Patriots at Titans Postgame Transcripts 10/19
TENNESSEE TITANS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
WEEK 7 POSTGAME QUOTES
Sunday, October 19, 2025
INTERIM HEAD COACH MIKE MCCOY
Just two injury announcements. (L’Jarius) Sneed actually had the quad and then Jeff (Simmons) with the ham (hamstring). Just a quick little summary of the game. Got out to a fast start, exactly what we wanted to do as a football team. Going out there doing a great job and got rolling through the game and did some really nice things. Cam (Ward) played a nice first half for us as we got going there, and then at the end of the half, unfortunately, we gave up the big play. That was disappointing and then, they came out and went down the field to start the second half. And then obviously we had the turnover, which was critical. We can’t have that. We got to do a better job, all 11 guys on the field.
It’s disappointing the way the game went after the end of the first half. So, we got to do a better job stopping the run. The quarterback got out of the pocket a little too often for us. We got to contain that, keep him in the pocket and make him do it the hard way. And then offensively, we can’t get shut out in the second half and do what we did. Only, what? Eight plays in the first three series in the third quarter.
But, hey, we’re going to stick together here. We’re going to fight our tails off and find a way to go win the next one. That’s the most important thing.
Aside from the turnover there in the third quarter, what were some of the reasons for the offensive struggles in the third?
It’s going to — I’ll have to obviously watch the tape tomorrow. The turnover starts and then there’s some protection things that came up as the game went on and we’ve got to do a better job, all 11 guys doing their job better. We had some very successful drives in the first half of moving the ball, and Cam (Ward) was playing well. We got to run the ball better and more consistently, so.
How much was simplicity kind of at the core of what you guys were trying to do with all the turnover today? Was there a concerted effort to try and just do what you guys know how to do well? Or were there a lot of changes made to try and reconfigure the offense, I guess?
It’s not about the simplicity of it, it’s what do our players do best? That’s what we’re always going to look at. It doesn’t — every play on that call sheet you thank you is a good play. That’s why it’s on there. So, I think we’re going to always, every time you go into a game plan from week-to-week, you look what do you think is the best way to approach this team and what is the best way for your football team to go down and move the ball and score points offensively. You saw what Cam and the rest of the offense did. Chim (Dike) had the big play, the explosive play. It was the perfect coverage, things like that. That’s what happens. Players play. Go make a play. It was great. Great to see.
How would you assess Cam’s day and what do you say to him about the turnovers? It’s happened in a couple of games. I know he’s not trying to do it but how do get that out of him?
That’s something that can’t happen. We’ve got to avoid that, and there’s going to be —listen. You’re going to have some mistakes. There’s going to be some things like that that come up, but it’s happened too often in the last couple of weeks. It’s something we harp on, we talk about it all the time and players got to go out there and play, and we got to do a better job as coaches also. So we are all in this thing together.
That last series in the first half, you had some time-outs —
Offensively or defensively?
Offensively. You had three timeouts, you had a chance maybe to get in position, Joey Slye’s kicking the ball well. What happened there?
With the wind conditions, it was howling. That was the tough way to go, the tough direction, even our last series, the series before that on offense. If you could hear the conversations that were going on there, just because the way the wind was blowing, it was changing, things like that. I think Bones (John Fassel) did a great job communicating with me all game long where the start point needs to be to even attempt it. That came into consideration of where we were going. The score of the game, how we’re doing it. Don’t give them another opportunity. There’s a number of things that come up, but the wind was definitely a consideration of it’s not like — normally, if you’re playing inside, there’s not any issues, weather issues or anything like that. You say okay, you get the ball, you get to the 50, you can bomb it, certain things. But there was no way in today — at that point in time during the game that we would be able to do that.
Slye did hit a 50-yarder into that same wind. Did something change?
We were going what we thought was best, like we will every game. That’s what we’re always going to do. Situation of the game, score of the game, how we’re playing on both sides of the ball. There’s a number of factors. It’s not just, ‘Hey, okay, he’s made this one.’ So we’re just going to always think about, okay, situationally, what’s the best thing for our football team on that game day.
What are the ways that you can maintain the energy that you guys came out with in the first half? Seemed like the offense was ticking, things were moving pretty fast for you guys and you guys were getting what it looked like you guys wanted and in the second half it seemed to kind of sputter. What are some things that you guys are looking at to kind of maintain that as the game goes on?
Play complementary football. That’s a big thing. I think when you look at it, playing complementary football, the offense, the defense, the kicking game. I think Chim (Dike) did a phenomenal job in the return game. If we just block one return a little better, it’s going to be a house call and the whole team, it’ll electrify that entire team. It’s a matter of everyone going out there and all three phases playing together, help each other. We had a critical third down backed up, third-and-eight, becomes a big play and next thing you know, they go down and score. So if you get that stop, it’s a field- position game with the conditions we had. And you get good field position. You go down there, get points, it’s a whole different deal. But it’s all three phases playing together, playing complementary football and finding a way to go out and win a game.
I don’t know if you said this yet, any update on Simmons and Sneed?
Like every injury, I’m going to tell you guys this now. Every injury we come in here, we’re going to come in, give you an update on what it was, and every injury is going to be a day-to-day basis because you never know until you get back to the facility how guys wake up the next day, how they’re feeling. You’re always trying. We’ll always talk to the players about, hey, at this point in time, it’s Sunday to Sunday. We got to do whatever we can to make sure we take care of our players because we’re always going to look out for our players’ best interest health-wise. Number one. That’s always going to be taken into consideration, so they’ll do whatever and as the week goes along, we’ll give you guys an update if we have any information to share.
Can you identify anything that was done different or particularly specifically changed under your regime what had been happening before the change?
In what area?
Was there anything that the team did differently today that you believe was not happening?
We got off to a fast start. We got off to a better start. I think the way we played the first half as a whole until the last couple minutes, I think we did a nice job there.
On Cam’s interception, it looked like a similar, I don’t know if it was the same route or a similar route to him throwing behind Elic in the first quarter. Both of those misses, was that an issue with guys not getting to the landmark? Was he behind those guys or was that a miscommunication?
I have to watch the tape to tell you exactly what happened and where, see how the route was, see how the coverage was, see all those little things. We got to protect the football.
For a game like this, how do you hold guys accountable? That was something you talked about in the week leading up here. How do you, as the interim coach, hold guys accountable?
After every game. I’ll say this: Our entire organization this week has been phenomenal. The entire organization. Everyone came in, we rallied around each other. We had a great week. Thank you for all your help this week. You were awesome. But I think everybody in this organization, top-down, they were unbelievable. The week of practice we had was phenomenal. So, they did a great job. So, it’s just a matter of we got to find a way to play better and we’re always going to — you talk about the accountability part. Regardless of the score of the game, no matter what it is, practice, games, we’re going to watch the tape and we’re going to be critical. We’re coaches. We’re going to coach. We’re going to coach extremely hard and that’s the way it’s going to be. No one’s trying to make a mistake. No player is out there trying to make a mistake, but we also have to coach them and talk about the little things, the fine little details that it takes to get over this hump. Whether it’s footwork, whatever it is. As coaches, too, we’ve got to look at ourselves and say how do we help the players? Because it’s all about the players. It’s always going to be about the players. So, we got to do whatever we can to put our players in a position to succeed. And they’ve got to go out and execute. We’re not going to make any excuses. We’re going to get back to work, get back in the meetings tomorrow, watch it in all three phases tomorrow. Clean everything up. Players have Tuesday off. We’ll get back in Wednesday and bust our tails to find a way to get a win this week.
Patriots hadn’t run the ball really well this year coming in. What did they do well today in that department, and I guess how much did losing Jeff hurt?
I think starting the game that was one thing after the first couple of series we said we got to do. We got to stop the run. That was one of the first things we talked about. I heard the staff talking. I was doing some, doing a little bit of everything at halftime, but you could hear the defense staff saying number one, we got to stop the run. Stop the run and keep the quarterback in the pocket. They out-executed, and we got to do a better job at that.
QUARTERBACK CAM WARD
What happened with the quick start and what derailed the second half?
I think just with the quick start is just us having urgency. That’s how we need to start every game and maintain it throughout the whole game. And the third quarter, really, fumbling the football, I think that was what really set us back. If I don’t do that, the game does get out of hand that fast. So just got to continue to have ball security and get better.
Did the ball just slip on that play?
Yeah.
That’s two weeks in a row. What’s going on?
Got to hold on to it tighter. But really, just got to continue to emphasize it within myself. Got to be better at it. I know that’s something that I can’t continue to let happen. I got to cut that out next week.
Do you feel like you guys lose urgency at any point?
No, we don’t lose urgency. It’s just we have to continue to stack plays. And there’s just— whether it’s a false start and even towards the end of half, I should have checked the ball down, ended up stopping the clock again. We have to just waste the play on what we didn’t have to. It’s all of us have to do our job every play. And when we do that, we can be a good offense.
Do you get a chance to push at all to try to score a field goal before halftime or is there no chance for you to participate in that conversation?
That’s the goal, to get points. We had enough time, we had three timeouts. But when I don’t take the completion right there like I need to, it puts the coaches and the offense in a bad situation. So that’s how it ended up happening So, I just got to be better. We got to be better as a whole, and then at the end of the day, we’ve got to win games. We have to start next week by winning a football game.
Obviously, you didn’t get the result, but Mike McCoy and some of the changes that he’s implemented, how do you like that went throughout the week and in the game?
I think Mike (McCoy), he’s done an unbelievable job, especially within the circumstances that he’s in and everything he has preached to us since he was named the interim. And then all the way to this point, it stayed true. We want to be a hard, tough, physical football team, and we were that at times, but we weren’t that the entirety of the game. That’s why we got the outcome. So we got to continue to pour into the coaching staff, the coaching staff continued to pour on us and we’ve got to flip this thing around.
He mentioned how previously working with Trevor Lawrence, he just told him all the time that, ‘Hey, you’re getting better, you’re getting better.’ Is that something you’ve experienced in this short time with him?
Yeah, I’ve experienced that every game. Not only him just telling me that I get better. I’m feeling that I’m getting better just because of the level that you have to play at consistently. And just as a whole, myself and as an offense, we haven’t done that consistently. And I just think the coaching staff, they never really tell us what we have to just continue to emphasize, they more tell us just to play the next play, continue to play. Because at the end of the day, you’re not going to have a perfect game. But you’ve got to continue to stack perfect plays to end up trying to be in a situation to win.
Is there anything you could take from Drake Maye’s path? He had a somewhat rough rookie year, had a new coach his second season, and he’s playing like that. That’s a pretty good course he’s on. You think you can follow that?
It’s not really about following him, it’s more of being myself. I think he’s a great player, he’s going to continue to make plays in this league. When it’s all said and done, I think me and him, we’ll have a chance to have some elite battles. So he got the best of us today, but we got to continue get better. But you know that’s not really the main goal as far as us trying to be a particular person. We’re trying to play together, we ain’t played complementary footbal for a decent amount of time. It’s only been at clicks of the day. So we just got to continue to pour into each other, do better, and try to win next week.
What allowed you and Chim (Dike) to have the success you had right out of the gate? And did they do something to try to get him away in a second?
Me and Chim (Dike), we just see it the same way, from how he sees the field to how I see the field, it’s the same way. I think that’s something that me and him continue to create that relationship just on the field. I think he had an unbelievable day, not only in the return game, but especially at receiver. I think the more reps me and Chim get together, the better we’re going to be, but this is only the start.
With the fumbles, do you think it’s more an issue with focus and concentration or is it more mechanics?
I don’t think it’s neither, I just got to hold on to the football.
Did the coaching staff tell you anything after that fumble?
No, they don’t really be crashing out on the sidelines, it’s really more, ‘Next play.’ But they don’t need to tell me that. I know that. But I’ve got a great coaching staff around me in Bo (Hardegree). He continuously tells me what I need to get better at, and that’s one of the opportunities I have to get better at.
Do any examples come to mind of anything that was new or done differently today versus the first six games under Brian (Callahan)?
In terms of like—
In general operation, communication, strategy, scheme. Was anything different today than what had been in the past?
Not really in terms of just how it translates to the game, our play. I think the biggest difference has only been just practice. We had a great week of practice, and I think it translated to the game, not the whole game, but we’re starting to feel it click. But nothing really changed. Coach (Brian) Callahan, he did his best for us. He’s a great head coach. He’s a guy who took a chance on me, so I’m forever going to be grateful to him. But, we just got to continue to play complementary football. We did it for one half, we didn’t do it the next half, so that’s the next improvement for us.
What are maybe nights like or 24 hours like for you after a game when things don’t go as well as you want them to as far as beating yourself up and how are you as far as putting stuff behind you and getting ready for the Colts next week?
I can put stuff behind me fast. I think as a quarterback, you have to be able to play the next play, got to be able flush stuff. And it’s really me watching all my bad plays. How can I prevent it? What situation are we in? What down are we in? And even on some good plays, there’s some stuff that I can continue to do better today, but I just got to be to build off the bad plays and make them into more good plays.
Were there more opportunities today for big chunk plays, even with Calvin (Ridley) out of the game? Looked like you have some decent success in getting the ball down field?
Yeah, I think that was more of an emphasis this week, just because of the different coverages that they can get to. It’s a good defense that they have in the back end. And at the end of the day, we had to put the ball in play as well. Starting early, just taking what they give us until we’re able to get the intermediate and deep throws. So we just got to continue to stack plays like that.
The interception that was behind Chig (Okonkwo), it looks similar to the miss in that same area of the field to Elic (Ayomanor) in the first quarter. Were those the same route or the same play? It looked like the same miss. Was their miscommunication there in terms of the landmark or were you just behind?
No, it wasn’t the same route or the same play, completely different concept. I just threw the ball behind him, so I just need to be accurate with football.
To what extent do you think your performance so far is representative of what Cam Ward can do at the quarterback position?
I think he can do a lot. He can push the ball down the field. He can make plays with his feet. And he can motivate his teammates to continue to try and score every drive. That’s the standard that we want to score the football every time we touch the field, whether it’s with three or seven. I think that’s just what I possess. Not a lot of people can go the route that I took to get to this point. So I’m not tripping over just a certain situation that one person is in or I’m in. I’m always trying to get better every day and meet my end goal, trying to be one of the best.
On the touchdown, Dike said that’s something that you guys talked about. How long have you been waiting to have that opportunity and that exact look to be able to take advantage of what both you and he do well?
I was ready for that play. We had that play on the sheet for about three, four weeks. So whenever he called it, I got to smiling in the huddle. Almost checked out of the play, but we reloaded. And then, that’s Chim (Dike) really making the play. The O-line did an unbelievable job just getting everybody out of the way. Gunnar (Helm) sealed it with the pin block, and Chim made the play. So, I got to continue to put the ball in his hands, let him make plays, because when he touches the ball, he’s dangerous.
Was that the first time that was called this season?
That specific play, yeah. Not the protection scheme, everything. We just got a new play in and it worked.
CENTER LLOYD CUSHENBERRY III
In the beginning, you guys got off to a good start offensively?
Got some good play-actions in, got the run game going a little bit and just the flow of the game felt good until we started to hurt ourselves with penalties.
So, you think the penalties kind of started that spiral to the Pats gaining some momentum?
Yeah, I would say penalties and then eventually the turnover in the second half. But started with a penalties. Started with myself. I had a bad penalty in the second quarter, I believe, so it started with that.
How do you try and prevent, I guess, the motivation and the belief in the locker room from dipping?
I don’t see it dipping. Like I said last week, we all still have a job to do. We’re playing for each other. We’re playing for the name on our chest, the organization. Also we’re trying to represent the name on our backs. So, we all got to take pride in that and just come back to work, back to the drawing board. And like Coach McCoy told us, man, every Sunday is a dream. We all dreamed of being here growing up. So, you can’t take it for granted and just got to keep going.
Cedric Gray said he thinks it’ll be that much more fulfilling to come out on the other side with some progress having gone through all of this together. Do you agree with that?
Definitely, 100 percent. So much adversity has been going on. It’ll feel amazing to get some good positive vibes going back in this locker room and in this building.
WIDE RECEIVER CHIMERE DIKE
What was going on in the first half that made everything click for you?
Just execution. We had a good week of preparation and I think offensively we were able to do some really good things in the first half. I think the second half, I made a critical error, a block that cost us and I think things like that right? To win games that we want to going forward, we need to do those things that starts with me.
You feel like you were more involved in the offense this week with Coach (Mike) McCoy taking over?
I mean, I wouldn’t say that necessarily. I think that the coaches have been doing a great job of working me. And I think things just kind of clicked today. Put a lot of work in with Cam (Ward) and the rest of the guys, and it was nice to see some success. But at the same time, we want to win games.
You mentioned putting in a lot of work with Cam (Ward), that 38-yard touchdown, a deep crosser. Is that something you guys have worked on a lot in camp up to now, or how did that come about?
Yeah, I mean, I think it’s just the reps we put in, right? Obviously ran it throughout camp, and the season and then also just watching film, putting in time, being able to see things the way you see them. It was really nice to connect on that.
And what do you want to do with the game ball back there? What are you going to do with that?
I’m going to take it home. I’ve had two called back. So, it’s nice to get to keep this one.
Were you kind of looking around, like, making sure that one didn’t go back for any weird reason, no flags? It feel good to finally get in there?
Yeah, a little bit, I was a little nervous about it. But O-line did a really great job protecting on that play. Cam (Ward) obviously threw a great ball, and it was nice to get in the end zone.
Cedric was telling us that he thinks it’ll be that much more fulfilling to come out on the other side having gone through the difficult stuff you guys are going through now. How do you view that in the moment coming off this game?
Yeah, I mean, I think that the belief is still there within the group. And anytime you go through adversity in life, and we’re facing adversity early in the season, it definitely feels good when you’re able to come out the other side. So, it’s important we get back to work this week, have a great week of preparation and go play a great game Sunday.
Sorry, I forgot to ask this already, but how good did it feel to contribute in several different ways today in the special teams and offensively?
Yeah, I mean, it felt great, obviously. I think there’s things I got to clean up. Especially critical error in the third quarter. But that’s just part of the process, continue to get better. And we’ll watch the film tomorrow and learn from it.
LINEBACKER CEDRIC GRAY
To lose a leader like Jeff (Simmons), what was it like our there?
It’s definitely tough to lose a player like Jeff, the leader that he is for this team and just the energy and grit that he plays with. But it’s always the ‘next man’ mentality. We got to move on, and just keep playing.
In the first half, to see you guys flying around out there, what do you think happened to the team in the second half?
I’m not quite sure. I thought we kind of came out, and played well in the first half, like you said. It kind of got away, with us, a play or two, here or there. Like I’ve said, the game can change so quickly, from just one or two plays, and I think that’s kind of what happened.
(Drake) Maye, obviously a big guy, but pretty mobile, hurt you guys with a couple of runs today. How tough was that?
Yeah, definitely. Kind of had to do a little bit better job of keeping him in the pocket. He was able to get out, and make a few plays sometimes. So that definitely kind of played a factor, in him being able to extend the drives.
Anything different with the way Coach (Mike) McCoy was running the show today, as opposed to Coach Callahan, or did it feel the same?
I mean, it felt similar. There are some things, that internally we’ll kind of keep, that he’s changed up, or just emphasized. But nothing too crazy of a difference.
So I’m curious, is this the toughest stretch of football, in your young career?
Probably since high school. My sophomore year in high school, I think my team started off like 1-8. So that was probably like the last time, or really, any time I’ve kind of ever been through something like this. Obviously last year, I was a part of that last year, but was hurt most of the year, but still kind of playing. It feels a little bit different this year. But definitely, a tough stretch.
Having been through a couple of tough experiences like that before, is there something you can pull, and spin forward to this, and keep yourself going, other than what motivates you already?
I think it’s just building. Just keep improving and building. It might not be our time right now, or this year. We just got to find ways to keep getting better, keep stacking and our time will come. It feels a lot better when you stay through the s—, you work through the s— together, and then you finally come out on top at the end. It’s going to feel a lot better, so we just going to keep working. We’re going to keep getting better. We’re going to find a way.
Along those lines, Coach (Mike) McCoy has really stressed, that you guys stay together throughout this. How important is that going to be?
Yeah, it’s very important, it’s very important. We start turning on each other, quitting on each other, worrying about ourselves, and different things like that, it’s only going to make the season worse. So if we stick together, come together as a team, keep fighting as one, it’s going to make things better and it’s going to give us a better chance to get the outcome we want.
SAFETY AMANI HOOKER
Looked like you guys had it going in the first half, flying around a little bit. How do you think things got out of hand a little in the second half?
Just complementary football. We allowed them to get one touchdown before halftime, and then they came out and scored again. We just got to make sure to either take away both the touchdowns, or not let one of them happen. We’ve got to come out, and just be more exact in our communication.
(Drake) Maye obviously hurt you with a couple of runs there. I know you guys have played against him before. How tough was that?
Oh no, that’s tough. You’ve got guys covered up, and then QB finds a hole, breaks a tackle, and extends it. That’s tough sledding. You’ve just got to find a way to keep a guy like that in the pocket, and just try to find a way to win the down.
Obviously, tough stretch for you guys. Not where you want to be, but Coach (Mike) McCoy has really stressed staying together. How important is that going to be going forward?
Very important. We got a great group of guys and we love being with each other. We’re connected. I mean, all offseason we worked on being connected, and building that chemistry, and we have it. We just have got to find a way to strain and come out victorious.
I know it’s a tough stretch, but what’s kind of the feeling around the team, that you’re sensing around everyone?
Just urgency. These guys just want to win. Guys are competing. We’re practicing well all week. We just have to find a way to fix the little things all across the board, all phases. But no, the feeling, around the week, it builds up. It’s all about building confidence. Building confidence, up to the game. Like I said, we’ve just got to find a way to win.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN PETER SKORONSKI
Was that early rhythm born out of something maybe all that changed this week with all the changes or was it born out just consistency of what you’d already been working on?
I think consistency, I don’t think we reinvented the wheel or anything. Just felt like those were relatively simple plays that we have been running since training camp. Just felt like the execution was really well and the play calls kind of complemented each other. So, I think nothing, no big changes, just doing what we’ve done and executing the plan.
Did anything feel different this week with all the changes?
Not particularly. I think we tried to just keep things a little bit simple, just given the turnover, especially with our staff. So nothing drastic, nothing wild. But honestly, just keeping things simple and trying to execute the best we could and I felt like that paid off in the beginning and then just got away from us.
Peter, obviously the frustration is there. How are you personally stomaching this one with the way things have gone?
Every game is a new game, every game’s a chance to win. And for me, personally, I feel like every time you go out there against great competition, especially today, you have a chance to prove yourself and put your resume on tape. We’re going to try to get as many wins as we can and try to do the best I can to play left guard for this team and so it’s a new process every week and we just got to take it one week at a time.
HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL
Well, three straight road wins, fourth straight overall. How does it feel that your team is able to pull that off, especially coming here?
Yeah, I think an emotional game, emotional stretch for us, something that this team and organization hasn’t done, and it’s done a lot. Again, that doesn’t do anything, but, again, the grind of coming back and getting prepared and staying in the game—we played really well in the second half—that’s what I’m really proud of. Sometimes you don’t always know how these games are going to go, and we certainly have to start faster, but really proud of the way that we played. Giving up three points in the last two halves of football. Offensively, really if we don’t beat ourselves it’s been a good product and was that same way today. I love the fact we’re finishing with the football. Special teams unfortunately with a penalty, but we had some good kick coverage, some inconsistent kick coverage. Again, some good ones and bad ones, and that’s where it’s been. But in the end, I felt like we did enough, so excited for these guys.
What did it mean to you to come back, even the team, you know what I mean, the whole emotion of the day?
First of all, congratulations. 25 years. We appreciate what you’ve done. I went back and I looked, and you had a highlight video and I was in it and I looked a lot younger and I didn’t have sleeves. You know, probably should’ve had some sleeves on back then. But congratulations. Thanks for covering us and this town for as long as you have. Yeah, we moved on. Again, there were a lot of guys over there and a lot of people on the support staff that helped us do some decent things. But you kind of move on, and this is a whole different challenge and I’m excited of where I’m at. I appreciate the support of our fans to come down here, and be excited, and be into the football game. We got to continue to give them things to cheer about, and to travel and come back and play really well at home. So that’s what I’m proud of. I’m happy for the players to have a little bit of momentum and to continue to build it throughout the week.
The chant of your name late in the game, you think that’s your people, people here?
I didn’t get that many tickets. I don’t know. That’s neither here nor there. I’m happy for our players. I think these guys were figuring out how to win, they were figuring out how to practice. I guess it’s humbling to have these people, whoever that is, cheer for us, whether that’s the Patriots, or Drake Maye, or me or anybody else.
Mike, can you talk about the work of Rhamondre Stevenson?
Again, it’s not just the running back. Again, we say the running back doesn’t do a good job and we got to run it better, but we got to block better. I felt like there were some running lanes and when there weren’t, we were able to take it downhill and be able to push some piles. We had some double-digit runs. We had some dirty runs. It was great to see us finish there at the end. So I think it’s always a combination. We took care of the football, and that’s really the formula. They made a mistake there that we were able to capitalize on.
You mentioned the turnovers again this week. What’s working so well?
Practice. Awareness. Just everybody else helping. But, again, it’s good to see us doing the technique and the details that are important for those types of things. We’re not putting the ball in harm’s way and guys are going and making plays and quarterback throws it in tight windows.
What stood out about Drake Maye’s game most for you?
I think there is an athleticism to him that’s really, really cool. I think he’s really accurate from all different spots, whether it’s in the pocket, off platform. He really has done a nice job so far spreading the football around. But there is an accuracy to him that has been really good for us.
How do you describe his growth? From your perspective, what would you say about the way he’s grown?
There is a lot of demand there from Josh (McDaniels) and myself and I think he’s responded to that as far as the leadership that he’s had to show this offense. Kept talking about he wants to earn it. Well, I told him that he’s earned it. I think he doesn’t like something in practice, then he gets it fixed. If he wants a better Friday practice, he talks about it before we go out there on Friday. I think those guys respond to him and the things that he says and the way that he operates.
Drake Maye leaves the field do you talk to him about sliding?
No. I just wait for the doctor to tell me how he’s doing. Get the next guy in there, which is Dobbsy (Joshua Dobbs) and get a play in there. Then when the trainers tell me he’s okay, then we put him back in there and we’ll talk to him about protecting himself and being smart. But I think he has tried to do that for the most part.
Second week in a row you got that score around halftime. How critical is that?
Very. Ending with the football in our hands. Defensively it was good that we didn’t give up anything cheap there with 45 seconds. Great job taking a shot and having it be there and Drake (Maye) putting a great ball. Kayshon (Boutte) making a hell of a catch to secure it, getting both feet in. So, any time you can do and double them up, a lot of positives involved. Hopefully that continues to be a trend.
To see the players where you had the seven and a half minute drive and then come right out and come up with the strip sack, how pleasing is that complementary football right there?
Well, and then again, whether that’s the way we covered the kickoff, right? (Christian) Elliss going down there and covering at the 20. A lot momentum there, guys running on to the field excited, leads to a play. I thought a really cool play was the second down. (Robert) Spillane makes a tackle, forces it to third-and-one, Zak (Kuhr) dialed up a great call, (Kyle) Dugger covers the guy to the flat, Craig (Woodson) covers the guy on the hide and Milt (Milton Williams) gets a sack and forces them to punt. That’s the idea of some team defense and complementary football.
Your players said it was imperative that you leave here with the W. You’ve got guys talking about how they have a passion for blocking. They just love the team camaraderie that you’ve built. As a head coach here, when did you know that guys were buying what you were selling? At what point in the season?
Probably after the Vegas game and us going on to the road to Miami and having a difficult environment to play in the heat, in the back-and-forth. I felt like that told us a lot about who we were. Just kind of dipped our toe in the water the first game. I was really proud of what they did in practice and going down there. I think that really showed them. It’s always been a tough place for us to play. So, I think that was really important for us and that created a lot of positive momentum. We didn’t get discouraged when we had a bunch of turnovers. But had a chance against Pittsburgh and played some pretty decent football and we’ve played good enough to win.
Mike, obviously you’ve seen Cam Ward on tape prior to that. What were your impressions of him?
Early on it was pretty good. I think decisiveness, accuracy. They did a nice job early on. Glad our guys settled down.
QUARTERBACK DRAKE MAYE
How are you feeling and take us through that play?
Yeah, I feel alright, just got to get down. Just landed awkward and felt alright. But no, felt good.
Took you guys a while, but how important was it to get going, Kayshon (Boutte) made that great catch.
Yeah, no I wouldn’t say it was a struggle. I think, being able to run the football helped us out today. I’m proud of the guys up front. Been an emphasis all week to be able to run the football. And the guys outside made plays when the ball’s in the air.
When you started that two-minute drill, what was in your head and your plan, that was such a quick strike. Was that planned or did you just see that play to Kayshon (Boutte)? Just talk us through that.
Kind of the same thing as last week in New Orleans in the two-minute. Just try to go get points and if something’s there, take a shot deep and just glad we came out with seven and were able to double-dip coming out of halftime.
Take us through what you saw on the touchdown to (Austin) Hooper?
Basically got a high-low out there, and they both went to (Stefon) Diggs. They were late getting back to Hoop (Austin Hooper) and Hoop had a nice play. I underthrew it a little bit, but he’s made a lot of those catches in his career and made a big time catch.
Did you hear the Vrabel chants at the end there?
I did, yeah that was pretty cool. Yeah, I think that’s always cool. I think that— he downplayed it all week, which we appreciate. He just focused on us and worried about us and that’s what matters. But I know that it feels good for him.
What’s gotten you to this point, where it seems like everybody’s alive and taking shots, whether its (Kayshon) Boutte, whether it’s (Stefon) Diggs, whether its Pop (DeMario Douglas) last week?
Yeah, just keep playing the offense. I think we’re learning each other, learning the offense together. I think we’re more and more comfortable every week. I think that’s the big thing with Coach, he’s calling great games and I think we got even more left in the tank and I think that’s what we’ll look back on in that fourth quarter there to really seal the game.
How’s those five guys up front?
Those five guys up front are balling man, those guys are warriors. They’re the heartbeat of this team and they come show up every week.
You’re offensively playing at a really high level right now, but the consistency in which you’ve maybe been able to do it, what do you think has helped you the most to be able to produce that consistency?
Yeah, it’s the guys around me. We’re instilling confidence in each other and the confidence in myself and just keep on going out there and getting some wins under your belt, it helps with that. So just keep on going and not changing throughout the week and keep trying to do better.
You’re the first quarterback in this franchise history that has three games in a single season completing at least 80 percent of your balls. What has allowed you to have that type of success so early in your career?
Yeah, you know same thing. Those guys are making plays for me, those guys up front are blocking their butts off and in the passing game, they’re going to go make plays for me and I think we’re just trying to stay ahead of the chains and try to throw to the first guy open.
I think you answered this during the week maybe, but now that the game is over, how much have you grown since being in this stadium last year, when you had the exciting play and then lost in overtime, but you see how you pulled out the win today. How much do you feel like you’ve grown as a quarterback since then?
Yeah, I think we’ve just grown as an organization. I think– With coach (Mike) Vrabel and his staff I think we’re just buying into each other and build an identity. And I think that’s what’s kind of the biggest thing for me is trying to be the same player every week. And I think those guys from this game last year, yeah, left a bad taste in our mouths. So glad we came out here with a win.
You downplayed it all week long, obviously everyone did about Coach Vrabel coming back here. What has he meant to you guys though, not just – but on a daily basis and helping you guys get to 5-2 and where you want to be right now?
Yeah, man he brings it every day. I think he brings it every day, he challenges us but he also cares about us and cares about us outside of the building and I think, he’s just awesome to play for. And it was pretty cool in that locker room, celebrating.
I don’t know if you’re aware of this, you set the Patriots record for all-time completion percentage in a game, just two incompletions in the game, 21/23. What is your reaction to that?
Yeah, left some out there that I ended up running that I could have thrown. I think I tucked it a couple times when I shouldn’t have, and I think maybe I could get the backside progression more. But yeah, I think I’m trying to be careful with the football and trying to challenge down the field and not just be doing check-down Charlie so. Just trying to throw it to the guys that’s open and they’re making great plays.
What’s your level on cofidence in this offense right now?
Yeah, we got some more. We got some more left, and I think that’s what coach (Josh) McDaniels is challenging us. I think those offensive coaches are doing a great job in their areas and I think we still got more left, and I think that defensive touchdown really helped us out.
Little bit off topic, but Friday night there was a great high school game in Massachusetts. I saw you were able to attend it, just sort of what made you want to do that and what was your reaction to being there?
Yeah, I heard it was a big game in the local area. Two state champions playing and just trying to support and brings me back to those days when I was playing. It’s pretty cool to see them out there and I guess there was a bunch of Patriots fans, so it was a pretty good crowd. So, good game.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER K’LAVON CHAISSON
Take us through that play, the strip sack and then the touchdown and how big of a spark was that for you and the defense?
Yeah, that was huge. I think that first thing we was talking about at halftime is stop waiting on somebody to make a play and be the one to make the play so. Vrabes (Mike Vrabel) kept emphasizing that for sure. It’s something we went over all week and just came to the matching the hand and being able to recover the ball and get in the box.
How good did it feel you know after the offense held there for seven-and-a-half (minutes) for you guys to come right back and put another seven on them?
It’s something that we needed obviously. We were feeling like the energy on the defense wasn’t up to par like we would like it to be, so it was a jump start to get it going and man, I felt like we just started rolling after that for sure.
When your coach comes back into a place like this, how much of an effect or extra juice? I mean, I know it’s real easy for the media to tell us that, but from a player perspective, how much extra, if any is there?
Man, it’s crazy. The whole week obviously we tried emphasizing this being a regular game regular week. But man, when you gain such a bond with your peers and obviously with your coach, man, they try not to make it more than what it is, just keep a level head, but you know it’s personal for them. And we just want to play hard for him and give him everything we got to make sure they come out on top and get that exact feeling that they would like to feel at the end of the game. So definitely was some extra juice on the defensive end to make sure that our guys, anybody that came from this team or just was a part of this organization in any way, that they got their revenge and they came out on top.
K’Lavon (Chaisson) you’ve been around a little while in the league, what makes your head coach here, Mike Vrabel, so unique?
Man, great dude just overall. Obviously, him getting the chance to be able to play in the league and see things from our point of view, but just the relatability that he has for each player. To be able to figure out, not even more so everything just being kind of right and wrong things, but just trying to figure out, ‘Hey what do you see? How do you see it? Why do you see it that way?’ And then, we just talk it through and kind of find the next step forward. So super grateful to have Vrabes (Mike Vrabel) as a coach man. And I’m just proud of him for sure.
And you know from different places, that feeling to come back tom especially to do it here, they’re chanting “Vrabel, Vrabel, Vrabel” at the end of the game, I mean how special is that? I guess as a group, all you guys, as players, how nice is that, maybe like a gift for all the hard work all of you have done to get where you are at this point.
Huge, huge. Like I said man, when you gain such a bond man, and with all OTAs and offseason and training camp, we did our best to learn so much about each other and just everybody kind of your heroes, your history, your heartbreaks and your hopes. So just kind of everything about them and their personal life and kind of everything they’ve gone through in their football career and their journey. You take it personal as well because you want to see your brothers succeed and you want to see them be great. So anytime that we get the chance to help them have success in areas that they want to push for a little bit more than others, we’re all for it.
What’d you learn about your team, three road games, three W’s. Not a lot of teams have done that, even in NFL history?
We’re exactly who we say we are. Just continue to believe in what we praise inside our facility and just keep going. Every week is a new week. So, it’s an opportunity that we got to go back home and win games at home for sure and get our home team and our crowd on our back.
WIDE RECEIVER STEFON DIGGS
What does it mean for you guys to get a win here for Vrabel?
Just having your coaches back. Obviously, it means a lot in this league. I’ve been at a lot of different places, but it’s kind of a sensitive topic for everybody. We’ve kind of had that storyline throughout the year with guys on the team going back to where they were at one point. Coach Vrabes (Mike Vrabel), as players, you want to play for him, go hard for him, you damn sure want to win for him. He’s a humble coach. He’s not going to make it about himself. It’s always going to be about the players. But for us it is always personal, especially if it’s one of our guys. It’s part of having our guy’s back.
Do you have the sense that you guys have something special going here?
No, I feel like right now, we are just meshing really well. We’re still growing and going in the direction. You don’t want to put the carriage before the horse and jump out there with statements and stuff like that. But I know that this team is growing closer day by day, not just on the field, but the more time we spend together, makes you want to go out there and play hard for your brother. And the closer you get that team camaraderie, football kind of breeds that family environment. You spend a lot of time with a guy. You get to know him personally. You know, you want to go out there and play hard, and you want them to do well. You want guys to play well at a high level. You know I just think, to say something special, we’ll figure it out at the end.
Only two incompletions today for Drake. What can you say about the level that he’s been playing at for these last couple of weeks?
He’s playing at a high level. I mean, he’s being a quarterback. It’s easy to say that, but he’s finding an open man. Guys are making plays for him. Tight ends are playing well, running backs catching the ball. Receivers, everybody’s just doing their job. Try not to give it too much, but you want to give to the media to kind of figure that thing out. But when you see a guy in practice, put a lot of time in it, approach this thing the right way, there’s no surprise to us. Hopefully, you go 22-for-22. So try not to give it too much, but we know that we’re going in the right direction, but it’s a lot of plays we left out there too. So, we get back to the film room tomorrow. That’s the fun part about it. When you winning, you can easily let a lot of things slide, but I think Coach (Josh) McDaniels and our staff kind of adds another layer that when you win, how many plays did we leave out? Did we play our best ball? Everybody on this team can give you an honest answer and say no.
Is it important to kind of keep unsatisfied or still wanting to strive toward being better even though you’re winning?
Yeah, I mean, kind of like what I just said. Like, when you lose, you can find a million reasons as to why you lost. But when you winning, if you go back in the film room and try to get back to getting better and hitting some of the plays that we didn’t hit or running a better route here, or that kind of stuff helps you down the line. That’s why earlier in the year when I said we lost those two games, it wasn’t just a loss, it was a good lesson for us. We learned a lot and kind of tried to get back on the right track and make some of those plays that we missed. So going in the right direction is just, that’s part of the job. You see good things happen. Of course, everybody wants to be, I guess overzealous in a way, or kind of excited. But us, we just want to get back to what’s going on. We left some plays out there. We want the young guys to come in and play at a high level too, so, yeah.
I apologize if someone has already asked you about Rhamondre Stevenson. His performance today, I know that Coach Vrabel said that the game plan was to run the damn ball. To be able to have a performance like that from him given what he’s gone through over the course of the year.
It’s not surprising. I mean, I feel like I have a decent relationship with Dre (Rhamondre Stevenson). I feel he can play at a high level and we all mess up. Having turnovers or stuff like that. It is not just all about him. We got to protect the guy with the ball as well. If you’re not finishing a block and your guy makes the tackle, it’s just as much your fault as the guy that is running the ball. But we got 100 percent confidence in him. We see he can play at a high level and just reiterate, and I kind of try to give him that positive energy on the sideline, like, ‘We got your back.’ Right, wrong, or indifferent, I say we got you, just know that we got your back, and you see him when he has that confidence, he’s a hell of a back
When you were coming off the field, you said that’s five, but there’s a lot more left in the tank there. What do you see the potential of this group being now as you guys enter the middle part of this year?
Trying to get six. Easy to say, we want everything and all these things. Right now, we just want six. Getting back in, I think they [Cleveland Browns] had a hell of a game, they just beat the Miami Dolphins. And that’s a good team, so enjoy this for six hours. I’m not even going to give it half a day. And then when we get back to the film room, we got to get up early. So, I just think that it’s a lot more out there. It’s not so much about the other teams. It’s much more about us. If we can play better ball and play better team ball, complementary, I think you don’t know where this team can go from here.
It’s rare in the league to play three straight games in three weeks without a bye or anything. on the court. What did you learn about your group during this three-week stretch?
Road warriors. Road warriors. Competitive, competitive stamina, going into hostile environments and excelling and playing exceptional football. I think the biggest thing is not turning the ball over. Drake (Maye) is doing a great job at that and then the defense getting TOs. We need those and giving us those short fields and stuff like that. It’s just everybody, special teams, offense, everybody feeding off each other. Going in the right direction and where we it want to go. We’re taking steps.
Did you at least enjoy the Vrabel chants at the end and what did you make of them?
Good for him. He’ll be back to work tomorrow though. Pretty sure he’s just feeling the same way. He said something to us that was like, every week is personal, he wasn’t lying. Whether it’s individual or a team, you want to win each and every week, and if you don’t want to win, it doesn’t add another layer if you, I guess, feel a way or feel a way about a team. But he came in with the same mindset. He didn’t change, he didn’t do anything extra. He was just his same usual self. I can appreciate that from a player standpoint. Knowing what kind of guy you’re going to get each and every week. I don’t care what he says, we wanted to win that game for him.
WIDE RECEIVER DeMARIO DOUGLAS
How good was it to get the win for your coach?
It felt good just to see that smile on his face. To come back into the place that he was coaching and do our thing. It felt good after the game and seeing him smile happy, man we worked hard for this.
Take us to the one-handed catch.
I don’t know. Blessings right there. I just had an under route, and I seen the ball and my eyes were just locked on the ball and its fourth-down and that’s a big play. So I know man I can’t let the ball go regardless. So my eyes was like really locked on that ball.
Reached out the right hand?
Yeah right hand and it just landed there.
But your body was kind of going the other way?
My body was going left and I saw the ball behind me and some Spider Manish type catch.
Did you feel like an out of body experience? After the play, what were your emotions?
I was like, let’s go. These plays happen here and there. I was just blessed. And we scored on that drive so that felt good.
How much do you see Drake Maye getting better each week? What did you think of today’s game?
He keeps his poise. Never too high, never too low. H comes into the game very prepared. He watches a lot of film, definitely locked in and gets everybody right in their position. He’s becoming a great leader and his confidence is getting up there. I want it out of the roof. I want his confidence out the roof. So as we play week after week after week I need it to keep going up, and I’m proud of him for sure.
I know so much has changed since last season. I asked about that game last year and it left a sour taste. If you think about it in context of that game, how much has Drake Maye changed since the loss to Tennessee last year?
Yeah a year ago we lost. That one hurt. One that we could have had and we lost. But you got to have that next play mentality. I don’t know if he had it in his head that we lost last year here and come back this year and come get that dub. But we all got his back regardless of anything and the people that would probably here, we play for Vrabes no matter what. Every game we play for Vrabes and it felt good to get this win.
The one handed catch you made obviously stands out. I’m curious if there had been any other one handed catches that come to your mind that maybe would be similar to that?
Kind of but not going the opposite way. I don’t think so, not going the opposite way. But on the same feel, I kind of had a one hand catch here on Tennessee, but that one was different last year. But going different way, that was my first.
Did you ever play other sports? Did you play baseball or basketball?
I played baseball in middle school, but when the ball hit me and the coach told me I can’t dodge the ball, I was done. He wanted me to turn my back and I told the coach I ain’t going to lie after this year coach I’m going to stick to football and basketball.
Did you dive and catch in the outfield?
I was a great center fielder for sure.
So you didn’t play short stop?
We had people that was real good at that on our team.
How are you guys feeding off of each other? If it’s not you, it’s Kayshon Boutte making that grab. If it’s not Boutte, it’s Stefon Diggs. It’s seems like you guys have nice rhythm.
The selfishness, we took it out. We grew a bond that our energy takes over everything. Once one guy make a play, man, the next one go make a play. We build off each other. And man, that’s why I love this room. It starts with our coach. Our coach makes us closer. He give us a speech almost every day before practicing. Man, it hits home. It’s like, once one makes a play, man it’s your turn next. It could be your turn, next. So just be ready. And when that ball come your way, make a play. And it feels like we’ve been doing that and I pray that we keep going that way.
You guys talk about going on the road and winning away from home. To prepare this upcoming week for a home game when the fans haven’t seen you in a month, what do you expect that excitement will be like?
I know the energy is going to be out the roof. Our fans, we have some good fans. We have some great fans, and I can’t wait. I can’t wait. It’s nothing better than at home. I need another home win. That’ll feel good.
Big picture perspective. This past offseason, you were very vocal that you were sick of losing. You were one of the only handful of guys who have been here the last couple of years. You guys have already surpassed the win totals of the last a couple of years. How do you feel? Do you feel optimistic? What’s your general feeling since we talked in the summer about being tired of losing?
I feel good. So, as we say, flip the script, things like that to get the win, man. It’s just playing your part, knowing your role, things like that and the unselfishness. I feel like that’s what’s helping us win. We’re out there playing for each other. That also adds a part to it. And man, the guys that we have, man. It starts with our coaches, and then the players that we have, we’re all close. I think that’s the first team that, offensive and defense are close. Like, we’re close, and it’s just a good energy. If y’all seen the locker room, we’ll be wrestling, receivers wrestling the D-line. That don’t even sound right. Them boys be huge, but it just bring us closer, brothers. That’s how brothers do, and that gets us close.
RUNNING BACK RHAMONDRE STEVENSON
How good did today feel for you, the running game, the offensive line as a unit?
It felt good. I feel like (Coach Mike) Vrabel challenged us, the O-line this week, even the receivers. So, it felt good. It felt great. Got to go watch the film, but it felt efficient on the ground.
Guys on the locker room said this offensive game plan boiled down to four words: run the damn ball this week. It feels like you guys really responded to that especially with what’s happened over the last couple of weeks.
Yeah, exactly and I give thanks to the O-line. They were working, moving people all day, getting double teams, getting up to the second level, so they made my job a little easier, and I feel like we were all working together.
The O-line was talking about how some of that early success gave them confidence. Does that do the same thing to you?
Of course, yeah. If you run the ball well, four or five yards a carry and things like that, it definitely gives you confidence. Two carries for five yards, it’s a first down. So yeah, we love those four or five yard runs.
Another really efficient game from Drake Maye as well. What can you say about the level that he is playing at right now?
He’s playing well. I’m in there blocking for him, so I got to watch the film, see how he did today. But he commands the offense, he’s doing a great job.
You guys had just two incompletions in the game. When you hear that, what is your reaction to what makes a performance like that?
All 11 guys on the same page. It starts up front with the protection. I feel like they did a great job in the run game and the pass game. Keeping Drake (Maye) clean for the most part and just trying to be efficient. Move the ball, get the first first down and keep it rolling.
Do you see anything different from Drake (Maye) in the days leading up to the game? Do you see some leadership things that we wouldn’t see that you could describe or share or changes or growth in him?
I’ll keep that in the locker room, but for sure. He’s a vocal guy. He’s starting to be more vocal with us. And yeah, he just commands the offense well and he’s doing a great job. I know he’s going to keep progressing at that.
What’s the key to keeping this momentum that you were able to generate today, moving forward next week, the week after that, specifically?
Just attack and practice the same way we did last week, just stack the days. Just stack the days, be consistent. We got a pretty relentless team and I love that about us. We take challenges and we pass the test.
You guys had some success early on with him in the game, but when Jeffery Simmons, a key piece like that, comes out of the game are your eyes any wider or do you block that out?
I kind of block that out. You never want anybody to get hurt out there on the field and things like that. So, I kind block that out, just same game plan, just run the ball. That was our challenge this week and I feel like we stayed with it.
What did you think of Terrell Jennings at the end of the game getting an opportunity.
It was great. Terrell works very hard so I’m glad he got an opportunity to get in there and put his head down on the safety a little bit.
Did you hear them cheering for Vrabel at the end of the game?
Oh, that’s what they were saying. I didn’t know what they were saying. I didn’t know what they were saying. But yeah, I heard that. That was awesome.