Head Coach Mike Vrabel 11/9: "You can't take a nap in this league"

Mike Vrabel (0:00)

Still a light crowd here. Hi, Karen.

SPEAKER_2 (0:06)

You spoke about wanting guys who want to be here. I think that was this morning and a bit last night. Mac Holland said something similar in the locker room after the game.

Is there a locker room problem?

Mike Vrabel (0:22)

No, no, no, no. I mean, I think that that's just, you know, I always appreciate what Mac has to say. And what my intent was was just to remind, you know, everybody that when we want to build a program, there's, you know, we have to have it look a certain way. And I think that when you have the most success, is that everybody has the same mentality and that they, you know, see it the same way, to see the same way that we have to do all the things that come with winning. And that's the preparation. That's the connection that you have to make with guys that are in there, with whether guys are injured or not, the identity that shows when we win, the ability to take care of the ball, the ability to create turnovers, to get off the field, to play sound and complimentary special teams. That's all encompassing. And so, no, there's not a locker room problem. It's just to say that, you know, this is kind of where you're at. When you, when you have a game that you fall short, like we did last night in a lot of areas, starting with, with me and the staff, and then obviously the execution on the field, you just, you want to make sure that everybody sees it the same way and that we got to get back to work. That's the only thing that you have to do.

SPEAKER_4 (1:50)

How do you feel along those lines, the intensity has been in practice over the last couple of weeks?

Mike Vrabel (1:57)

Well, intensity, you know, there's only so many opportunities for that intensity, for the full speed reps that we get. And so those usually come on Thursdays and the red zone on Fridays.

And, you know, there's mistakes like there is every week. I don't think it's been been detrimental by any means. And then also some guys aren't even available to practice. And they may not take as many reps. And that's nothing new to the National Football League. And so whatever reps we get, you know, we have to make them count. We have to understand, you know, if it's a jog through, how we show the details of the play and make sure that we understand that. And, you know, there's ways to be able to practice and be successful without just, you know, taking, you know, 35 full speed reps a day. Because I don't think that's really realistic right now where we're at currently with our situation and the health of the football team.

SPEAKER_4 (2:59)

Any update on Mondrae Stevenson?

SPEAKER_3 (3:01)

If he can't go, do you feel like Corey Connor can carry the workload?

Mike Vrabel (3:06)

No update on Mondrae. We, you know, we're wearing out the MRIs this morning, so we're still waiting on some of those results. And do I think that Corey can handle that workload? I think Corey is working extremely hard. I think Corey has done a really nice job.

And that, yeah, but there are also some things that Corey has to be able to improve on with just, you know, in a lot of guys as far as its recognition of the pressure and then the ability to block the pressure that we saw yesterday, for example.

SPEAKER_5 (3:41)

Do you feel like everybody's investment level is where you want it to be? It might not be a locker room problem as you're answering Karen's question, but you did say last night you want 48 guys out there next week that care. I think that might hurt people's ears up as everybody's investment level where it should be.

Mike Vrabel (3:55)

Yeah. And again, these are just reminders. You know, I mean, these are just reminders of where you get. And having been here, and again, these things probably get magnified out of frustration or when you lose. I think that those things are, you know, sometimes magnified. So those are just reminders. You know, I mean, I don't think that that's saying that we have guys that don't care. That's just like, this is what we need to have in order to win. And that's the formula.

SPEAKER_3 (4:26)

Mike, it's hard not to notice since Christian came back from the shoulder injury that maybe he's not playing at the same level he did prior to. Do you see anything there as a technique?