Mike Vrabel: “We Have to Be Able to Attack Each and Every Week.” | Patriots Press Conference

Mike Vrabel: “We Have to Be Able to Attack Each and Every Week.” | Patriots Press Conference

Do you uh anticipate being able to ramp up Christian Gonzalez this week in hopes of him possibly playing Saturday? Yeah, I think that that’s the that’s the plan. Um, you know, excited about his efforts and and willingness to get back and work hard and practice last week and then again, um, made a decision. I I made a decision at the end of the week that just I think we needed a little bit more time and that’s what happens when you start this return to play and you practice and you work hard and then you you know see how you respond and then to make a decision if you’re you know if that player’s um you know ready ready for a football game and we felt like that um he probably needed a little bit more time and uh hopefully he’ll be ready to go. Excited to see him and everybody else practice today. How great how great an impact can Christian, you’ve only seen him on film really, you know, and stuff, but how great an impact can he have for you guys? Well, I mean, I think any of your We need all our all our best players. You know, you said this numerous times here. Your your best players have to play good in order uh for you to have a chance to win. And so, Christian would be one of those players. and we just we need to try to get everybody out there that we can get out there and uh hopefully he progresses well throughout the week and and he can help us. What you see is the mood of the team today as you guys came back and got ready for work after I mean I think it’s it’s it’s where it has to be you know whether you win or lose you have to you know remain consistent um and get back to work and prepare for a new opponent. uh you put a lot into it every week disappointed that you lose but uh that’s in the rearview mirror and we have to be able to uh attack each and every week and you know once you make the corrections and once you point out the things that we have to do better in order to win then it then it’s on to the preparation and and the new challenge ahead. Mike my kids is saying that you can’t win unless you learn how not to lose. In terms of that, in terms of learning how not to lose, can that be taught or is that on the players? Well, I think it’s um I think by building and doing things the right way and and believing in um what it is that we feel like is an identity that that hopefully that will take care of it. Um, I mean, I think the more that you put yourself in close games and the more that you, um, put yourselves in those situations that you have to, you know, be able to have some favorable outcomes, you know, you have to be able to respond and you have to be able to get stops in the red zone or you have to be able to take care of the football or, you know, you have to be able to produce some some explosive gains in the in the return phase and all those things that are that are critical. you know, I don’t, you know, I think it kind of just comes handinhand with it and we try to point them out as often as we possibly can. Like you mentioned, uh, you made the decision last week that you need more time with Christian. Uh, what information do you use to to make a decision like that? Um, just revisiting this from previous conversations. Uh, was that a wink, Phil, or were you just squinninging? Good. um you know one can they player protect themselves right can they go out there in this game and um and protect themselves I guess it’s a violent game right can they protect themselves can they do their job to to the standard that we you know have set for them and they’ve set for themselves and can they make it worse so those are the three things um that I would probably use I think you know a lot goes into being able to protect yourself. The conditioning of the person, right? A player that would maybe get tired or wouldn’t be in a proper condition uh to play in an NFL game could then lead to uh another injury or, you know, not being able to protect themselves. So th but those are the three things that I try to use uh in making those decisions. The Panthers defense, what are they doing from a movement perspective that will challenge you guys? Well, they’re just they’re very sound, you know, they they’ve done a lot. They have a lot in the playbook. They have a lot in their history, but they’re playing their best defense when when they’re just sound when they line up. Um, very good interior. Um, I think the secondary is very good. I think that obviously, um, Horn and Jackson and Moing has been a very good player. Um, line linebackers are good tacklers and and Brown is one of the best interior defensive linemen, but they they play sound, they play with their hands, they tackle well, and so they really haven’t been um, you know, beating themselves too much. Tech McMillan on the other side? Uh, I mean, all the same things that, you know, you look at and saw when you were seeing him come out. He’s big athlete, smooth, fluid mover, uh, good at the catch point. um you know body control for for such a a long player very I guess agile loose you know can upper body flexibility can can turn locate the football so you know but good catch radius seems like um Bryce certainly uh trusts him already to to be where he’s supposed to be um so that’ll be a huge challenge Mike in your experience you know how deep season, do you typically find out who your team is from a strength and weaknesses standpoint? That I I don’t know. Haven’t you know, I mean, I think when it’s there, you you kind of know it. And so, we’re, you know, we’ve got a bunch of different things that we’ve done well and not so well and then, you know, things that gotten us beat, right? So, I don’t want us to to forget about all the positives and the good things that have happened and the the very good winning snaps that we’ve played and then obviously just you have to eliminate the things that that get us beat the the turnovers, the you know the punt returns, the X plays on on defense, those types of things. They’re putting up really phenomenal kick kick coverage. That’s impressive. I’m that looked at it for two hours last night. I mean, impressive. They got good players. They got great speed. Um they change the scheme up on you. And so, you know, that’ll be critical that we’re able to um you know, protect the guy with the ball. They’re they’re flying. And um you know, it starts with the kicker. Kicks a a good kick, you know, dirty kick. Um so he’s had the the returners sometimes confused. He’s kicking them when he kicks them deep. um they’re right at the goal line forcing you to return them or you know last week a couple times they touched it and took a step back and then you know had it on the 20 yardd line. So they they’ve done a fantastic job credit to to their staff and uh and to the players that’s just tough to handle. Uh one that’s on the ground in between the 20 and the goal line. Um sometimes one hops and they can return it. Sometimes it, you know, kicks and goes sideways and, you know, we’ll have to be prepared for that wherever they kick it. Ball security drills. We’ve seen various throughout the off season. When you have a game like on Sunday, do you try something new when it comes to that or Well, I would just put some more time into it, you know, put some more time into it. And then again, I’m going to remind you that that everybody else’s job is to protect the guy with the ball. And so, we’ll have to practice that, too. Um, because that wasn’t good enough. And again, the easy thing to say is that, you know, we had three players fumble the football. Um, which is obvious. You know, we have to use great technique and then everyone else needs to strain to protect the the player with the ball and uh that’s what we’re going to get accomplished. Mike, on Epson Chisum, um, has he been inactive because his injury is lingering or is it something else? Uh just my decision each and every week try to get you know we can only get five right now. We’ve only been taking five. So that that can change each week and uh he’s he’s working hard and working in practice and you know we’ll evaluate that each week as to what his role would be and how he can help us. But um you know that’s kind of where that is. You see Kyle Williams opportunities increase. Yeah hopefully. you know, I mean, again, he’s the ones we’ve thrown to him, he’s caught and um, you know, just keep building a role for him and, you know, get everybody some opportunities and let the quarterback throw to the guy that’s open. A lot of the factors that go into batted balls and how do you go about preventing consistently? Uh, I think arm angle, staring a staring the throw down. And I think in tight windows down in the red zone, if you stare down, you’ll probably get some passes batted against good teams that don’t run past the quarterback. Um, you know, think timing, you know, defensively timing being able to to not stand at the line, but be able to rush and and then, you know, get the correct hand up, you know, and then quarterbacks that, you know, have a tendency to, again, like I said, get low with their release or sometimes it’s it’s the route has an effect on it as well if it’s over the middle and and short. Mike, uh, every week in the game notes, it lists, uh, all the common kind of connections between the Patriots and their opponents. Uh, and this week it’s very thin. There’s almost no crossover between the Patriots and the Panthers, between coaches and players. What’s that like to game plan for a team where you guys have almost no kind of personal experience with guys on the other side? Um, just watch the tape, you know what I mean? just try to focus in on the tape and have an idea of of how to prepare the players that way and focus on those things, focus on the things that you see, maybe things that they’ve done in the past or how what they may do to us uh situationally. Ste his playing time, how much of that number where we’re at right now through three games is tied to just what he was coming back from injury-wise? I I mean I think it’s all going to change. I think through three games and seeing where it’s at and the packages that we’ve used and you know the stuff that we’ve asked some of these guys to do is just trying to find a role for each every one of them and you know I don’t think any of them are going to play uh 90% of the snaps. Thank you guys.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addresses the media on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.

Subscribe to the New England Patriots YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/2IOD2e9
For More Patriots NFL Action: https://bit.ly/2Y1e9zz

#NewEnglandPatriots #Patriots #NFL

For more Patriots content: pillar.io/patriots
Stay up-to-date on Patriots news: https://www.patriots.com/
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newenglandpatriots/
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/patriots
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriots
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patriots
Get the app: https://apple.co/2vvd8mU