Head Coach Mike Vrabel 1/19: "We feed off each other but also pick each other up"

Mike Vrabel (0:00)

Where's your Celtics and Patriots gear?

SPEAKER_2 (0:02)

Yeah.

SPEAKER_3 (0:04)

Hi Mike.

SPEAKER_4 (0:05)

Hi.

SPEAKER_3 (0:07)

Wondering if you can share any recollections about playing in Denver, and if there's any kind of different way you need to prepare them given the altitude.

Mike Vrabel (0:18)

Other than going out there last Thursday, which wouldn't have been an ideal situation considering we had to play last night, but I think just physiologically, you have to be at altitude for longer than a day or two or three. I mean, it takes time to do that. And so we'll do what we've always done. We'll travel and be in condition and be ready to play. And that's kind of about what it is.

SPEAKER_5 (0:47)

Mike, can you anticipate back Collins back to Sanskrit?

Mike Vrabel (0:51)

I can't be certain right now. We're just still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back. Josh Farmer could be eligible to come back as well as Mac. But, you know, those aren't decisions that we've made yet.

SPEAKER_2 (1:04)

Can you elaborate some more on why it's important for you to get into the final after the game and bring players as they come off the field?

Mike Vrabel (1:11)

Yeah, I've done this since 2018 I just, you know, these guys, this is a tough game. It's a physical game.

It's, you know, they're beat up, they're banged up. And I want to thank them. It's a good opportunity to see them. We may not have the opportunity to go around to see each and every one of them after the game. So I feel like that's a good chance to thank them and be appreciative of their efforts, whether we win or lose.

SPEAKER_6 (1:45)

Coach, yesterday, Drake May, coach here, said he's still getting adjusted to sarcasm. As a coach, getting adjusted to sarcasm.

SPEAKER_7 (1:55)

That's not sarcasm.

SPEAKER_6 (1:57)

How do you strike that balance between being the guy that players get approached and also making sure he's still back?

Mike Vrabel (2:09)

Yeah, I mean, I try to be as approachable as possible. I try to, you know, I think the biggest thing is getting out of your office, you know. Whether the door to your office is always open still doesn't mean they want to come in and sit down and talk. So trying to find places and meet them where they're at, be in meeting rooms, be in the cafeteria, be in the weight room, places like that.

SPEAKER_4 (2:32)

Look, I know you've talked about it before, but where have you seen Kashan Boone develop most this year?

Mike Vrabel (2:39)

Probably just his versatility. I think he, you know, he's an easy learner, could play a bunch of different spots if we asked him to. But also, you know, I wasn't around Kashan before this year, right, so I don't have anything to go off of. I just know that he's very unselfish, that he makes the most of his opportunities, seems to be and has been highly competitive player. Doesn't say a whole lot, does his work, has always been accountable, and there is where he needs to be when he needs to be there. And, you know, you notice his actions, you don't necessarily hear him, and that's just his personality. But you could certainly see that his identity when he plays, is exactly what we want.

SPEAKER_5 (3:28)

With a guy like K. Sean, who obviously, like you said, you never worked with, when you join a team, and there's players who have been there before, how do you balance having an open mind about that player, but also getting as much information about him as possible from people who were with him the past few years?

Mike Vrabel (3:45)

Yeah, I mean, I think we tried to, you know, listen to people that had been around some of the players that we had on the roster getting here, but then it's usually best to just kind of go by what you see and what you experience as opposed to what you hear.

SPEAKER_8 (4:01)

Mike, you said for fourth down to play early in the game, let's touch down to Pop. What makes him a trustworthy player in a situation like that?

Mike Vrabel (4:11)

You know, I think that that just goes back to training camp, goes back to the OTAs. Pop has really done a nice job in being ready to go. And I know that like every other receiver, they wish that they had more snaps and they wish they had more targets. And, you know, by taking advantage of the ones that he gets, which he has done, you know, we have to continue to find ways to get him to football and have him help us. So, I think that that's just the confidence that's been built up through training camp in the off season.