PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL

PRESS CONFERENCE
December 17, 2025

Q: You put an emphasis on learning and the experience of the Buffalo game, and I was wondering if you learned something about your offensive play calling that might impact your approach going forward against the Ravens.

MV: Well, I think that what we try to do is we learn from every game, every opportunity, not just specifically the Buffalo game. There's a lot of instances throughout the year that we've learned from and last week's game will be no different. And again, as it relates to play calling, I think every time in every game, offensively, defensively, special teams, my decisions, there's always a decision that you want to have back and, "Oh, how I could have made this better." Whether that's as a player or as a coach. And I've said this for as long as I've been able to say it as a head football coach, there is no perfect play or perfect call. There are good calls and there's not so good calls. And again, my reason for saying this is you don't want to have a call that gets in late. Those calls that are good are – they're in in a timely manner. The personnel group is in there. The players have repped it. They've seen it. They have answers for things that they could do. They have answers for things that were unscouted, which occur in every game. And so, we try to make sure that our calls that go into the players are appropriately that way. And then we could always sit back after the game and say, "Hey, we could have done this a little differently. We could have called this again." So, that's going to go for every win and every loss. We try to do it the same way as it relates to the playing and then our evaluation of what we call. So, I mean, there's a lot of opportunities for calls to be different. There's a lot of opportunities for the execution to be different, whether the call stays the same or the execution to that particular call. But I don't think that there's anything that we would want to change or do differently. We don't get to do do-overs. I think we've had a lot of success and we're going to try to get that same success on Sunday night.

Q: Along those same lines, when Drake [Maye] is throwing deep on third-and-1 – it happened a few times last week – I'm curious, first of all, how do you feel about that? Is that a designed play or is that Drake making the move?

MV: No, I mean, we're trying to score. We're trying to do what we do best, and sometimes those aren't as short as you think, whether it's a long one – again, we're trying to pick up first downs. But also, if they give us an advantageous look, take a shot. That's sometimes what we can do. And I don't know, specifically, which ones you're referring to, but we'll have to use everything we can to really stay on track this week. That's part of the message here with our football team offensively, so that we're not in this danger zone of their pressures and when those things can really start to affect you. So, we can stay on track and if we're in short yardage, we'll have to have a great plan to convert this week.

Q: Mike, following along the line of Karen [Guregian]'s question a little bit, I know the goal of every team is to win. It's the bottom line. This might seem like a crazy question, but can a late season loss actually be good for a team going forward?

MV: I would say that's TBD. I don't know. It's only depending on how you respond, how you prepare, how you practice and ultimately how you play. So, we'll see. There's a lot of good things in there and we'll need all those things on Sunday night against this football team that's 6-2 after their bye, and really coming off a big win last week. A dominant win.

Q: How much did you enjoy coaching Derrick Henry, and how big of a challenge is he to face?

MV: I'll start in reverse. It is a huge challenge. He's a very unique player. Great speed, great power, strength. He's just a different body type than what anybody would go against, and so it's unique in that regard. They do a very nice job with their scheme, different personnel groups, different run plan and styles of run, and different run actions. So again, we know what he's about. Build speed and stiff arm and all that other stuff.

He was very valuable, I think, to our success in Tennessee. Me personally, I had a great relationship with Derrick. He was always there. It seemed like when we needed to play, he made it. He's a great teammate. Anytime that there was a message, he delivered that message in his own particular way. So again, he was somebody that I really valued in the six years that I was there with him.

Q: You're going to, back-to-back, face two quarterbacks, Mike, who are on a different tier in terms of their skill sets. How similar is the preparation? How different are the players, I guess?

MV: I mean, Josh [Allen] isn't going to matter on Sunday, this is about Lamar [Jackson] and the Ravens, what he can do, his ability to stay patient and calm, and then deliver the football or burst. I mean, he really scrambles when he has to. He rarely feels like anybody's going to be able to tackle him until he's ready to go down, to get out of bounds or to throw. That's kind of the mindset and what I see on tape. So, that'll be a huge challenge. One that we'll have to be ready for in multiple ways, but he's comfortable standing there in the pocket, and then more than capable to extend plays when he feels like he has to.

Q: Mike, knowing how good they are situationally, and have been for years, how did that change, if at all, the way you manage a game, thinking they might be more likely to go for it on fourth down or be good once they kind of get in two-minute?

MV: Well, we always are kind of conscious, I think, of when teams are kind of in that four-down area. And then two-minute, it's being able to apply enough pressure in a timely fashion that doesn't allow the quarterback to scramble and to gain big chunks. And so, again, we'll have a plan for two-minute, and obviously be ready and prepared for the times that they attempt to go for it on fourth down.

Q: What did you guys like about Chad Muma before you brought him in?

MV: I think he's played in this league. Again, we get down to this time of the year where you've got to find some guys that have played in games and that you could use in fourth down or the kicking game. Good speed, good ability to process and understand what's going on. So, I think his experience helps, and obviously what he can do and how quickly he can learn.

Q: Mike, their defense, there was a lot of talk earlier in the year that they were really struggling, but it feels like the last six or seven weeks they've turned it around. What have you guys noticed on tape that sort of led to that improvement?

MV: Teams aren't really running the ball on them, so they're forcing a lot of these games to be one-dimensional. Really good mix of veteran players and some youth. Really good interior players. I mean, they're just big, [Travis] Jones and [John] Jenkins, and obviously they'll rotate other guys through there, but it starts with those two. I think Kyle Hamilton is one of the best players in this league just from a versatility standpoint and what he can do at the line of scrimmage, covering. I mean, 34 career PBUs, 8 career sacks, plays nickel, plays safety, plays dimebacker. So, the versatility there is impressive. The playmaking ability is impressive. I mean, [Marlon] Humphrey is – if you're loose with the football or you take a nap, he'll pull it out or he'll hammer it. Roquan Smith usually tackles the ball every time it's handed off. So, they're playing well, they're playing with a lot of confidence and it'll be a huge test.

Q: Mike, how do you feel your passing game has performed against man-to-man coverage when you guys have seen that?

MV: Well, I think that there's always opportunities for us to win in match coverage. I think that there's been times where we've won. [Stefon] Diggs won on third down, Mack [Hollins] won on an in-cut. I don't have the numbers offhand analytically, but those are at least two, and I'm sure that there's times we're in match that we're covered and hopefully Drake can extend the play and cause some play extension or be able to scramble. So, whatever coverage they're in, we're going to have to be able to have great spacing and route detail in zone, and then be able to have answers when we do get matched.

Q: What did you see as the issues potentially in that second half with James Cook [III] and Josh Allen able to run the ball a little bit more?

MV: Well, a lot of that is just they pushed a lot of scrimmage, and we have to be able to stay gap sound and be able to build a wall. And again, when you get on the plus side of the 50, sometimes in that short field position they don't mind sticking with the run and going for it on fourth down. Can't let them run it in. And again, it's a huge challenge this week. I'm sure we'll see a lot of those runs that they did last week. See where we're at with them. That's usually what happens. So, that's what I told the team this morning.

Q: You talked about Drake protecting himself as a quarterback and the importance of that. We saw him use his legs in the red zone. As the season goes on and playoffs on the horizon, do you feel that the balance of Drake extending plays with his legs may change a little bit?

MV: You would have to ask Drake. I don't get to make those decisions. I don't have a remote control to say scramble or throw. And I just say that by continuing to develop that part of his game, truthfully. Being able to remain a passer and keep his eyes down the field, but then also, if it's not, then be able to go, get what you can get and take care of yourself. So, those are the choices that he makes. Those are the decisions that the quarterback gets to make. And I think he's made some good ones. And again, hopefully he can continue to do that, progress and try to remain a thrower. Guys can come into his vision and we can get some of those things done. And then if they don't, then he'll have to get what he can get, get down or get out.