PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL
PRESS CONFERENCE
September 3, 2026
Q: Mike, does it help in any way, or has it helped in your prep, the fact that you did play Seattle [Seahawks] seven months ago?
MV: As far as the players that they have and the play style, maybe. We will have to block them better. We will have to be able to run the football better. We will have to be able to stop the run better. There are a lot of things that we are going to have to do better based on the personnel that they have. They may do some of the same things; they may change. We will have to be ready for a lot of those, but I think that the players are there, the ones that contributed heavily, and that they are really good players. We will have to understand their play style, what they do, how they rush, and how they block. I think that has been about the only thing that you can really take away from it, and just be ready for the style that we think that they may run offensively and defensively.
Q: Mike, obviously different players respond in different ways to different situations, but in your experience, is there any way to adequately prepare a rookie for his first NFL experience, especially when you go into a game with the kind of energy of those games?
MV: We try to get them as much as we can here and stress them as much as we possibly can in practice, and the noise and situations, but probably not. I do not know if there is a great way to be able to do that for their first game, and the experiences, and the emotions that they are going to have. But, it will also be something that they will never forget.
Q: And Mike, related to the Super Bowl, Sean McVay coming off his first Super Bowl talked about that it was killing him that he got outcoached in the game. In your reflecting on the Super Bowl, did you think that you and your staff were outcoached in that game?
MV: I am not going to reflect back on it. We say the same thing every time we lose. We got outcoached; we got outplayed. When we win, it is on our players, but that is a long time ago and we will need to play better. We will need to coach better to give ourselves a chance in that environment. It has always been the same. We try to be as consistent as we possibly can after wins, and after losses you are always looking for things that you could have done differently as a coach and as a player.
Q: Mike, as you build this team, how much of what you did in the offseason was based upon what you learned about the group in the Super Bowl in areas that you wanted to improve?
MV: I do not think that the Super Bowl was the only factor in the decisions that we made. I think you evaluate your roster. You look at the guys that you want to move forward with, and the guys that you feel like that maybe moved on in free agency. You look at the draft, and you try to figure out who are the best guys that would come onto your team that you have a vision for. So, every game that we played I think factors into it. You just have to be at your best in this league at every moment, whether that is going on the road in Seattle, or if it's playing at home, or playoff games.
Q: Mike, as a player, what is the biggest difference you see in Drake Maye from the guy who walked off the field in the Super Bowl to the guy who is going to be going into Seattle next week?
MV: Well, I think just more comfort in what we are doing, more command, more understanding to be able to operate and get us into the best plays. I think there is probably a comfort level, and once you know your job really, really well, you can help other people do their job, and hopefully that is the case where he is sharing details of the play with guys that are in there or is getting guys lined up or making sure that we are legal, or the timing of the motions. I think as you understand, your knowledge increases, hopefully the details do as well.
Q: Mike, this probably relates to what Andrew [Callahan] was just asking. In terms of Christian Gonzalez, is he a better player today than he was when we saw him in February? And if so, how?
MV: I mean, again, he has put a lot of great work in - and the competitiveness and practices. He is never really stressed. He is a very comfortable, and I do not mean that by lazy, it is just not, he is not stressed. And then when he bursts, he bursts, and when he has a chance to go for an interception, he does. When he has a chance to stab, he makes great decisions. He plays square and he is athletic and fast. So, he is not a player that has been sitting around here just waiting. This is a player that every chance that he has looked to improve, challenge two-minute situations, normal down and distances, third down. I have seen a very competitive player.
Q: Mike, this is about the contract stuff. I was wondering what your reaction to that was and what the organization's reaction was. Christian's trainer went on the radio, talked about some of the contract negotiations.
MV: No, again, no comments and nothing new to report with Christian [Gonzalez] other than, I think I pretty much covered everything I could there with Mike's [Reiss] question, but nothing new to report contractually. I am trying to get him ready for the football game, trying to get him ready on the first-and-second-down stuff that we are doing today, and how he can help us win.
Q: Last time we talked to Christian [Gonzalez], Mike, he did not commit to playing Week 1 without a new contract. Would you and your coaching staff have to create a plan without him for this game against Seattle?
MV: We have to prepare for everything to potentially happen, whether that is players' availability through multiple different reasons. So, we will have to be ready for a lot of things, and as we work here into Week 1 and the craziness of the National Football League [NFL] and the journey that we are about to go on.
Q: Mike, is there much concern that the longer this thing draws out, that it is just continuing to be a distraction for Christian [Gonzalez] and something that is negatively affecting maybe his relationship with the team?
MV: I think we want to try to be as ready and prepared for the football game as we possibly can. I think distractions come in a lot of different ways, and it is how we handle them, how we respond to them. So again, I love coaching Christian [Gonzalez]. He is a valuable member of this football team, and we will continue to have discussions, but I do not have anything else to add about the contract.
Q: Mike, are you expecting Christian [Gonzalez] to play in Seattle?
MV: As I said a couple of days ago, as the head coach, I expect every player that is healthy and under contract to practice and to play. Again, that may change based on my conversations with different players and the plan that they have each and every day when you talk about practice or what the plan may be for the football game. So that goes with this situation and anybody else who would fall underneath that, that is what our expectation is.
Q: Mike, Drake Maye has talked about one thing he wanted to work on this year was getting the ball out quickly, among many things that he is working on. I just wanted to ask you what you have observed from him through the practices, and if you can really assess that?
MV: I think that that is great, but there is also a design to the play. There is a timing element to when we can get the ball out quickly based on the route, based on the depth of the route, and the location of the route. And we cannot just raise it up and throw it the second that we get it every single snap. But we went through a lot of details this morning about our first and second down offense and listened to the players answer offensively about some of the details, and the different plays, and the concepts that we have on first and second down. I think it was very reassuring just to hear the different positions, or the different players, talk about each of those details. So, there are times when the ball can come out quick, and there are certainly times when it cannot, based on the concept that we have.
Q: Mike, with all the new captains, I am curious your thoughts on Drake Maye, Hunter Henry, Morgan Moses, Robert Spillane, Kevin Byard III, and Marcus Jones being named captains this season.
MV: I mean, those guys have, since I have been here, the five that were here last year were great leaders, very consistent players, very consistent demeanor in their preparation and the type of teammates that they were. We added Kevin [Byard] this year, so I am always appreciative of those guys that lead. We will have a leadership group as well that will assist them, and again, we will meet. But, it is not like we have to have a standard meeting for them to approach me and talk about something.
Q: Mike, The Athletic released or published its findings after its review into Dianna Russini's reporting. Curious if you have any reaction to that today.
MV: No, I do not have any reaction. No, we have moved on and are focused on Seattle and focused on the Patriots and focused on getting better this week.
Q: Do you feel like that situation is fully behind you?
MV: I will try to just say that I have moved on and am excited about this new opportunity here as we start this season.
Q: Mike, you were talking about dialing back before ramping up over the course of the game week there. Is this the day when it is kind of full speed ahead, or is that Wednesday?
MV: No, we will go with some speed today. We only get 14 padded practices through 17 weeks, 11 of which have to be in the first 11 weeks. We will be in the shells - we will have to start to learn how to practice with shells on without shoulder pads, which I think is something that good teams know how to do. I think that they can go with speed, and it is not a jog through. There is speed, but there are no collisions. But there has to be contact – it is practice. We have to get these reps for first and second down. So, no, I am looking forward to seeing where we are at here going into the first and second down offense.
