Head Coach Mike Vrabel 12/1: "We are doing a lot of good things to help us win"

Mike Vrabel (0:00)

Won't bring me in, introduce me then. Hell, go ahead guys, how are you? We'll start with Dan in the back. Okay.

SPEAKER_2 (0:09)

This is Mike, your thoughts on getting to this point, the energy that your team came out with, the hitting and what they were able to accomplish and now as you headed to the bye?

Mike Vrabel (0:18)

Well, I'm happy to be at the bye, happy to be where we're at, continue to improve. We have to finish better, but at least that, you know, we came out ready to go. We focused on being aggressive and attacking and keeping that mindset and I think we did.

Sophie (0:37)

Hi, Mike.

Mike Vrabel (0:39)

Hi, Sophie.

Sophie (0:39)

Just curious with Vidarian Lowe and Ben Brown slotting in, just how you felt they did tonight with, I think you talked pregame a little bit about the Giants defensive front and just how that was going to be a challenge and just how those two handled it stepping in.

Mike Vrabel (0:53)

Well, I think they handled it well. I mean, we had some positive plays, obviously, offensively. We need to be better in the red zone, but, you know, I thought that they did well, again, from first view. We'll have to see what things go on tomorrow. It was a penalty that cost us a touchdown, so that's tough. But, you know, a lot of good things to build on and continue to improve and, you know, really focus on things that we're going to have to do a little bit better down a stretch here. But, you know, I think that just proud of what the team has done week in and week out, whatever the challenge was and whatever has been presented to us.

SPEAKER_4 (1:35)

Pretty consistent and loud MVP chance for Drake tonight.

SPEAKER_5 (1:38)

Just what impresses you most about his performance?

Mike Vrabel (1:43)

I think he's able to keep his composure, keep his eyes downfield.

You know, I thought he makes some of the best plays, I think, are just the extensions, the scramble for a first down, you know, to scramble and stay in bounds there late in the game, knowing the situation forces them to call a timeout and then, you know, not throw an incompletion there at the end of the game and, you know, scramble. Selfishly, he probably could have said, hey, I'm going to try to throw a touchdown and, you know, just go and slide and, you know, use the clock. So, those are the things that probably don't show up on the stat sheet. I thought, you know, being accurate downfield and being able to give, you know, Kaishan a real catchable ball there in the end zone was nice too.

SPEAKER_5 (2:29)

Also, it's December 1st.

SPEAKER_4 (2:31)

How much longer are you going to keep the mustache?

Mike Vrabel (2:33)

It'll be gone tomorrow. I mean, I couldn't have done all this and not go out on Monday night football. I had to. It'll be gone tomorrow, probably before I talk to you.

SPEAKER_6 (2:48)

Mike, how would you describe just the message in terms of, you know, knowing the bye week was looming, knowing the Giants came in with two wins and just making sure that your guys, you came out so fired up. What was that messaging in that way?

Mike Vrabel (3:00)

I don't know how many wins they've had. I know that they get ahead and they were, had Denver beat and had some other teams beat, put a bunch of points and yards up on Detroit and, you know, Chicago and all those other teams. So, you know, I think it was about just being aggressive and attacking and, you know, trying to keep a competitive stamina throughout the game and a demeanor no matter what happened.

And I like the way that we started and, you know, like to finish a little bit better. But, you know, we're doing a lot of good things to help us win. And I know there's some things that we can do to continue to improve on.

SPEAKER_5 (3:43)

Mike, you've said being aggressive and attacking a couple of times. Does the way, some of the way that Christian Ellis had some of those bigger hits at the beginning of the game, is that something that everybody feeds off of? Is that something that gives you guys a lift?

Mike Vrabel (3:56)

I think I certainly did. I think our fans did. I think our team did.

And again, that's a weekly reminder to the quarterback, our quarterback. We show them every week. I wouldn't get too cute over there by the sidelines. It happens every week. And so Christian's playing through the whistle. And as long as the player's in bounds, he's going to try to hit them legally. And then on the kickoff, we take a lot of pride in covering kicks. It was a matchup. They were top five. And we were, you know, they were number five. And we were number six in kickoff. And I expect us to be in the top five. And, you know, that's what I try to tell our kickoff coverage team. So it was it was good to see that the impact that it can make and, you know, get turning the ball over as well.