PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL

PRESS CONFERENCE
January 5, 2026

Q: I heard you on the radio this morning talk about the Chargers and how they're a team that's constructed and built for the postseason. I'm wondering if you feel the same way about your team, and could you define exactly what that means?

MV: Yeah, I do now. I feel like we are now. I will just tell you that they play great defense. They're very sound. They're good tacklers. They're physical. They get off the field on third down. They're good in the red zone. They run the football. It's a physical football team. They possess the football. They lead the NFL in time of possession. They have very good quarterback play. They're well coached. They play with technique and fundamentals. The game, it doesn't – they don't panic one way or the other. They kind of stick to their game plan, wear you down and execute in critical situations. So, a lot of respect for them and certainly what they've done in a short amount of time.

Q: And your team?

MV: I think that we're trending in the right direction. That we have our moments of all of those. I can point to numerous instances of us doing it. So again, that's – the only thing that's important is what we're able to do on Sunday night.

Q: How pleased have you been, overall, with your offensive line? Obviously, for most of the year two rookies on the left side, a lot of different players came in this year. Just overall with that group this season.

MV: Yeah, I mean, it'll be critical this week against a good front and a good defense. So, that's what's going to matter. I think they've continued to improve and helped us stay balanced. I mean, games where we didn't run the football as well as we would like, but then we had games where we really ran it really well. I think they're trying to do a good job of protecting Drake [Maye] and giving us opportunities.

Q: Do you expect to get anyone back from injury this week or is it too early to tell?

MV: Yeah, it's probably too early to tell. Alex Austin will continue to practice and his return to play, and we'll evaluate that, and then see where, see where the other guys are. See where [Robert] Spillane, [Harold] Landry [III], [Khyiris] Tonga and Jared [Wilson] as well.

Q: You said on the radio today that you thought Drake was the MVP of the league. Why?

MV: He's extremely accurate. He's made the most of every passing opportunity. We've created a lot of X plays, and to create X plays it's about 30% scheme, it's about 70% of the players making a play and part of that is the quarterback putting it in a great location for run after catch. I think you continue to see that. His ability to extend, use his legs to gain first downs, critical first downs. His ability to score when we've asked him to score and run it in. He's been everything that we've asked and he continues to get better. He's not satisfied. So, I know that our success of where we are right now, today, has a lot to do with Drake Maye.

Q: We've seen some really physical plays from Christian Gonzalez over the last several weeks. How have you seen that side of him develop?

MV: I think just a confidence level of understanding that he is a big corner. He's strong, he's got good size, good strength. And he doesn't just have to be a fast, athletic corner. It's hard to take and say that the corners in this league aren't going to have to tackle. They're going to have to tackle when they hand the football off. We don't want them to every single play, but there's times where they have to, they have to crack replace, they have to close the distance, they have to stay on their feet and tackle. And you've seen it the other way where we've been able to get out there or get on some DBs and they've missed tackles, and those turn into X plays. And so, I appreciate Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez] doing that, CD [Carlton Davis III], Marcus Jones and all of those guys, especially. The tackle from Craig Woodson at the end of half, which was a really, really good play. That is a bad – I mean, that just looks bad when you watch it. Imagine being out there and watching a guy come at you with all that space. And then Hawk [Jaylinn Hawksin] had one later in the game with [Greg] Dulcich. So, I think those guys have worked on tackling, they've improved and they're gaining confidence. Those are the ones, the tackles that you have to have, that don't turn into touchdowns. Just get them on the ground and give us a chance to line up and play again.

Q: Going back to Andy [Borregales]'s 59-yarder, just so many things about that. One, how big was that when you reviewed the game? Then, what was his range and how much was the range affected by the end of half? Would you push that given the –

MV: First of all, I thought we executed the situation really well. I think he took Kayshon [Boutte] there out of bounds, and then trying to hit another chunk with 19 seconds. Probably could have done it either way, could have probably gone in a little closer, slid and then run the ball in. Drake made the decision to get out of bounds. We took the shot, they had everybody off for it. We couldn't throw it anywhere but the end zone or out of bounds. And then went with the kick, and I would say that would be around the end of half or end of game range based on temperature, wind. Felt like [a] confident swing. It was a big play for us to answer their three points.

Q: Mike, you talked about the running game last night and the importance this time of year. It seems like it's coming together a little bit. You've got two running backs, their roles, sort of how they're playing is working. Can you talk about up front, maybe a little technically speaking, what's working there, which is obviously where this starts, what they're doing to make this happen for those two guys?

MV: Well, I think for the run game to have to go, you have to move them. You have to not allow penetration. You have to block support. We talked about the receivers. Any X play in the run game, receivers are going to have to be blocking at the second level. They're going to go in there and get support. Chiz [Efton Chism III] did that. Boutte did that. Digg-Z [Stefon Diggs] was heading in there on a couple of them. Then you have to be able to run through arm tackles, and then ultimately make somebody miss. So, you have to be good in combinations. There's single blocks. There's combination blocks. There's times when we pull players, and they have to be good and be able to somewhat displace the line of scrimmage. You can do it vertically or you can do it horizontally. So, I think that we're trying to mix different schemes. It's good that the backs can all run and execute what we're asking them to do.

Q: After the first two drives by the Dolphins, it seemed like there were some changes defensively –

MV: Changes or we just played better?

Q: Whatever you say.

MV: Well, you tell me. But that's probably – again, it is hard to recreate – somebody said this after the game – these aren't excuses, I think this is somewhat of an explanation. It's hard to recreate the speed of what that operation is. It is hard, and they do a great job, they do a fantastic job. They get to the line quick. They shift. They motion. They try to gain an extra hat through motion. The receivers do a nice job of cracking and some of the technical things that we were talking about with the run game. So, they do a good job of that, and then obviously some of the boots and the keepers off of it. And I think we settled down. I think we settled down in that regard. We were able to get off the field on third down. We created some third-and-longer situations and we were able to get off the field. So, I was really pleased to see the group that went in there in the fourth quarter. Go back and watch that effort. I think that you're going to see a lot of guys that are playing hard, flying around, improving, being productive. Whether that's [Brenden] Schooler or Dell [Pettus], Chad Muma, all those guys that played. It was fun. It was a fun fourth quarter to watch just from that regard. Those guys deserve the opportunity to play, and it was good to see them go in there and play well.

Q: Mike, to your knowledge, has any team contacted you or the Patriots about any of your coaches or personnel?

MV: Not to my knowledge.

Q: I know you like to differentiate between motivation and inspiration. For you personally, I believe you were interviewed by the Chargers for their head coaching opportunity. Obviously, you didn't end up getting it. Did that add anything to this week for you?

MV: No. Everything that I do and every second that I spend preparing will be to help the players. That's a well-run organization. The Spanos family is a good one. But no, that's no extra motivation.

Q: Mike, after the game yesterday some of your players talked about the culture that you sought to bring since the day that you got here. How grateful are you to them and their willingness to buy in to your message?

MV: I can't say it enough. I know what they go through from April 7th on. Training camp, the things that they have outside of football, their families, their injuries, and their bumps and bruises. So, I am very grateful for that. I've said that every chance that I get. I was trying to create an environment where guys enjoy coming here and appreciate how we practice and how we prepare. The style, the identity. So again, all the credit goes to the players.

Q: Mike, is there anything that you need to impart to players who are going through this playoff experience for the first time?

MV: I don't think so. I think just making sure that we continue to prepare the way we have, understand the details, make the corrections and understand a few plays will make the difference. Presented with the opportunity to make a play, that you're going to have to make it. That's kind of what we've done when we've won. Been able to turn the ball over, been able to take care of it.

Q: In the second half of the season, the Chargers defense ranks at the top of the league in kind of every stat. I know you mentioned their third down play, their physicality, but anything so far kind of stick out about the transformation that they made from the first half to the second half defensively?

MV: Well, I haven't gone through the entire first half of their defense, just the last couple games here already this morning. They don't give up a whole lot of first downs. Stingy. They're going to make your – you're going to get everything that you earn. You're going to have to earn it. They're just not going to give it to you. They're very sound in that regard. So, we'll have to have great execution, make great decisions and be able to put some drives together to sustain. They're just not going to hand you two X plays down to the 1-yard line.