentum.
09:11So, um, there's always going to be some good calls.
09:15There's always going to be some bad, bad calls.
09:17I'm not debating that.
09:19But the point is we have to be okay with having some successful plays in a row, like
09:25where we're just continuing to like, Hey, we're not to sit there and wait, you know,
09:29we don't have to wait for him to get set, or we don't have to wait for him to, to
09:33regroup
09:33or call a pressure or whatever it may be.
09:35Like we have to have that mindset, uh, everyone, you know, from, from me all the way down that,
09:41you know, it's okay to string four or five good plays together and not worry about stalling
09:47or mistakes when you see some of those kill you.
09:51Yeah.
09:51When you, and it's interesting because when you see some of the pre-snap penalties, I
09:55mean, those obviously penalties frustrate you, but those really got to just rub you the wrong
10:00way because, and when I watch a game, I think it's just maybe a lack of focus when it comes
10:05to pre-snap versus, you know, there are times you're going to get called for hold and maybe
10:10guys getting away and you tug at them and the, the referee see that how, how, I don't
10:13know.
10:14What'd you think about when you fall started?
10:15I was like, I was just a lack of focus.
10:18I was trying to, you know, I knew to play maybe about dinner.
10:22No, maybe it was coming to me and I get too anxious and I'm like, all right, you know,
10:26lock in rather than like, all right, don't get so, uh, lose that focus.
10:31I think there's a fine balance there about operating at the line of scrimmage.
10:34We want to get out to the, to the line quickly.
10:36We want to be able to, to motion quickly and time these things up with our cadence.
10:40And then sometimes they move, they adjust.
10:42And then now it's like, okay, is the quarterback got to maybe change the call or alert the
10:48call?
10:49And, you know, these guys are thinking about blocking TJ Watt or Highsmith or Hayward or
10:54whoever.
10:55And, and then we move a little bit.
10:57So, I mean, obviously we just have to walk in.
10:59We have to communicate with the guy next to us about, you know, cadence.
11:02Cause I think you do have to be able to use your cadence.
11:04Uh, you can't just sit there and go, uh, on the same cadence all the time and let these
11:09guys get into a rhythm.
11:10So we can only use it as long as, you know, it's not affecting us.
11:15Wiggy brought up Eli Raritan earlier.
11:18Happy with what you've seen from him rookie wise so far?
11:21Uh, yeah.
11:22And I mean, wasn't able to finish the game.
11:23So we'll have to see where he is health wise.
11:25Um, but I do, you know, I mean, I think that he has a good skill set and, you know,
11:31something
11:31that we have to be able to use.
11:33I think he's tried to, you know, he blocks much better than you ever blocked.
11:36Yeah.
11:36Yeah.
11:37Well, I didn't think that coming in.
11:39I'm joking.
11:40Yeah.
11:40I didn't, you know, I just got in the way he became a better blocker earlier than we
11:45thought.
11:45Like he was, he's really improved in that regard.
11:48Got a really good frame.
11:50He can run.
11:51Um, you know, we'll just have to see where he is moving forward.
11:55But I excited about the young guys and the fact that they're very conscientious and they
12:00want to be coached and they want to learn and, you know, we'll have to use them blocking
12:04his effort and attitude.
12:06Your response, uh, to questions about Romeo Dobbs yesterday after the game was very honest,
12:10but it seemed like you were a bit frustrated.
12:12Were you frustrated with the way in which people talked about Romeo Dobbs in that catch after
12:16week one?
12:17I mean, that, that drop.
12:18No, I mean, not frustrated.
12:20I mean, just somebody was like, oh, he had three drops or he had two drops.
12:22And I was like, maybe we're watching a different game or I see it differently.
12:27Um, guy dropped the pass.
12:29You know, guys are going to, I say this, they miss tackles.
12:33Unfortunately, we miss sacks.
12:34Unfortunately, we drop interceptions.
12:36Unfortunately, things like that happen.
12:38Our response is critical.
12:39Uh, and how we come back and what we're able to do.
12:42It's a long game.
12:43You know, we can't be defined by one play, one positive play, one negative play.
12:47We have to just, you know, each play is its own season with so much going on on every
12:52play.
12:52And then you go on to the next one and try to find your sweet spot as a player.
12:56Trevor Lawrence this Sunday.
12:58What makes him so difficult to defend?
12:59Well, he's big, he's athletic, um, arm talent, you know, and again, I, we've played against
13:06him a lot, uh, from, from our days in Tennessee.
13:09So, you know, we'll have to be at our best.
13:11They're, they're a good football team, uh, very, very talented, uh, very long on defense
13:16up front.
13:17So it seems like it's the same thing every week.
13:19Do you feel like, cause after like asking you that question about, you know, locking in
13:25and the focus, do you feel like part of the way you are as a coach and understanding what
13:32guys are dealing with is because of the fact that you played because, you know, there have
13:37been coaches that I've been around and they'll chew your ass out for jumping off sides.
13:42But the way you answered, it was like, all right, I got TJ water on the other side and
13:46like understanding the pressures of what they're dealing with, which might lead to them.
13:50Yeah.
13:50And we're not trying to allow for anything or, you know what I mean?
13:53Or, or even make excuses.
13:55It's just that we have to go on to the next play.
13:57Like we could sit there and scream and yell and holler, but we also have to go on to the
14:02next play and figure out how to gain, um, those yards back.
14:06Uh, just continue to coach the situations, explain to them, uh, that we have to be at our
14:11best late in drives, uh, because any negative play in the red zone, uh, usually, uh, ends
14:18up in a field goal.
14:19You don't want to, you know, third and 10 is a bad place.
14:21You know, third and goal from the 10 is a bad place to be and say, Hey, we're going
14:24to try to score a touchdown.
14:25Cause you know, maybe you force something in there and then it's like, well, you try
14:29to make up for a mistake earlier and you force the ball.
14:33So, you know, we have to try to keep our guys out of those situations and they have to,
14:37they have to keep themselves out of those situations.
14:39We've been talking this morning a little bit about whether it's the confidence of, of
14:43Drake may or, or, or are these young players?
14:45Do you feel like your team that you have in place right now is good at keeping the noise
14:50out, not letting the noise in, whether it's what people are saying, fans are saying social
14:55media, or do you feel like this generation of player, they can't keep it all out?
15:02Well, I don't know if anybody can keep it all out.
15:04You know what I mean?
15:05Um, I hear the noise.
15:08Yeah.
15:09I mean, I think it's just, um, you know, we have to be able to focus on, on our football
15:13team, on, on each other and, and how we help each other.
15:17I mean, we're, we're, we're going to be judged no matter what.
15:20And, uh, by our performance, by this or that, uh, it's, it's how, you know, how we work together,
15:27uh, within our building to, to help us win football games.
15:31That's all we're trying to do.
15:33All right, coach.
15:34Well, we will, we will let you go get the work.
15:36I appreciate you guys.
15:36Congrats on win number one on the season.
15:39Question.
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