Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Transcript 1/22
PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL
PRESS CONFERENCE
January 22, 2026
Q: I was wondering if you had any kind of relationship or interactions with Sean Payton and how you see his team as a reflection of him.
MV: Yeah, I have had interactions with Sean. He’s a very successful football coach. Tough to defend for, tough to defend against. I think he does a great job with his personnel, his scheme, the guys that he had in New Orleans and how they use those guys, and then, certainly, how he’s using the weapons offensively in Denver. I think you have to prepare for a lot. Again, it’s not like they do too much to where they’re – they’ve got rules for everything, they’ve got protections for everything. Good mixture in the run game. There’s some RPO with some big people personnel. I think he’s had his core concepts that he’s had for a lot of years, and then he’s just continued to add on to that as some of the game has changed and some of the ideas and the schemes have evolved. So, I think that that’s pretty unique. I think he’s got plays for certain guys that he wants to try to find ways to get them the ball. His record clearly speaks for itself. So, tough challenge. He’s a proven winner in this league.
Q: Mike, a lot of talk about Jarrett Stidham obviously coming in here, but what have Josh Dobbs and Tommy DeVito been like for you all season long?
MV: They prepare as a starter every week. Dobbsy [Joshua Dobbs]’s had to go in there a little bit. I think Tommy’s really improved in our system, what it is that we’re asking him to do and how he would need to operate. So again, those guys have been great. They’ve been a huge support for Drake [Maye] and everything that we’ve done offensively, and then running and operating our show team.
Q: Mike, do you anticipating limitations for Christian Barmore in the altitude?
MV: No, certainly something that we have to monitor. There are some players that we’ll have to monitor for one reason or another, but I don’t see any limitations for Christian.
Q: Mike, regarding preparing for Sean, among the things, trick plays, he uses them in big games. Attack eligible pass last week. In the Super Bowl, surprise onside kick. Is that something that you generally just fall back on your fundamentals or your keys? Is there a way to prepare for all the possibilities for –
MV: I think I’ve got the surprise onside kick handled.
Q: Yeah, that one we don’t have to worr0y about.
MV: Okay, I was going to say I’ve got that one covered. You can’t really play for – they run bubbles, and so the complimentary play is the bubble and go. Now, you can’t sit there and wait for the bubble and go because eight or nine times out of 10, you’re going to be wrong. So, I think you just have to play defense. You have to go and play with a certain speed and aggressiveness, and then, obviously, what your keys tell you to do and where your read would tell you to go and cover. So, certainly, the timing of when he’s called some of these things has been impressive, and then again, when you call those, then it’s up to the players to make it work, and they’ve done a good job of making those plays work. But the timing in which some of these things have been called has been good.
Q: What kind of impact do you think Rhamondre [Stevenson] has as a pass catcher for you guys?
MV: Going all the way back to Miami, we needed a play and he was able to give us one. I think that that’s just something that’s part of his skill set. It’s been great to have and to use. Just another one of those guys to spread the ball around.
Q: Last week we saw the Bills get a crucial penalty on an underthrown deep ball for interference. Is that something you guys are going to be looking out for this week? And what are the keys to not getting penalized on those kinds of plays?
MV: I think all I can tell you is that the more that you play the football, the better chance that you have of not getting a defensive pass interference penalty. So, if you can play the football and make sure you try to turn around, lean and locate, you have a chance. If you’re not playing the football, margin for error goes way down.
Q: Leonard Taylor [III] seems like a good find for you guys here. What have you seen from him and what has impressed you?
MV: Great attitude from day one. Came in and worked hard on those Thursday practices that we talked about and showed up, and then had a conversation and said that as soon as you can learn what to do, where to go and how to run the defense – we’ve decided he was ready, and then he took advantage of his opportunity. So, the first was getting recognized in practice, and then was learning what to do kind of midstream there. Maybe took him a week or so to do that where we felt comfortable bringing him up.
Q: You talked about the ability of players to make plays and how important they are in these games –
MV: All games. It’s always important for players to make good plays.
Q: From a coaching perspective, how do you put guys in positions so that they can be ready in regular season games or postseason games to have success?
MV: I think that just comes from practice and learning guys and seeing what they’re comfortable with. Maybe, looking at a receiver, if there’s a certain route that they run, you feel like it’s game ready and there’s speed to it, there’s timing to it, you feel comfortable. So, you can kind of check that one off the box. Every player is unique. Every player has a different skill set, different play style. Try to ask them to do things that they’re good at and try to work on improving the things that maybe they aren’t as good at. But then you get to a certain point where you probably don’t try to force it.
Q: Mike, what’s made [Nik] Bonitto and Zach Allen such a productive tandem there when they’re alongside one another? Do they complement each other well?
MV: Well, I think they’re talented. I think they’re both very athletic for their position. Bonitto, his strength is his speed, his length, his ability to bend and corner. Zach Allen’s skill set is a bigger, athletic interior player who has the ability to speed to power, but really where he’s making his hay is kind of making guys miss and sitting down bigger players, and then bursting on an edge. So, they’re talented, and then the scheme that they put them in makes them tough.
Q: Mike, did you get to know Allen at all when he was at BC [Boston College]? Did Tyler [Vrabel] overlap with him there?
MV: Briefly, yeah, I don’t remember. Yeah, briefly. I think Tyler was a redshirt, but yeah, I think a while ago, I remember talking with him.
Q: Mike, how have you seen Cory Durden improve as a pass rusher, and is that an aspect of his game that has surprised you at all?
MV: I mean, I think that he’s just worked hard at it. I think that’s something that he’s focused on, is figuring out what works for him. He’s not built like Zach Allen; he shouldn’t try some of that stuff. You get together with the player, Clint [McMillan] and everybody else, and kind of figure out a couple moves that may work for them, then you go about practicing those through the week, and then coming up with a plan. So, they’re not trying things that maybe they’re not good at.
Q: Mike, with Sean Payton, the timing that you mentioned of some of those calls, do you see him setting things up earlier in the game, gathering information, formationally testing on earlier drives, and then getting to it later? Or is it just kind of a knack he’s had for a long time?
MV: Well, I think there’s a combination of both. I think it’s – fourth down, unbalanced, the tackle’s out, they throw a shot against the Chargers for a big play. So, that’s something that they may have shown some look and thought that it was going to be a certain play, and he’s able to take a shot. Some of it is that they are marrying plays and concepts just like a lot of other people, and then they have plays that repeat that they’re also really good at, and if you don’t defend them, he just keeps calling them.
Q: In the last two games, you’ve had Christian Gonzalez go out with a head injury and then this last game, Carlton Davis [III]. With Charles Woods, how have you seen him mentally stay prepared and how he rises to the occasion when he is given the opportunity?
MV: Well, we hope that he doesn’t rise to the occasion. We hope that he’s just prepared and ready to go, which he has been, like you talked about. Those are opportunities. When you play behind good players, sometimes you don’t get a whole lot of opportunity. Then when you do, you have to be ready for it, and he has done that. He prepares as a starter. He’s ready to go. You don’t have a whole lot of notice. You don’t get a whole lot of notice when you have to go in there. So, just being able to throw in there, go in there and not have to change the game plan is nice.
Q: Mike, when it comes to Drake [Maye], it seems like he’s risen to the challenge as the games have gotten bigger. What does that mean for this week for you? What do you expect of him this week?
MV: Lead our offense, be the conductor and help us handle the environment. Find as many positive plays as you can, take care of the football. Own the operation. Then you’re going to have to make some big time throws. You’re going to have to – that’s just kind of how this thing goes. No different than what we’ve expected of him the entire season and how he’s produced. It’s great to see some not so positive plays that don’t affect some things that have to happen later in the game for us to succeed.
Q: Mike, the players have talked about your four H’s. We’ve seen you with them in the tunnel after these games. Where did this kind of new-school coaching style come from and how did it develop for you?
MV: I mean, I don’t know how new school it is. When I was at Ohio State, I tried to have a great relationship with the defensive linemen that I coached. When I went to Houston, I tried to have a great relationship with Whitney Mercilus, Max Bullough, Brian Cushing and everybody that we coached down there. Then each step along the way, you become a head coach, and again, those relationships probably aren’t the same. What I try to be is honest with them, be transparent, be authentic. I think that’s the biggest thing, is just be authentic and don’t try to be fake. But we see each other every day. I hope we have some level of care for what they do as people and as players.
Q: Mike, five individuals from your team are finalists for end of season awards, including yourself. What’s your reaction to that, and what does that all just say about your team?
MV: I hope that they all win.
Q: I don’t know if this was taken out of context, but Coach Payton was quoted as saying that fans in Denver would have two weeks to rest up after the AFC Championship before screaming their heads off at the Super Bowl. Do you believe in bulletin board material?
MV: I think we’re plenty motivated for the game. I think that our players are continuing to build confidence through the week. So, I’m really excited to go out there and play.
Q: Mike, how would you characterize Patrick Surtain [II]’s skill set, and do they move him around to travel with opposing top receivers?
MV: I mean, he’s targeted infrequently. He’s physical. He has great length, can run, he’s athletic. He’s willing to tackle, he plays physical. You have to really be convicted when you’re going to go and throw at him. You better be very convicted, there better be a good route and you better have the ball in a good spot or it’s going to be a turnover or a PBU. So, I mean, I could just remember going and seeing him in Alabama, whether I was at the clinic or a pro day, just the presence of him. His dad was a fantastic player. Just his presence in the way that he carried himself as a leader and as a person, a lot of respect for him.
Q: Along those lines with how they’re trying to get Surtain more involved, have you done that with Christian Gonzalez this year and trying to get him more on the ball and able to make more plays?
MV: Yeah, I mean, I’m all for Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez] making as many plays as possible and being active. He doesn’t get targeted as much either, but there’s times where he travels, there’s times where he’s in different locations. It was great to see his ball production last week. Even the ball that they caught on him, the hammer that he had that was close to being a fumble.
Q: You said before that Drake was one of the reasons that attracted you to this job. Just in your year working with him, what has maybe surprised you the most about him?
MV: He just continues to grow. Again, I think I’m excited for these guys to be in this environment. To see all their hard work pay off and be able to play in a game like this, that’s where I think there’s been a lot of growth from this football team over the course of the offseason, the season. Just another opportunity for us to show that this week.
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