July 23, 2025 • 11 mins
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addresses the media on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is just quiet. Is the position quiet and trained?
So I may just actually take this one there.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
But uh, okay, buddy, let's see how if you just
stay right there.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Okay, look at him. Okay, how are you, Karen? Well,
I like your dog. Thank you. Hopefully he could find
a good home. If it's not mine, maybe it'll be mind.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yesterday, Hunter Henry talked about get together that Drake organized,
getting all the players together in North Carolina and how
beneficial that was on several levels.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Do you look at something like that between.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Drake in his second year as a signed perhaps of
his growth and development.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I think that there's a lot of things that go
into that. I think that that's part of it. Being
able to organize it he did I would say ninety
five percent of it on his own, to be able
to plan the travel, the housing, the location and everything
that they were going to do and the places that
they were going to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
So I think that that's a large step. Nott.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
You know, he's dealing with other things in the off
season in the summer and getting married and everything like that,
so it was important to him that was something that
he wanted to do. It was something that he approached
me with early on, so something that he was thinking.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
About important of the five weeks leading up to training camp.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Well, again, if you want to talk about the conditioning,
I can have. I'm happy to revisit it.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
I thought we went in great detail yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
But maybe not. This is We're all in this honeymoon
stage by now. It's all fun. No, No, you don't
apologize it was great.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
How much fun is this for you? Mike? You were
here as a player training camp, a big time player.
What's this mean to you to be here as the
head coach of the Patriots. Well, I just.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You know, I think we're grateful. I think we're we're excited.
You know, there's an energy in the building. It's the
players seemed excited to go. I mean, we had a
long meeting. That first training camp meeting is brutal.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
It is long.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
There's a lot of presentations that we have to get
in front of them. Uh, they stayed engaged and then
came in here this morning and I'm excited to hit
the field with them, and our coaches are ready to
work and continue to build what we started on in
the off season.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Mike, alongo same lines, You've been a first year coach.
Before what's the importance of your first training camp in
your first year as a head coach?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
There's always you know, I don't however long you've done it,
you know you're gonna have things that come up.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I think it's just about being flexible.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's about being able to adapt and adjust quickly and
change the schedule based on the health of the team,
or maybe just trying to have a good sense of
where the team is and what they need and how
much meeting time and how to schedule works and put
a lot of time into the schedule to make sure
that it's efficient and given the players exactly what they
(03:17):
need to come out here and again continue to build
a team, earn a role, and then ultimately we have
to prepare to win.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
I'm sure you had a structure of the last time
you were head coach in terms of how to run
training camp basically for this year for you, is it
the same kind of structure or do you change for
the kind of players that you perceive that you have
this time around.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Just there's things that you need to get done, and
there's a checklist that you go through and it relates
to the fundamentals the scheme, the special teams, conditioning, game situations,
red zone, third down two minutes. But the fundamentals are critical.
It's the fundamentals in his game or are a foundation,
(03:58):
so that the foundation has to be built here in
training camp and will adjust and at time. And the
way that we take care the football, or the attention
to detail and the ability to turn the football over
and everything that I think that we need to work
on we have to be able to address at some
point in time during training camp.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Obviously today Miket's acclamation period noe pads on yet. But
as a head coach, what do you look for in
day one to help you evaluate the team? Where the
guys are at and beyond what they've done the last
five weeks. But starting today.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Moving well, nothing that's changed when we hit you know,
when we hit the grass and.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Ota, it's it's just about the the.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Urgency in which we move around practice, that there's an
organization to it, that there's a flow to practice, the
operation that the substitution.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
You know, we're working with.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Ninety one guys, maybe eighty seven of them will be
out there today, that there's you know, there's there's communication,
the substitution is good. It's the flow of practice and
again just the efficiency in which we.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Work, like the team meeting in the morning.
Speaker 6 (05:01):
What are some of the things you have to go
through that makes it, as you said, kind of prouval.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Well, that's usually so that was after I met with
you guys.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
So there's an extensive medical presentation, which is critical. And
the one thing that you know I tried to reference
to our football team was I went to attendant a
doctor's dinner for every doctor and nurse and every person
that would come in contact with our football team through
the course of the year. And we're extremely lucky to
(05:31):
be where we're at to get that kind of care.
We can get our MRIs, we can get a lot
of our lab work right here at Patriot Place. And
the one thing that Jim Whale and our trainer told
us told me at that dinner because I was like,
there's a lot. I wasn't expecting there to be this
many people, and he said that there is one. We
have one specialist per every three players, and whether that's
(05:52):
an orthopedic or whether that's a cardiologist, that is somebody
a neurology, just anybody that would have to be in contact.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
With our players.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
We have a large group and we're.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Thankful they take care of us here uh at Patriot Place,
at Brigerman Women's to be able to get in an
MRI and get back and be efficient so the players
can back and meetings, all these different things, you know,
the concussion, making sure that that presentation is presented.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So there's an extensive medical.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
The equipment, you know, wearing the proper equipment and understanding
what that is about some of these young guys and
their feet. We covered a hotel, we covered security, we
covered media there for you guys. There's an immediate presentation
that there's a film that the league puts out.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
And so Stacey and I talked to them about that.
And you know, so there's a long checklist you have
to have with the medical staff. Jim's experience in your
own experience and relationship with him as long as he's been.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
How valuable is that? Well?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Uh, you know the trainer I worked with in Tennessee
was was a mentor for Jim as well, so Todd
Torris Selly, Jim had worked with him. So when I
left here, we still all stayed in contact because I
was working with Todd and Tennessee, and Todd talked to
Jim a lot, but there is a lot of comfort there.
There's a lot of experience on Jim's part, and so
(07:23):
we're just trying to give the players the best care
that we can as quickly as we can and to
give each guy what they need. So, uh, that's been
that's been good. And again we we always talk about these.
Some of these injuries are going to be unavoidable. It's
just how we work from them and how we come
back from them is what's most important.
Speaker 6 (07:43):
Like, that's a moment in the video that the team
produced the Fortune of Foxborough Show. I guess you'd call
it where the team is sort.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Of in between what did you call I didn't call
it anything. What is it? That's probably a more app
for it.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
And I'm the media guy, So a nice job by you.
The offense is sort of in between plays and you
say something to Drake like, hey, you've got a minute here,
talk to your guys.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Why is that important to you? How naturally does that
come to Drake to do things like that?
Speaker 6 (08:17):
And you know how much of a focus will that
be for you as head coach to kind of draw
that out of it.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
My job is to figure out what we need and
what each player needs and do everything that I can
to help them physically or mentally or emotionally.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
And I try to recreate these practices the same.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Way the game is. The offense goes over there, we
have a drive, the last one play, three plays, eight plays,
twelve plays, it ends in six points, seven, three points,
whatever it ends in, or a punt, and you go
over there and you have to talk to the coordinator.
You're gonna talk to Josh, but then the quarterback is
gonna have to go up and down and make sure, hey,
we just had this happen on this last play. If
we get it again, this is all this defense for
(08:56):
the first time. There's a lot of things because it's
always going to mean more coming from the guy that's
out there leading them, and that's all. That situation was
no different than defensively. You're going to go over there,
the linebackers and safeties are going to talk say hey,
we're gonna make this check or they're in this formation.
You know, we're going to have to make sure that
we adjust to it quickly. Or if we get this,
(09:17):
same chances are if they had success with it, we're
going to see it again.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Milton Williams told us a story about you pushing him
in a conditioning drill.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
How has he responded to that and what have you
seen from him from a leadership and conditioning.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Stamper way early on that was something that was important
to Milt, was that he wanted to lead and there
had been zero pushback.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Is fun to coach. He's very mature.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And so there's zero reservation about his leadership ability. He's
here a lot, He's here all the time. He shows
up early, gets plenty of work in, takes care of
his body.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
He's a true pro. At the end of the day.
Speaker 6 (09:59):
What would make this a school training camp for your
team the end of the summer?
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Well, if we can remember what the objectives of training
camp were?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Which were do you remember?
Speaker 4 (10:12):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It was yesterday?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Build a team, Remember Mike, earn a role, Remember the
last one prepared to win.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
You guys are on fire today. We're off to a
great start.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
So if we can do those things, there's a reason
I try to do this.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I don't claim to be the smartest person.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
So if I can just try to find some things
that I think are important for the team and the
individual and then kind of coming back to the team.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
So if if it looks like we build.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
A team and there's some cohesion and guys are enjoying
being around each other, are they competing?
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Are they taking care of each other?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
And then are guys starting to figure out, Hey, this
is gonna be my role.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
I'm gonna go try to dominate thatever that may be.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
And then ultimately are we understanding these situations and can
we try to win.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
A football game so that that's what would be successful.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
What do you look for in the leadership, Like what
do you want from your leaders but also your captains?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
And well, I mean I think that every I hope
player and coach can be an extension of the message
that I have created and try to you know, get
that across in their own words and and stay consistent
to it. That's why we don't have a ton of
stuff that we try to talk about. We try to
stay very consistent and allow that to kind of branch
(11:34):
off and don't tell them what to say, but allow
them to have some some parameters and things that we're
working for.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
So we just hope that everybody carries.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
That message over here h as they work to lead
their unit, or or another position.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Thank you
This is just quiet. Is the position quiet and trained?
So I may just actually take this one there.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
But uh, okay, buddy, let's see how if you just
stay right there.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Okay, look at him. Okay, how are you, Karen? Well,
I like your dog. Thank you. Hopefully he could find
a good home. If it's not mine, maybe it'll be mind.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yesterday, Hunter Henry talked about get together that Drake organized,
getting all the players together in North Carolina and how
beneficial that was on several levels.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Do you look at something like that between.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Drake in his second year as a signed perhaps of
his growth and development.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I think that there's a lot of things that go
into that. I think that that's part of it. Being
able to organize it he did I would say ninety
five percent of it on his own, to be able
to plan the travel, the housing, the location and everything
that they were going to do and the places that
they were going to do it.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
So I think that that's a large step. Nott.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
You know, he's dealing with other things in the off
season in the summer and getting married and everything like that,
so it was important to him that was something that
he wanted to do. It was something that he approached
me with early on, so something that he was thinking.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
About important of the five weeks leading up to training camp.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Well, again, if you want to talk about the conditioning,
I can have. I'm happy to revisit it.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
I thought we went in great detail yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
But maybe not. This is We're all in this honeymoon
stage by now. It's all fun. No, No, you don't
apologize it was great.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
How much fun is this for you? Mike? You were
here as a player training camp, a big time player.
What's this mean to you to be here as the
head coach of the Patriots. Well, I just.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
You know, I think we're grateful. I think we're we're excited.
You know, there's an energy in the building. It's the
players seemed excited to go. I mean, we had a
long meeting. That first training camp meeting is brutal.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
It is long.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
There's a lot of presentations that we have to get
in front of them. Uh, they stayed engaged and then
came in here this morning and I'm excited to hit
the field with them, and our coaches are ready to
work and continue to build what we started on in
the off season.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Mike, alongo same lines, You've been a first year coach.
Before what's the importance of your first training camp in
your first year as a head coach?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
There's always you know, I don't however long you've done it,
you know you're gonna have things that come up.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I think it's just about being flexible.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
It's about being able to adapt and adjust quickly and
change the schedule based on the health of the team,
or maybe just trying to have a good sense of
where the team is and what they need and how
much meeting time and how to schedule works and put
a lot of time into the schedule to make sure
that it's efficient and given the players exactly what they
(03:17):
need to come out here and again continue to build
a team, earn a role, and then ultimately we have
to prepare to win.
Speaker 5 (03:23):
I'm sure you had a structure of the last time
you were head coach in terms of how to run
training camp basically for this year for you, is it
the same kind of structure or do you change for
the kind of players that you perceive that you have
this time around.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Just there's things that you need to get done, and
there's a checklist that you go through and it relates
to the fundamentals the scheme, the special teams, conditioning, game situations,
red zone, third down two minutes. But the fundamentals are critical.
It's the fundamentals in his game or are a foundation,
(03:58):
so that the foundation has to be built here in
training camp and will adjust and at time. And the
way that we take care the football, or the attention
to detail and the ability to turn the football over
and everything that I think that we need to work
on we have to be able to address at some
point in time during training camp.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Obviously today Miket's acclamation period noe pads on yet. But
as a head coach, what do you look for in
day one to help you evaluate the team? Where the
guys are at and beyond what they've done the last
five weeks. But starting today.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Moving well, nothing that's changed when we hit you know,
when we hit the grass and.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Ota, it's it's just about the the.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Urgency in which we move around practice, that there's an
organization to it, that there's a flow to practice, the
operation that the substitution.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
You know, we're working with.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Ninety one guys, maybe eighty seven of them will be
out there today, that there's you know, there's there's communication,
the substitution is good. It's the flow of practice and
again just the efficiency in which we.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
Work, like the team meeting in the morning.
Speaker 6 (05:01):
What are some of the things you have to go
through that makes it, as you said, kind of prouval.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Well, that's usually so that was after I met with
you guys.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
So there's an extensive medical presentation, which is critical. And
the one thing that you know I tried to reference
to our football team was I went to attendant a
doctor's dinner for every doctor and nurse and every person
that would come in contact with our football team through
the course of the year. And we're extremely lucky to
(05:31):
be where we're at to get that kind of care.
We can get our MRIs, we can get a lot
of our lab work right here at Patriot Place. And
the one thing that Jim Whale and our trainer told
us told me at that dinner because I was like,
there's a lot. I wasn't expecting there to be this
many people, and he said that there is one. We
have one specialist per every three players, and whether that's
(05:52):
an orthopedic or whether that's a cardiologist, that is somebody
a neurology, just anybody that would have to be in contact.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
With our players.
Speaker 6 (06:03):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
We have a large group and we're.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Thankful they take care of us here uh at Patriot Place,
at Brigerman Women's to be able to get in an
MRI and get back and be efficient so the players
can back and meetings, all these different things, you know,
the concussion, making sure that that presentation is presented.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So there's an extensive medical.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
The equipment, you know, wearing the proper equipment and understanding
what that is about some of these young guys and
their feet. We covered a hotel, we covered security, we
covered media there for you guys. There's an immediate presentation
that there's a film that the league puts out.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
And so Stacey and I talked to them about that.
And you know, so there's a long checklist you have
to have with the medical staff. Jim's experience in your
own experience and relationship with him as long as he's been.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
How valuable is that? Well?
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Uh, you know the trainer I worked with in Tennessee
was was a mentor for Jim as well, so Todd
Torris Selly, Jim had worked with him. So when I
left here, we still all stayed in contact because I
was working with Todd and Tennessee, and Todd talked to
Jim a lot, but there is a lot of comfort there.
There's a lot of experience on Jim's part, and so
(07:23):
we're just trying to give the players the best care
that we can as quickly as we can and to
give each guy what they need. So, uh, that's been
that's been good. And again we we always talk about these.
Some of these injuries are going to be unavoidable. It's
just how we work from them and how we come
back from them is what's most important.
Speaker 6 (07:43):
Like, that's a moment in the video that the team
produced the Fortune of Foxborough Show. I guess you'd call
it where the team is sort.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Of in between what did you call I didn't call
it anything. What is it? That's probably a more app
for it.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
And I'm the media guy, So a nice job by you.
The offense is sort of in between plays and you
say something to Drake like, hey, you've got a minute here,
talk to your guys.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Why is that important to you? How naturally does that
come to Drake to do things like that?
Speaker 6 (08:17):
And you know how much of a focus will that
be for you as head coach to kind of draw
that out of it.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
My job is to figure out what we need and
what each player needs and do everything that I can
to help them physically or mentally or emotionally.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
And I try to recreate these practices the same.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Way the game is. The offense goes over there, we
have a drive, the last one play, three plays, eight plays,
twelve plays, it ends in six points, seven, three points,
whatever it ends in, or a punt, and you go
over there and you have to talk to the coordinator.
You're gonna talk to Josh, but then the quarterback is
gonna have to go up and down and make sure, hey,
we just had this happen on this last play. If
we get it again, this is all this defense for
(08:56):
the first time. There's a lot of things because it's
always going to mean more coming from the guy that's
out there leading them, and that's all. That situation was
no different than defensively. You're going to go over there,
the linebackers and safeties are going to talk say hey,
we're gonna make this check or they're in this formation.
You know, we're going to have to make sure that
we adjust to it quickly. Or if we get this,
(09:17):
same chances are if they had success with it, we're
going to see it again.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Milton Williams told us a story about you pushing him
in a conditioning drill.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
How has he responded to that and what have you
seen from him from a leadership and conditioning.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Stamper way early on that was something that was important
to Milt, was that he wanted to lead and there
had been zero pushback.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Is fun to coach. He's very mature.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And so there's zero reservation about his leadership ability. He's
here a lot, He's here all the time. He shows
up early, gets plenty of work in, takes care of
his body.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
He's a true pro. At the end of the day.
Speaker 6 (09:59):
What would make this a school training camp for your
team the end of the summer?
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Well, if we can remember what the objectives of training
camp were?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Which were do you remember?
Speaker 4 (10:12):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It was yesterday?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Build a team, Remember Mike, earn a role, Remember the
last one prepared to win.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
You guys are on fire today. We're off to a
great start.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
So if we can do those things, there's a reason
I try to do this.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I don't claim to be the smartest person.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
So if I can just try to find some things
that I think are important for the team and the
individual and then kind of coming back to the team.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
So if if it looks like we build.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
A team and there's some cohesion and guys are enjoying
being around each other, are they competing?
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Are they taking care of each other?
Speaker 2 (10:53):
And then are guys starting to figure out, Hey, this
is gonna be my role.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
I'm gonna go try to dominate thatever that may be.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
And then ultimately are we understanding these situations and can
we try to win.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
A football game so that that's what would be successful.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
What do you look for in the leadership, Like what
do you want from your leaders but also your captains?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
And well, I mean I think that every I hope
player and coach can be an extension of the message
that I have created and try to you know, get
that across in their own words and and stay consistent
to it. That's why we don't have a ton of
stuff that we try to talk about. We try to
stay very consistent and allow that to kind of branch
(11:34):
off and don't tell them what to say, but allow
them to have some some parameters and things that we're
working for.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
So we just hope that everybody carries.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
That message over here h as they work to lead
their unit, or or another position.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Thank you
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.