Mike Vrabel Discusses the Positive Takeaways From the Win in Cincinnati on WEEI | Patriots

Mike Vrabel Discusses the Positive Takeaways From the Win in Cincinnati on WEEI | Patriots

Good morning, coach. Good morning. Uh, victory Monday. So, shot how many in a row? Nine wins in a row. But how many how many how many weeks we’ve been doing shots? I think we’ve done all of them. While cheers congratulations. Oh, it’s very good. Uh, that is the immunity shot. That one had more kick. No, no, J. No straw. Ginger uh ginger and lemon from Pure Green. And that is the coach’s go-to right there. That is that is good. Um listen, tough to win on the road and um you guys are you’re perfect on the road this season. So, uh congrats on that. Well, appreciate it. Yeah, it’s um you know, go down 10 10 nothing. Uh so proud of the way that they battled back and then, you know, there’s always going to be some adversity, which I thought we you know, we stood up to. Had a big drive there at the fourth uh in the fourth there to to have to kick a field goal. Andy made a big kick to make it, you know, a six-point game to where they needed a touchdown and we got the drive stop. So, there’s a lot of positives, a lot of things to improve on, but in the end, I felt like we we were able to, you know, find a way and not be at our best. Uh, but also, you know, make the plays and when we had to. Drake May has been, you know, almost perfect. Drake May. Drake May, where do you stand on that? I’m not really sure. I just heard about it 10 seconds ago. Yeah. Terrible. Uh, I think the old, you know, those of us I couldn’t even figure out 67 and now it’s Drake Draco. I know. I don’t know. I like Draco. Yeah. Uh, I don’t like that either. Cord, keep going. Harry Potter. I’ve never seen it. Never seen Harry Potter. What do you I thought about waiting in the line one time at Universal for two hours and then I went to the bar. So, what do you call him? Rake. Rake. What does he does he call you Raves or does he call you coach or does coach? I think coach. Yeah. Uh well, Pop Douglas said they call him Draco and I prefer that, but I we’re old. Um but anyway, a little, you know, hard to nitpick on him, but a little bit of a slow start for him uh yesterday. Well, I mean, I think that uh again, just settling in and making sure that uh everybody’s, I guess, just in tune and getting it getting the drive started. I think to me, whether it’s the slow start or just getting the drive start, I think you can see the difference that when we can get into a drive, we get the first first down, we can kind of get a rhythm to what we’re doing. And obviously that starts with with the quarterback, but then there’s there’s all these different supporting casts that have to be uh good for this thing to work. So again, that that’s what I see um is just have to get in the drive. We have to be able to get into the first first down and get moving and then then things kind of start clicking. Mike, you you you you’ve been around football a long time and you see these wins and you go, “That was a great win. That was an ugly win.” And then look, you look at yesterday’s game and it’s one of those wins where I kind of look at it like it’s one of those ugly wins. You learn a lot. You play a tough uh a tough uh road opponent. What What do you kind of like message for some of these guys afterwards like, “Hey, you’re able to come away with that, but we need to clean up this this and this.” Well, the coaching probably right after the game is is not really I mean, I don’t think they’re hearing a whole lot of of what I’m saying. So, uh, just the emphasis of we’re going to need everybody and we saw that today. We saw that yesterday with with the injuries that we had and the moving parts and the things that go and sometimes things happen fast and you have to be ready for your opportunity and you don’t want to let those uh pass by and the ability to to help your team win uh when guys are going down. I mean, we we’re shifting different positions. We’re out of personnel groups or in other personnel groups. We got five different combin I don’t think we’ve I don’t think any team’s used as many as you know we’ve had probably 18 guys on the field goal protection unit yesterday. That’s that’s a first for me. The goal line offense could use a little bit of improvement moving forward. I know coaching immediately after the game is nothing, but moving forward as the head coach, how do you get them better? Uh that’s that’s um I I there’s a million things I could say right there, Courtney, but I’m going to try to say that it has to be better. And again, when we get out of um you know, with the injuries, we were out of goal line. There was some things that that that did there. And then at the end of the day, you have to you have to be able to move somebody into the end zone. You have to be able to score with your man. Um and that’s really what happens. And we have to we have to be better. uh we have to be able to convert those uh into touchdowns. And so it’s uh it’s everybody. It’s it’s the design, it’s the execution, you know, and we you know, you just you’re not going to win any games, too many games if you can’t score with inside the 5yd line. Wiggy said earlier that that’s probably on not on Drake May, that’s you and and Josh with the play call. Is there plays with Drake May at the line of scrimmage where he has the opportunity to audible out of a play that maybe he’s not seeing things like is there anything on Drake May in terms of pre- snap uh with these? There’s stuff on all of us, you know. I mean, there’s there’s stuff on all of us and there’s plays that, you know, again, either they’re going to heat you up and they’re going to bring everybody or they’re going to, you know, play zone. And you know, we have to have answers for for both things down there when you’re not in goal line, you know, and they’re not in goal line defense and you know what that’s going to be and we’re in different personnel groups. And so, uh, I I think what you want to do on offense is you want to be able to predict what it is that you’re going to see. And when you have goal line, you know, personnel in there, you’re pretty certain what you’re going to see. Uh and then as that personnel changes then so then it becomes somewhat of a you know a crapshoot of hey are they going to be in blit zero they going to be in zone and having answers for for both of those things. So we always talk about operation that’s not going to change that can be better from yesterday on the goal line and u you know just have to keep working. Mike, you you you you know, I was I was want to be a fly on the wall in the locker room at halftime because you you guys you give up a long kickoff return that’s ultimately called back for a holding, but then you end up So, did we give it up or was it called back? Which one? I’m not sure. You gave it up and then it was called back and then it came back and then you ultimately give up a field goal. You had to be frustrated in that point because there wasn’t much time on the clock and you just No, we just got to make plays and you know, I mean, when they throw the ball and we got guys standing in there, go be afraid, don’t be afraid to go make a play. Um, you know, and that just comes down to to compete in this league and you can you can scheme stuff up any way you want to. it comes down to competing and I felt like, you know, we did. We we did ultimately do that and again the kickoff uh that unit did help us, you know, whether they got us on one and they called a holding, but I felt like that unit when we when we had to cover kicks, we covered kicks, we got Kyle out past the to the 42 yard line one time, we had really done a great job of that. So, you know, we’re going to get Marcus going on. We got to pop one of these punt returns again. But there’s no secret formula. Just have to go out and, you know, our fundamentals have to continue to improve. And I thought that’s something that we can really focus on this time of year. I think for people that look at the stats, they look at Pop Douglas’s game yesterday and it they move on to the next. But you made a point after the game to call him out in the locker room. Why was that so important for you? You know, I just there was uh we needed a play and Pop made it and he didn’t have a whole lot of opportunities. the the game goes in a lot of different directions and we know that Pop can help us and, you know, he’ll continue to help us and and what what I saw yesterday was we were, you know, third and long and it was a critical time of the game and Drake made a great ball, made great throw and and Pop made a heck of a play. Uh and and so I just felt like that was much needed and and everybody wants to contribute. Everybody wants to help and you know I have to be able to try to help them manage that and understand we got to times do what’s best for the team and sometimes you get your opportunities and sometimes you don’t but you have to be ready for the ones that uh based on your approach postgame I’m guessing you don’t want any injury questions uh this morning at all. Um, oh, hold on. We lo we I don’t know. We completely lost you though. That’s good. They’re practicing that. Yeah. What’s I can ask anything. Yeah. Um, so, uh, update on on, uh, don’t have one. No update on the guys. Did you wash your hands when you went to the bathroom? I saw you coming back. I was going to shave. I was going to shake it. Give it a try. Better have I always wash my hand. We We won’t know much. Yesterday was was not a great day for for us with injury. So, there’ll be some players that went out of that game yesterday that won’t be available on Monday night. Uh hopefully we you get some of those guys back. It’s uh we get an extra day, but uh I won’t be able to tell you much. I I wouldn’t imagine that Will’s going to play in the game. I don’t think that that’ll that’ll be something that’ll happen. That injury is going to probably be more than uh a week or two. He looked I mean he had the towel over the head when he was going out. So it looked like I mean obviously he’s a guy who wants to play and um it looked like he was upset. Yeah. Yeah, I mean I think they all want to play and again Will’s young player hasn’t had a lot of probably injuries or things that have affected them and so we’ll have to there’s a lot of things we have to manage through and try to help these guys get over that they they haven’t experienced. So the reports that it was a sprain that are out there, no. Well, I think you have to understand sprains have different severities. So, um, sprain, strain, not sure, but I just know that he’s probably not going to be there Monday night, and I don’t think it’s going to be something that’s going to keep him out. You know, this is not career ending. Um, but I wouldn’t anticipate him being out there Monday. You mentioned Go ahead, Wigs. No, I was just going to say you talk about guys stepping up and taking advantage of their opportunity and week in and week out as different guys. Hunter Henry had a seems like the guy shows up every week, you know, whether he’s catching seven passes or he catches two passes. Um, talk about, you know, those players and how they’ve been able to take that on and saying, “Hey, at the end of the day, I might have a great, you know, opportunity one week, but I might have less the following week.” It is about the winning part. Yeah. It’s just managing that. I think that that’s um you know you you played the position that you know gets the ball thrown to him and you want the ball thrown to you as many times. I think that’s just human nature and I know I’ll use you know Hunter’s been really consistent for us and but a calming presence and a good target for the quarterback. He he caught a pass on first and 20 and I and I and I mentioned Diggs too and Diggs hadn’t had didn’t have the day that the production that he wanted. We won the football game. He had a big third down conversion at the end, but he turns and blocks for Hunter, Hunter gets a first down. So, those are the things that I have to continue to show the players that that it matters that instead of just not catching the ball and dropping your head and going back to the huddle, you know, being able to turn transition, block somebody, and help Hunter get a first down. That that ultimately helps the team. Uh, you mentioned after the game that you you guys need to bounce back better. I actually thought you the Drake bounced back. I thought the team yesterday looked like they started off poorly for whatever reason, but they sort of turned it around. I don’t know what context I said. I I mean, again, you you guys dissect everything I say. Probably that’s you’re you’re probably accurate in saying after that first drive, we come back and put a long drive together. Um, which was which was really cool to see after, you know, the the start that we had to to come back and and score and and uh nine plays or whatever it was. Uh, so you I don’t know what the bounce back was. I who knows that point in time. I shouldn’t even talk after. Um, a lot you’re contractually required. I think you have to, but you could make it quick. Yeah, that’s what the old guy used to do around here. I just kind of bumbled his way through it. Yeah. Damn it. Um, Stephen A. Smith wants to know if you could put first take on in the wait room for the for the guys. We don’t have I don’t even know if the TVs work in the wait room. Okay. You know, we’re getting a new building, so we’ll make sure that the audio and everything works. And I mean, it is the number one show in in television history. It’s number one 20 years. 20 years. I I find that hard. But I mean, it’s not the sports center that I grew up with. Yeah. No, it’s a lot different. Yeah, it certainly is. Mike, when you look at your defense and the way they responded, how did you feel after seeing how they responded throughout that game, especially late in the game when you needed that uh uh stop when uh Cincinnati was trying to obviously come back, you know what I mean? They got us on a touchdown, you know what I mean? And then Gonzo owned up to that. He said, “Hey, you got me.” And uh then we had him on fourth down. only had a chance to to get a stop and and weren’t able to make it, but then, you know, came back and got the the other fourth down stop and for for Carlton to be able to challenge and have the the PI but still be able to challenge and trust his technique and everything else. So, you know, when we needed it, it was there and we ended up uh, you know, having a good day on third down. We just have to be, you know, just a little better. Obviously, each and every week, every week’s a challenge. the way in which the guys rallied around Galani Tavi yesterday, whether it was Hunter Henry, uh the dedication on the field, Christian Gonzalez after the game saying that the guys all facetimed him to celebrate the win with him. We talk about culture all the time. Is that something that you brought in or is it a testament to the guys you have in this locker room that it really does feel like a family? Well, you have to bring the right people in and then you have to foster the right type of relationships and the right ideas and try to, you know, show them what what’s important outside of actually just the physical performance on the field. Um, so I think it’s a little bit of both. I think that obviously you have to get the right people and then allow those relationships to to mature and to happen and and to to grow. What do you got? Just like this mustache is growing. How about a hat? I mean, 3 weeks. I mean, it really giggling like that cuz it’s looking good. It does look good. It’s ready to be shaved off. In fact, in fact, speaking of people and culture, I I shine people and culture, you know, they that’s what they call like HR now. Yeah. People in culture. People in People and Culture. I go, Stretch. What is this department? He goes, “Ah, used to be HR.” Oh, it’s people in culture. Okay. Um, Shime is Shime is telling me that a on your mustache, a former teammate of yours has called the uh radio program this morning. Okay. You want to want to talk to him? Yeah, sure. Uh, Shime, go ahead if you if you could. Hello. Put me in, coach. I’m ready to play. What up, Braves? Morning, buddy. You know that that’s Matt Light. How are you, Matt? Hey, listen, buddy. I’m good. And and I’m going to tell all the fans listening the secret behind the culture. It’s one thing. It’s that beautiful upper lip plumage that Coach Rabel is is sporting for the world to see every day. Well, we’re trying to support uh men’s health and Movember and prostate cancer and Gillette’s helping us. And we’re actually auctioning off some uh some shoes after Monday night’s game. Oh, wow. Yeah. They’re dressing up as first time I’ve ever done my cause, my cleats. doing it for men’s health. Awesome. Yeah. So, I think they’re pretty cool and I’m excited to do that. So, if you have $100,000 just laying around and you want to help uh charities, you can you could buy my shoes. It sounds like uh maybe for 120. Sounds like light might be ready to go in an emergency situation. Uh you’re dealing with some injuries. Yeah, we were we were back near Matt’s hometown. We were back near Greenville and we were Cincinnati’s not far from Greenville where Matt grew up. So, uh, we missed you yesterday, Matthew, but we appreciate your support, buddy. Listen, I had a dream, no joke, Sunday morning, I wake up and I I had this dream that I was I was going to have to run a conditioning test to get ready to go back and play again. And I don’t know if you’ve had those. I’ve talked to other guys that, you know, been long retired and I’ve probably had seven or eight episodes where I’ve had this sinking feeling and then I wake up and I’m like, “Oh god, oh my god, it’s not real. I don’t have to go back to work. This is great.” No, that I just had the dreams about what do we have to do to to make the team better. That’s I don’t I don’t worry about playing anymore because I’m long gone from that. All right. Well, it’s nice to hear your voice, Mr. Light. And uh and I know you got you you have a ton of charity stuff going on, too. Do you have a hockey game coming up or something? Yeah. And you know what? We got Wiggy coming in for the first time, which is going to be Wiggy’s playing goalie. At least you don’t know, Mike. I’m a big hockey guy. I’m a forward. I score a lot of goals. Men’s Bear League. I was MVP. Congratulations. Appreciate that. Did wasn’t Light’s thing that he pulled he pulled pranks on everybody? Yeah. Did he Did he ever get you on? Oh, once or twice, Matthew. He did. He did. What was the What did you get? What did you get him with? There was a good bunch of good ones. We can’t talk about it. No, we’re not talking. Okay. Okay. Okay. We can’t talk about that. We do have video though. We can roll that beautiful bean footage, you know, at some point. Listen, I did want to say this, Greg. Many years ago, we made some sweet music on your show. And you know, every now and then you write a new stanza to what was, you know, a a major hit, right? It doesn’t happen very often. Every now and then it does, right? Yes. Yeah. So, you know, just as a really little refresher, it used to go a little something like this. And you remember you’d be across the line. Yeah. We’d be in stretch and we’d say stuff like, “Now listen up, friends. I got a story to tell about a group of men who knew how to live well. They formed a team and they made a pack. They’re big old boys that wear a mustache.” Mustache. Yeah. Now, to modernize this, I’d like to say as a sun fades and years roll by, the mustache man seems like a fable. But then a new day dawn and the mustache lives on and the man they call coach Vrabel. Wow. Mustache. That is fantastic. Well done. Well done, Matt. Well done, Matt. It’s all full circle. All right. Thank you, Matt. There he is. Wow. I mean, really, what a way to end. What a segue. What a what a what a way. What a way to end. So, uh, Thanksgiving, you you gonna see the family? Yes. Okay. Yep. We’re gonna we’re gonna, uh, we’re gonna have some time off in the afternoon and that’ll be great. I think the kids are, uh, coming in. Tyler’s already here. Carter’s flying in. New girlfriend. So, you like her? Yeah, I love her. First holiday with her, though. Yes. Yes. First holiday. Is she cooking at all? Sleepover, too. Separate bedrooms. I don’t think our place is that big. Oh my god. Well, keep it going. Get a condo. Okay. I’m just saying. No ring, no same bed. Oh, Courtney, it’s 2025. It’s a lot different. Yeah, it is. All right, coach. Thank you, guys. Congrats. Congrats. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving guys each and every Monday. That is Mike Vrael.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show on Monday, November 24, 2025.

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