PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL
PRESS CONFERENCE
August 4, 2026
Q: I know it's only been a couple days, but what have you seen from Gabe Jacas both on the field and off, given I've heard you've been picking on him?
MV: I think that's all. We've got some time to make up. We've got to make up for lost time, I think, a little bit with Gabe. I'd say he's working hard. I think he's into it. He's trying to learn, he's focused. A lot of these things are new for him, and I think he has done a good job of controlling what he can control. I see him in there meeting with Smitty [Mike Smith] a lot – and again, there's a return to play. He'll have a few more reps than he did yesterday and – these situations he has to just understand, and it's good to see him get acclimated to the special team stuff. So, I think it's going well. I think we're off to a good start, and hopefully he can continue to keep adding things and figure out where he can help us defensively and really, special teams.
Q: Mike, from his perspective, how hard is it to come into this situation early? Also, how is his football acumen, IQ?
MV: Well, how hard is it? I think that's probably a great question for Gabe. I mean, when he's here, we've been trying to get him moving along as quickly as possible, and that's just what the situation was. But I think that he may be able to articulate that better. I don't want to speak for him. But we're excited to have him out there and just see how he responds each and every day, continue to add to the workload, and then figure out —I've has been working with him on the side and on the punt because that's probably the toughest one there for the young guys to get going on. So, he's missed some of those reps, and we want to make sure that he's doing that and getting caught up there. So, we will see how that looks today, putting him in there with the team period, with the punt.
Q: What are the keys to effective punt protection, and how does the technique have to differ considering you are not just dropping back, you actually also have to get downfield?
MV: Yeah, it's funny, we try to talk to them about being an offensive lineman, and then they have to kind of be a linebacker, right? You have to be able to strike. The biggest thing is being able to recognize whether it's pressure, whether it's hold up, and how the help system works and not jumping out of there and creating gaps, but trying to come back and stay square and use our length. But then sometimes they're coming in there to hold you up, and we feel like the best way to do that is to be able to strike and provide some extension, and then you have to shed and work your coverage lines. Unfortunately, we gave up one last year in Miami, and it starts with a good punt, but then also having some interior guys. We know the gunners sometimes get doubled, and they're not always down there to force a fair catch or a tackle. So, being able to get the PP [personal protector] down as the third gunner, we call it. But it's got to be a help system, and we've to be able to protect inside out, but also be able to cover and understand and locate where the ball is, and those lanes change. So, I think there's just a lot of things that are different from the way that we punt in the National Football League and the way that a lot of the college players have done it.
Q: Yesterday's practice seemed very competitive from our perspective, and a lot of talking between the offense and the defense, depending on who was winning whatever rep.
MV: They all can't win at the same time. I've realized that.
Q: Where do you draw the line at trash talk versus the competitive nature that you want these guys to have when building a team?
MV: I think anything that's authentic and real. I don't think anything that's made up or fake. I think the competitiveness has been great. I want that. I think we need that. I think that's part of building a team. But then also, the line that we take them to is being able to take care of each other. We're not throwing punches. We're not into that. That gets you eliminated from the game. So, that's not how we want to practice. We want to avoid those things, but I am all for the energy, the trash talk, the back and forth and being able to get back and then do your job. And if that affects doing your job the next snap, then I would try to do my best to talk about it and explain, "Hey, when you are doing this, you're not very good the next snap," or, "You are not ready to go," or, "The offense goes on the ball, and we've got 12 men on the field because you're focused about talking to somebody else." Then those things start to become an issue. But I am all for it, as much as we can handle.
Q: Mike, you talked earlier this offseason about wanting to run the ball more consistently. Are you looking for that to come more from the personnel changes with Alijah [Vera-Tucker] and Reggie [Gilliam] and some others, or more from Josh [McDaniels] kind of tweaking the schematics of it?
MV: No, I don't — I mean, I think that all is part of it, and I don't think that there's one great solution other than a demeanor. I think every great running football team, the receivers have to be involved at some level. I mean, you can't just sit there and have your run game be comprised of RPOs and relief throws because that just, I don't think, is going to create a consistent — you look at the teams that run the ball best, their receivers are involved with block and force, whether that's the nickel blocking the nickel or blocking safeties. They have to be able to do that. So, I think there's finding that balance between what we feel like our team does best, but then also using Reggie, using the tight ends, using guys and some of the personnel. So, I know that that's probably fairly vague, but you have to have a mentality and a mindset to want to run the football, and then I think the scheme and what the players do best is critical. Then also, look at any of our X-play runs. The receivers are involved with getting support and running by corners or running by free safeties. You can't block everybody, but we've got to get guys like Treveyon [Henderson] that can hit home runs, we've got to get him through the second and third level, trying to break arm tackles, and then see if he can run away from some people.
Q: A.J. [Brown] said yesterday that he dislocated a thumb. How is he doing today?
MV: I think he's going to be okay. I think he's going to be okay. No, I told him the linemen do that every other snap, and it's not a national story when a lineman pops his finger back in place. But we had a little bit of fun with that. I think that — again, I appreciate what A.J. and Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez] have done is just come in and compete and try to improve. It's been a good battle, and that's pro football. I love watching it, and I think that there's a great amount of respect that each of those players have for each other and understand that the work that they're putting in now is going to pay dividends in the season. I think that's all you can ask from your frontline players is that they come out and they're focused on getting better each day, and they're intentional with their work. When they're out there, it sends a clear and easy message to the rest of the team about how we're supposed to challenge and compete. I think it's been a good competition.
Q: Mike, any guys returning today or being load managed?
MV: I don't think Reggie [Gilliam] will be out there today. Then there's some other bumps and bruises. I think [Christian] Barmore is probably going to be managed today.
Q: Coach, Will [Campbell], was talking about how the offensive line and the defensive line will often have conversations with each other, kind of looking out for little things, tendencies to help the other guy on the other side of the ball. How much do you guys as a coaching staff encourage those sorts of conversations maybe independent of what you guys are doing as coaches?
MV: Yeah, we do. I mean, that's all part of building a team, whether that's with the DBs, the receivers, splits, releases, technique. We can only game plan for one team is what I try to tell them. They see these guys every day. They know what it looks like when they're maybe in a certain stance or what they look like when they may be in a tighter alignment or a little looser alignment, or how they're going to set the game up. So, I think that all those things are important, those conversations, and the way that they come out today to make their adjustments and watch the tape and whether we're able to make corrections on things that one side of the ball is doing. I think this is good practice for the season. We've talked about that. So, I hope that there --
we spend a lot of time together, and I hope a lot of that time is spent talking about football. I understand it's not all going to be football. There's a lot of things for these guys to get to know about one another, but I am glad that they're talking football. The line of scrimmage for our football team has to be where we begin our identity. It can't -- we can't ask some receivers or DBs to do it. Our football team has to be led by the offensive and defensive line in the way that they play and their demeanor.
Q: Mike, with Christian [Gonzalez] and A.J., you touched on it a little bit, but what does it mean for the other players to see them go up against each other the way that they do in practice?
MV: Well, I can only speak on my experience when I would play. I think that that would be a great question for some young guys in the locker room of what they feel like and how they experience it. But as a coach, I would say that it makes it easy. It sends a clear message. I think that that exhibits a level of leadership that we're going to be out here and we're going to compete, challenge, but also take care of each other. I think that's the biggest thing, and that's why practice is -- we want to be as fast as possible, we want to be as physical as possible, but in the end, we're all working for the same goal. We need everybody, and they're important, so we have to be able to take care of each other.
Q: Mike, how do you feel about the depth that you guys have at guard right now?
MV: I mean, I think that there's — whether we have injuries or things, but I think that guys are working in there. James [Hudson] is getting some reps inside there, and there will be a time where you guys will see Caleb [Lomu] work in there. So, we're just looking to find the best combination of guys for the season. So, I think we're okay. I think the depth could always be better at every position, just to continue to build competition and finding the right mix of guys that are going to help us for this year.
Q: Mike, you mentioned in the offseason the desire to get Pop [DeMario Douglas] the ball a little bit more. How have you seen him evolve, and do you feel like he's capable of getting more touches and being more influential in the offense?
MV: Yeah, I think that Pop was — I think the most impressive thing was that he was ready, whether he got 12 snaps or he got 30 snaps. I think some of his best plays were his ability to not catch the football and go and finish. He made plenty of plays for us. But his attitude remained really good. I know that every receiver wants to get the ball more, and I think we will continue to try to find ways for Pop to help us and then look at where he can continue to improve. But nobody cares more about the team than Pop Douglas. I think that shows by the way he plays.
Q:. Coach, Andy [Borregales] does not necessarily have a ton of, or real, competition this summer, but how are you making sure he stays sharp, and what do you like from him this camp so far?
MV: I think he's made the majority of his field goals, a high majority. I think that that's something that's a fine balance of where you want your kicker to be. If you feel good about the competition or the job that he did last year, then I'll just try to evaluate that each week. I think he's continuing to work with Tom [Quinn] on his steps, the consistency and everything else. So, I know that there — Bryce [Baringer] does not have any competition either. We've got to make sure that those three guys – the more specialists you add that the less that you add on the rest of the roster. So, we try to figure out what is best for the team, and we felt like those guys would be okay without having to have some sort of competition.
Q: Mike, Will Campbell has always been pretty secure and consistent who he is and comfortable in his own skin. Year two, maybe not growth as a player, but as he fits within the program, do you see any differences from him day-to-day or his role this season?
MV: No, I mean, he's still going to do the news on Friday, so that'll be consistent. He was trying to talk his way out of that yesterday. But he did such a good job that he's earned that role for another year. Yeah, I think just some little things that he's trying to work on and build with Alijah over there on the left-hand side, how critical that connection is and that relationship of how they want to work their combination blocks or how they block games. But it's a young player that we've to continue to stay on, and he wants to do a good job, and he wants to play hard for us and do all those things. So, just keep moving, keep moving forward.
