Head Coach Mike Vrabel on WEEI 10/26: "We weren't good enough in all three phases"

Greg Hill (0:00)

Good morning, happy Monday.

Mike Vrabel (0:01)

Good morning.

Greg Hill (0:01)

How you doing?

Mike Vrabel (0:03)

Okay, how are you?

Greg Hill (0:04)

Good, good. Had a couple days to review Thursday night and think about it. And I'm wondering if you look at, when this team, dealing with injuries, I know that's not an excuse, but when you have that many injuries, is it almost like everything has to be perfect, every aspect of the game?

Mike Vrabel (0:24)

Well, I mean, I don't think it has to be perfect, but it better be precise, and whether you have people that are injured or not. I think you better be precise in this league, each and every week. If you want to give yourself a chance to win, I think you just see that throughout the league. So that's what we'll try to get back to work and try to strive for.

SPEAKER_3 (0:42)

Mike, when you look at this game, there were some plays that you guys gave up in the passing game, where there was like some deep digs or a tunnel screen that looked like you went for a touchdown. What was...

SPEAKER_4 (0:51)

No, it did go for a touchdown. It didn't look like it.

SPEAKER_3 (0:54)

What was some of the issues maybe with tackling and just some of the coverage that would lead into some of these plays?

Mike Vrabel (1:00)

Well, I mean, I think that that was just... I think they did a good job on the screen. I don't think, you know, give them credit. We didn't do a very good job. We didn't, you know, nobody got off any blocks or just drop anything that they were doing on that particular play. And then some other times in the passing game, again, I think you try to pressure.

There's a balance there. You try to pressure and, you know, affect the quarterback. And other times, you know, and when you do, you leave some voids in the zone and, you know, we didn't get home in time. And, you know, that's the balance that you, that you try to wage here is what's, how many guys you need to pressure, affect the quarterback and everything else.

Greg Hill (1:43)

Drake, on that run towards the end zone there, took a hit that looked pretty helmet to helmet.

Is, and we love it, love it about him. Is that the kind of thing where you got to go back every once in a while and remind him that he needs to slide every once in a while?

Mike Vrabel (1:59)

Again, I remind him a lot of different things. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes, no, I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to tell him to go play quarterback and make good decisions and, you know, lead our offense.

SPEAKER_5 (2:14)

Drake was your leading rusher on Thursday, 26 yards, and your three running backs had 44 combined. Is that a game plan thing or is that something you need to fix?

Mike Vrabel (2:22)

No, we didn't go into the game saying we only want to run for 80 yards or whatever it was. That wasn't part of the game plan.

SPEAKER_4 (2:30)

The first drive you guys had, third and five, Josh McDaniels told our midday show on Friday that the play before on third down, you knew you were going for it on fourth down, which was the one yard run to Ramandre. Then fourth down, the clock was going down to zero.

It felt a bit rushed. Any thought about a timeout right before that fourth down play? And what goes into the decision knowing you're going to go for it on four downs in that spot?

Mike Vrabel (3:00)

Those are just things I try to let Josh know.

And they got eight guys up in the line of scrimmage where I sat out there and watched us practice some of those runs to try to give ourselves a chance early in the game to see what the pressure looks may be. And we didn't block it very well. We would watch the Jets block it twice against us and run for 30 yards the week before. So I thought maybe we should try to have something like that. Clearly didn't execute it well enough. I'd try to gauge where we're at as far as the timeouts. And I think it's... I think I have a decent feel for where we're going to snap off. And I don't think we're a rush. We're just a little late getting everything aligned up. And I don't think that was a factor in the play. But I try to decide, is it zero when the ball's coming? Or do I have to get a timeout there to save us some yards?