PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL

POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
November 2, 2026

Q: Is there any chance A.J. Brown will be practicing this week?

MV: Yeah, we'll see. We'll see how he progresses here through the week. He's been getting treatment here, and we'll see when we get to Wednesday what those guys that were unavailable for the game look like, and then also whatever came up here during the game.

Q: Mack Hollins and Reggie Gilliam, any chance those guys come back this week?

MV: Potentially, yeah. Again, those guys are all working hard. We've got a long list of those guys, and I think Jim [Whalen] and his staff, and obviously Frank [Piraino] and his staff are trying to do a great job with the return to play. We'll see here where we come out from the game, where guys can help us and the spots that you have to make to get those guys back. So, there's a lot of moving parts. We'll try to make sure that the player is ready to return to practice. Then also, if they were to be available for the game, and then make the corresponding moves that would have to occur.

Q: Mike, what went into the decision to put Ben Brown in at halftime over Walter [Rouse]?

MV: Well, Ben's worked really hard. I think coming in, he had worked through the knee injury – would have been Jacksonville, I think. He came back, had been working in practice, and we stuck with Walter and then wanted to take a look at Ben. So, we'll see where that goes this week, and those guys play extremely hard. It's never going to be perfect. I thought they both did some things well. I thought they both would have some plays that they would like to improve on.

Q: Mike, the passing game in the second half was obviously very productive. In the first half, was there anything that was disrupting the timing of the passing game? It looked like there were a few times Drake [Maye] might hit his back foot and been waiting for something to happen there. Did you see it then?

MV: I mean, maybe reroutes or the depth of some of the coverage players. Again, I've got a lot of confidence in what Drake does and what he sees. So, if he's not comfortable with something, he's going to find an exit strategy. He's going to find a check down. He's going to find ways to extend and maybe buy us some time. But I think just getting into a better flow, maybe just not stalling out there. Again, taking check downs sometimes isn't terrible. We've just got to be able to knife, get in between zone defenders and take care of the football. Every play is not going to be a 25-yard X-play or a 40-yard touchdown. That's not how the passing game is going to work.

Q: Mike, we talked to you about [Malik] Willis' legs last week. You guys seemed to do a very good job of keeping him corralled and in the pocket. What goes into hemming him in like you did?

MV: We talk about relentless and coordinated rush. So, I think that the players had a good understanding of what that was going to look like. We think they had a quarterback draw designed at some point, and guys are getting off blocks, beating guys. I thought for the most part, we were always kind of getting somebody looping into his face. I would have liked to try to tip a few more balls. But I think a good plan and a good execution by the players to make sure. There was one where he threw to Marcus [Jones], or maybe went out to his left, and Marcus made a good play on the ball that he probably could have took off on that one. I didn't love the rush lanes there. But obviously him coming into the game with as many yards just rushing that he had, I thought that was certainly something that helped us.

Q: It seems like Andy's [Borregales] missed some kicks this season. He's struggled at times. What's your message to him, and is there any thought about maybe bringing in another kicker to have a little competition?

MV: Well, it doesn't seem like he has. I mean, he has, and that needs to get corrected. I've got a lot of confidence in Andy. I think when you see the timing and when the approach is in rhythm, it looks really good. We have to make our kicks. Everybody has a job here. There's no real message. It's, "Hey, we've got to make them." But I've got a lot of confidence. I thought he did a really nice job on the kickoff with the ball placement. Hopefully, he's making a lot of extra points and not having to kick a lot of field goals.

Q: Coach, postgame, DeMario Douglas said he needs to trust his speed a little more. How do you get him to trust that more?

MV: Well, I think you just get put in those positions to where you attack defenders, you make one move. We try to simulate an open field tackle drill where there's no contact, it's just working the defender, the offensive guy about making a stick and then bursting, and the defensive guy coming to balance and tagging off. So again, just working those situations – after the catch, being able to get vertical, to make a stick and run by a guy. I think he had a play a couple weeks ago where he was maybe dancing, guys were running and they hammered the ball out. Maybe in the back of his mind, it's like, "I can't do that again." So, let's make sure that I'm continuing to gain ground and not give those guys so much credit to know that he can make them miss or he can run by them in the open field.

Q: Mike, from your experience as a player and coach, what are the traits or the things that go into making a quarterback a great deep ball passer?

MV: I mean, I think having guys that can get down the field and that can make plays on the ball. I think that gives you a lot of confidence to know that if the ball's in the air, it's going to be them or nobody. I think it probably starts with that. Being able to give guys a chance, knowing if it's going to be a back shoulder throw. Being able to have receivers that hold the red line and not throw it out of bounds. Certainly, touch is involved, right? If you have to drive the ball, and arm strength. But I think probably just having a good feel of, "Do I need a 35-yard pass that's in the air, or do I need a 50-yard ball?" and being able to judge that differently.

Q: Is there any concern for Hunter Henry's status going forward? Do you expect him back on Wednesday? Do you have any expectations?

MV: I don't have any expectations yet. We'll see how he responds here. He wasn't able to finish the game. So, we'll see where he is, and I know Hunter will do everything that he can to get back to help us, and we'll go from there.

Q: With Lan Larison, you guys had a couple more elevations for him. Was that a situation where someone was trying to poach him away, or what else went into that decision?

MV: Well, we just had a spot open and felt like that would give us some flexibility down the road.

Q: Mike, as somebody who's had to prepare for a lot of mobile quarterbacks in the past, for Drake to have that rushing touchdown that he had yesterday, will that force defenses moving forward that you guys have to face to spend a lot of time preparing for that type of play, do you think?

MV: I'm sure they prepare for a lot of different types of plays. I mean, there's only so many things that you can run down there with six guys at the line of scrimmage playing blitz zero. So, we have to come up with a good plan each week, whether we throw it or find ways to run it in. But, there's going to be an extra defender there.

Q: Mike, what was it like to see Cory Durden step up and have the success he had against the Dolphins?

MV: I'm happy always for Cory or any of our players that have success. I tell Cory this all the time, if he plays a certain way with his pad level and plays with extension, that he can impact games. When he gets high and looks for the ball too soon, sometimes they block him. He's got great energy, and we have to use that to his advantage and make sure that we're not doing anything after the snap, which I always remind him of. I love his energy and try to make sure that it's always positive.

Q: On the four offsides, is it a simple coaching point? Don't go over the line?

MV: Yeah, those are always going to be critical. I think those never really hurt you until they hurt you, until there's an interception or there's a fumble. Lining up offsides is one thing, I think trying to be aggressive and jump the snap count is another. So, we'll keep repping it, we'll keep reminding them, but I think that there's a fine line. There's a lot of guys that get sacks that also are in the neutral zone or start moving a little bit early. I don't love to see that, but unfortunately that kind of happens when you want to get into a pass rushing mode, and that's how it goes.

Q: Mike, could you speak more to Rhamondre [Stevenson] and his ability to give the team what it needed yesterday?

MV: Well, he's always willing to do whatever he can to help the team, whether that's pass protect, whether that's being able to catch the ball out of the backfield or his ability to run and give us some tough yardage there and some good runs. Then, like you saw at the end of the game there with the onside kick. So, I think by his actions, it's always easy to see that he cares about the team. Again, he's helped us win a lot of games last year and helped us win a few here this year. So, I appreciate what he does each and every week.