Head Coach Mike Vrabel 9/29: "It was good for us to play a clean game overall"

Mike Vrabel (0:00)

Raise your hand, Carrie.

Carrie (0:03)

How are you?

SPEAKER_3 (0:04)

Good, how are you? Good. I was just wondering what you thought of Christian Gonzalez and his re-entry.

Mike Vrabel (0:12)

Well, I thought it was good. I thought it was okay for him to, you know, good to be out there. And I think it can always be better, and I think he knows that.

But for just, you know, the first game back, some good stuff. And he'll continue to work, and he'll continue to, you know, have a game plan each and every week. And I'm excited that he was able to put a full work in there and have confidence in playing and conditioning and all those things that are positive.

SPEAKER_4 (0:43)

Mike, what's it been like working with Josh McDaniel so far? And say so, how impressed are you with the job he did last week and yesterday?

Mike Vrabel (0:49)

Well, it's not only Josh. I mean, I, you know, enjoy working with Josh. I enjoy working with the entire offensive staff. It's, it's good coaches on that side. There's a lot of collaboration and I like kind of where we are from an efficiency standpoint, just trying to, you know, to work ahead and be detailed and, you know, making sure that, you know, everybody is doing their roles and assignments and, you know, work the run game. And then kind of Josh and Thomas and Todd and Ashton will work some of the passing game. And, you know, when it goes to third down, and then we all get together on red zone. And those things certainly paid off last week. So, you know, been able to marry some plays and when you can convert and you can string some drives together, or some plays together, then things look alike and then that all complements. We've talked about that before. And when you just live in a three and out world and you're not extending drives, it's hard to marry those plays.

Phil (1:54)

Just thinking of the touchdown throw to Hunter Henry. How much does Drake's ability to throw on the move and throw from some different arm angles pull the ball forward for you in that stand?

Mike Vrabel (2:03)

Well, to be able to extend plays, move the pocket and get, you know, move the launch point is critical. And, you know, those plays have helped us and he's done a good job with them.

SPEAKER_6 (2:15)

Mike, giving Ramondre the carry on the first play of the game and I think he had the most snaps among the front of the house, was that intentional by you guys?

Mike Vrabel (2:23)

No, not intentional other than that he's, you know, our first second down back. He's the best protector. And, you know, it was good to see him be able to break one there. And if we finish one more guy, probably score. So, you know, again, we're going to keep practicing ball security with every single player. And there's a lot of really good examples of guys protecting the guy with the ball, which I believe and I know is critical to our success. And, you know, I think it was just good for us to play a good, clean game overall.

SPEAKER_7 (2:59)

After the game, you gave an acknowledgement to Pop about his block, specifically on the hunter-hunter. And you touched on stuff, this talk to us a couple of times over the last couple of weeks about blocking. Wondering if you could speak to the importance of blocking at that position and how it can maybe be a difference maybe.

Mike Vrabel (3:13)

Well, when you don't block safeties in the National Football League, they make the tackle. Not only do they make the tackle, they usually inflict some sign of, you know, blow delivery. You know, they're not going in there lightly. And so, again, that's the idea that not that we need receivers that are out there with neck rolls on and, you know, where they have to be multi-faceted and be able to execute the things that we need them to do in the pass game. But also when there's opportunities to go find people to block, they have to do that as well. And I think when the more that we can show them that it leads to extra yards and it leads to X plays and it leads to touchdowns, that the more that they're believing in it and buying into it. And I think that there's great examples, especially yesterday, on the tape of us doing that.

Carrie (4:05)

Mike, Bill Williams said yesterday, it felt like the Panthers were trying to keep the defensive line out of the game. I'm curious if you saw the same thing.