Head Coach Mike Vrabel 1/5: "We will have to have great execution"

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

How are we doing?

SPEAKER_2 (0:01)

Great. Hi. Hi. I heard you on the radio this morning talk about, but don't worry, talk about the Chargers and how they're a team that it's constructing guilty for the postseason. I'm wondering if you feel the same way about your team and if defined exactly what that means.

Mike Vrabel (0:25)

Yeah, I do now. I feel like we are now. I would just tell you that they play great defense. They're very sound. They're good tacklers. They're physical. They get off the field on third down. They're good in the red zone. They run the football. It's a physical football team. They possess the football. They lead the NFL in time of possession. They have very good quarterback play. They're well coached. They play with technique and fundamentals.

The game, they don't panic one way or the other. They kind of stick to their game plan and whore you down and execute in critical situations. So a lot of respect for them. Certainly what they've done in a short amount of time.

SPEAKER_2 (1:14)

Your team also being helped?

Mike Vrabel (1:16)

I think that we are more trending in the right direction, that we have our moments of all of those. And I can point to numerous instances of us doing it. So again, that's, I think that's important is what we're able to do on Sunday night.

SPEAKER_4 (1:35)

Please do be benched overall with your offensive line. Mostly you're two rookies on the left side.

SPEAKER_5 (1:39)

A lot of different players came in this year.

SPEAKER_4 (1:41)

Just overall, they grew in the season.

Mike Vrabel (1:43)

Yeah, I mean, it'll be critical this week against a good front and a good defense. So that's what's gonna matter. I mean, I think they've continued to improve and helped to stay balanced. I mean, we had games where we didn't run the football as well as we would like. But then we had games where we really ran it really well. I think they're trying to do a good job of protecting Drake and giving us opportunities. I expect to get anyone back from injury this week or is it too early to tell?

Yeah, it's probably too early to tell. So Alex Austin will continue to practice and his return to play and we'll evaluate that and then see where the other guys are. See where Spillane and Landry and Tongar and Jared as well.

SPEAKER_4 (2:39)

You said on the radio today that you thought Drake was MVP of the league. Why?

Mike Vrabel (2:45)

Well, he's extremely accurate. You know, he's made the most of every passing opportunity. You know, we created a lot of X plays. And to create X plays, it's about 30% scheme. It's about 70% of the players making a play. And part of that is the quarterback putting it in a great location for a run after catch. I think you continue to see that. His ability to extend, use his legs to gain first downs, critical first downs, his ability to score when we've asked him to score and run it in. You know, just he's been everything that we've asked and he continues to get better. He's not satisfied.

So I know that our success of where we are right now today has a lot to do with Drake May.

SPEAKER_6 (3:44)

Yes. Sorry.

SPEAKER_7 (3:45)

Go ahead. Okay.

SPEAKER_6 (3:47)

Thanks, Mike. We've seen some really physical plays from Cushing Azales over the last several weeks. How have you seen that side of him develop this season?

Mike Vrabel (3:58)

I think just a confidence level of understanding that he is a big corner. He's a strong, he's got good size, good strength, and he doesn't just have to be a fast athletic corner. It's hard to take and say that the corners in this league aren't going to have to tackle. They're going to have to tackle when they hand the football off. We don't want them to every single play, but there's times where they have to and they have to crack replace. They have to close the distance and they have to stay on their feet and tackle. And you've seen it the other way where we've been able to get out there or get on some DBs and they've missed tackles and those turn into X plays. And so I appreciate Gonzo doing that and CD and Marcus Jones and all of those guys especially. I mean, so the tackle from Craig Woodson at the end of half, which is a really, really good play. That is a bad, I mean, that just looks bad when you watch it. Imagine being out there and watching a guy come at you with all that space. And then Craig Woodson and then Hawke had won later in the game with Dolcich.