PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL
PRESS CONFERENCE
November 19, 2025
Q: With Ja'Marr [Chase] being suspended, what have you seen from Tee Higgins and the rest of the Cincinnati receivers?
MV: Well, I mean, again, talent. Plenty of talent. It's just the opportunities probably haven't been there, but when they've been given the opportunity and they've gone to them whether that's [Andrei] Iosivas, that's [Mitch] Tinsley down the field, obviously Tee, deep threat, took a slant to the house against Pittsburgh, tight window, split the safeties. So, I don't think that they lack in talent, I think it's just been opportunity. So, again, we'll have to do a great job trying to defend them, whether that be [Chase] Brown or Higgins or anybody else. It's just a big challenge offensively.
Q: Since you became a head coach, how, if at all, have you changed how you manage your individual relationships with players over the years?
MV: I mean, again, my job is to have a relationship or a connection with everybody here, players and staff included. Some of those relationships are stronger than others. That's kind of the nature of this. But I think for me it's just been having something in each room or part of the game plan in each phase that will at least allow me to have a conversation about the game plan, about their job or technique, which is the best way to be able to have that connection through the week. And then, again, just try to be as genuine as I possibly can.
Q: Mike, was that something you needed, wanted, got when you were a player and something you felt like was important to you?
MV: I don't know if it was that needed. I mean, it was just kind of different. It was just different. I haven't coached anybody any differently from the three years that I spent at Ohio State, going to Houston. They were maybe a year or two older, and back then they made more money. Now they're just a year or two older, and some of them make about the same amount of money. So, I appreciate where they all come from. I appreciate their backgrounds. You can see the type of people they are by when you meet their families. I think that's something that really shows in the pride that they have. We do this to provide for our families. So, outside of winning, let's be honest, that's why we do this. So, I enjoy meeting their families, and I enjoy meeting the people that they care about. And we always say, "Things that are important to them, should be important to us."
Q: Mike, as a player, you were known sort of as an enforcer, and I know accountability is super important to you now. So, as a coach, how have you evolved in creating accountability?
MV: I think my job – I've said this – is to try to protect the team, stay consistent and try to hold the best players the most accountable. That way it sets a clear message to everybody throughout. If the quarterback makes a mistake, Drake [Maye] makes a mistake, it doesn't really do me any good to sit there and coach up Tommy DeVito. Just go right to the source, and I think the players appreciate the consistency.
Q: Mike, the stability of the offensive line in their performance this season seems like it's led to a lot of the team's success. Can you talk about what that group, the coaching staff and Doug Marrone has meant for their success?
MV: That's a good group in there. Doug's in charge, but Jason Houghtaling – Hoss – and Kugs [Robert Kugler], I think we're lucky. I think those guys really do a good job. Like I said when I talked about the staff, they can all take a group and coach them. Pre-practice, individual. So, you see a lot of that is split up, and guys are getting work and reps, so there's a lot of confidence there. I think the players are building some confidence. I think that the more that we get into this thing, and they understand the design of the play and how Drake's going to operate, whether that's trying to climb the pocket, the extension and everything else, I think it all goes hand-in-hand. I think they communicate well, and the more that we've been able to be out there as a unit has led to some good results.
Q: With Rhamondre [Stevenson] possibly going to return – you've had TreVeyon [Henderson] kind of be that main back in the last few games – is there a plan to have a better balance between the two of them when they're both going to play or when Rhamondre's healthy?
MV: I think we'll probably have to have that conversation when it's certain that we're going to have Rhamondre. He's going to work through practice today, and we'll see where things go. TreVeyon's helped us, Rhamondre's helped us, Terrell [Jennings]'s helped us. Disappointed that D'Ernest [Johnson] couldn't have a couple more carries. We gained some good yards on whatever they thought was a holding penalty and go from there. So, we'll try to have them all help us, but it's been good to see TreVeyon continue to run hard, take care of the football and everything else.
Q: Mike, what's been your impression of Joe Flacco and just the way that Bengals offense has been playing?
MV: Efficient, on time, a lot of – again, you're not going to trick him. You're going to have to cover him, beat him, rush him. The ball comes out quick. Doesn't seem to get rattled very easily. It's not something that's going to happen. Arm strength and accuracy have been great. He kind of knows what he wants to do and where he wants to go with the ball. I'd say a lot of command.
Q: Mike, he's also someone you saw as a player. I know not all those memories are great, but what do you remember about a young Joe Flacco on the other sideline?
MV: I mean, about the same. I mean, big, talented, strong, probably ran a little bit more. So, just the longevity, a lot of respect for him as a person and as a player.
Q: Mike, we'll get a chance to see them out at practice theoretically, but you talked about Rhamondre and his situation – Kayshon [Boutte] and Christian [Elliss] as well, do you have any updates on them?
MV: They'll all work today, we'll see how they respond after today and kind of keep moving from there. But no real update. They haven't done anything that we've pushed through other than that. So, hopefully they're out there and they will be ready to go, and then we'll see where they go.
Q: Was the decision to move C.J. [Dippre] to the [53-man] roster, similar to the situation you kind of talked about earlier this week with Bradyn [Swinson] where he was somebody you put time in with and want to continue working with?
MV: Yeah, there's a lot of things that go involved with that. Certainly, those two players were ones that kept showing up as the show team players, or whether it's on special teams, offense or defense. And so, it's just kind of what happens when you get to this part of the season. We'll see if those guys can help us. We ask everybody to prepare as a starter when they come in here, and I don't think anything should change or will change for those guys.
Q: Mike, you have defended the quarterback-related three concepts in the past five weeks. How much is it from having your scout team running the play, simulating during the practices, versus just the players out there with high awareness at this point?
MV: Well, we're not going to be able to show them everything. We have a lot of admiration, respect, gratitude for the players that give us those looks throughout the week. I think they take great pride in that. We ask them to try to – they're being evaluated, we're trying to put it the best as we can in our language, and letting them play football, letting them compete, try to stay up and take care of each other. We don't want anything that's out of control, but I think improvement has been made by players on those units. They give us a fantastic look in first, second, third down. We get to the red zone late in the week. So, again, that starts there. And then, we're not going to be able to show them every single play that they're going to see in the game. That's impossible. Nobody's that good. There's things that we'll show them that they'll be able to recall, but then it comes down to the 11 guys out there, if there's an un-scouted look or there's a play that comes up that they haven't seen or they haven't run this year, that you kind of use your tools, use kind of your rules for the play and what your responsibility is to go and defend it.
Q: Drake said on the radio the other day that one of the concepts he's been focused on this year is remaining a passer as long as possible even when he's taking off. How much progress have you seen with that particular skill or development perhaps?
MV: Yeah, I mean, I think that that's something that was talked about in the offseason that we wanted to try to allow him to do and let him work on it. Example, on the sidelines there with [Stefon] Diggs the other night, maintaining a passer as long as he can, still threaten the edge, and then if people come out of coverage, being able to make good decisions and great decisions with the football, and it leads to 15 extra yards. He wasn't going to run for 15 yards. So, again, those are things that really can put stress on the defense when you do them positively and you're not making bad decisions.
Q: Drake's been so accurate this year. What kind of work have you seen him put in to refine or improve that part of playing the position? How much of that just might be innate?
MV: I think probably a little bit of both. I think that Josh [McDaniels] and Ashton [Grant] have tried to work hard on that. I also think Drake is talented. And, again, it's like a pitcher. I don't know if there's a pitching coach that really taught Greg Maddux how to paint the plate and put the ball wherever he wanted it. So, I think there's some natural skill there, but then I think that they work on those things. They work on platform, throwing off at different places, still remaining accurate, climbing the pocket, working with a base and all those things. And then there's other times where it's just natural athletic ability, hand-eye coordination and putting the ball in good spots.
