September 10, 2025 • 12 mins
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addresses the media on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
That stuff getting up there is a on Okay, good,
I just want to update you here. I didn't want
to put out a statement. I would rather just speak
on it myself. So, due to some unforeseen you know,
ongoings here with with Terrell Torell is gonna be Terrell
(00:22):
Williams will be a way for the next few days.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
So it's nothing related to the incident from March, but
it was something that just came up and you know,
we'll have to run some more tests and we think
it's best and I think it's best that you know,
he he focused on that and and we prepare for
Miami with what we've been doing, and we'll talk to
(00:48):
you a little bit later in the week on Friday
about how the.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
The calling of the game will go.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Defensively, Zach and I have been, you know, working with
the staff to make sure that where where we need
to be, and that'll be all we'll talk about what's real.
But I just want to let you guys know what
would be going on there here for the next few days,
and then we'll keep you posted as anything comes up, so.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
You know that that's where we're at here to start.
What did you guys play.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Might you see Christian Untiles today?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Well, I don't think we'll see him today.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Continuing to improve, which is positive and working hard, but
I don't think we'll see him today on the practice field.
So again, just working hard and keep improving, staying engaged.
Mm hmm, still preparing as a as a starter and
(01:51):
asking questions and the meetings and and all those things.
So that's that's where we're at today. Sorry, Phil, go ahead,
That's okay. I just wanted with Terrell.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Is this something that just came up today? Was it
after the game? Was late at the timing?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
The timing was sometime between the game and and let's
say today, you know what I mean. But it wasn't today,
it was, you know, earlier in the week. So this
is this is where we're at. And UH want the
best for him, want the best for him and our players,
our players families.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And everybody else. So again.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I can't speculate right now. I just want to make
sure that he's he's focused on getting getting results and
and and figuring out what the next step is here
or medically.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Exact experience over the course of the spring of the
summer maybe helped sett him up for.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Sure, yeah, I mean, you know, I mean, I think
Zach does a fantastic job, always has since he's been
with us before. And you know, work the work through
the game plan, we'll work through practice, We'll work through
the normal operation a third down and short yardage and
red zone, and you know, we'll have to be great.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
We'll have to, uh have.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Great preparation for for for an offense that you know,
motions a lot and relies on you know, their speed
and their timing, their precision. So it's always a big
challenge to play this team. What's your recollection like of
the times that you have to deal with Miami and
(03:30):
South Florida and in the early portionless season, because it
can be glad well, I mean, it's gonna be warm,
it's gonna be wet, it'll be humid. I'm sure it'll rain,
probably lightning, who knows, but it'll rain and then it'll stop.
I mean, I think as a as a rookie, I
think we might have played down there as a young player,
back when the dirt was still there and it would
(03:51):
rain and then it would fill up and it wouldn't
drain very well, and then it would just be grass
and then water and then after it stopped, it would
eventually drain out. But I think that's about what the
forecast is every single time you go down there. Like
obviously you haven't been here the last few years, but
the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Organization has had a tough time with the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Do you feel the weight of.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
That at all this week? Play? No? No, I don't.
Every every week is different. Every week is a huge challenge.
I feel the.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
You know, the opportunity to go on the road and
win a division game. That's what I feel, And that's
where our our thought processes is that we want to
we want to try to get off to a good start,
and if we don't, we can't worry about it, you
know what I mean. These are all things that we
have to be able to overcome. Whether you get off
to a good start, you're still gonna have to finish strong.
And if you don't get off to a great start,
(04:42):
you got to go on to the next play. And
just the understanding that that's how this game goes and
we have to we have to be able to work
past it, and we have to continue to practice that
way that if it's not perfect, that we get what
we can get.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
We're decisive, we're aggressive.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
We get back in the huddle and then we get
another call and we get lined up and we continue
to build it uh together and we try to bring
three phases together and put the return opportunities that we have.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
To help our offense to.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Then you know, our offense is able to score or
clip the field, provide our defense with opportunities, we get
some turnovers, take care of the ball.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
You know that that's the formula to to winning. You
want of them make a big plays every game off.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Obviously this week that retired, Well, we're certainly gonna have
to make them earn it and we're gonna have to
find ways to to.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Get the drive stopped. Right, you either have to do what.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
The colst did, which was which was turn it over,
or you're gonna have to you know, make a play
along the way and and and and make them earn it.
Pick and choose your spots to to try to be
you know aggressive. And it's not just Tyreek. I mean
they got a fantastic you know, orchestrator. I mean it
(06:00):
does a fantastic job of knowing where he wants to
go with the ball, quick delivery. He's extremely accurate and
then the speed with what with Waddle and you know
Tyreek and and and the whole team. And then again
then they have a fullback that has versatility and can
play on the end alte of scrimmage motions.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
You know usually every big play, you know, he's kind
of in the run game. He's somewhere near it like
a player and a coach. Now, what do you enjoy?
Speaker 1 (06:30):
What have you enjoyed about playing on the road.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Well, you have to embrace that. You have to you know,
you have to travel.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
With with with the attitude that we need everybody that
that we're going with our group and you know, the
things that we talked about fundamentally earlier about playing great
defense and being able to control the game right and
create some turnovers. You have to you know, there's certain
(06:57):
things that you have to do on the road that
you know, whether you do them or you eliminate some
of the other bad football, you know, that's what you
have to do to win on the road.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
In the division, we're.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Able to have some success over the middle, it felt
specifically off play action. How do you limit the disadvantage
of linebackers having to cover over the middle against the
speed of like doctors. Yeah, I mean I think that
sometimes we can you know, you know, I mean try
to panic back there a little bit, and you know,
that's what happens sometimes when you're in zone coverage and
then man coverage.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
You just can't let your guy catch the ball.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
So those are the kind of philosophies that we talk about.
And you know, it's a fine line, but continuing to
rep that and turn and you know, panic and look
those guys up underneath and force them to try to go,
you know, somewhere else or go to a check down.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Like when Zach is taking the role that he is now,
does he have the full latitude to be the defensive
play caller?
Speaker 1 (07:56):
You Well, then we'll cover that later on in the week.
I think that, uh, you know, we've worked through that.
You know, I'll kind of continue to talk about that
later in the week, and you know we we are,
you know, I think I'm excited. I know everybody else
is about our preparation and what we've tried to put
in and see today. You know, what what what works
(08:16):
and what looks good most importantly, what the players uh
can can understand and feel comfortable playing fast and aggressive,
Like what.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
May be the best interesting team to do one. Go ahead, well,
what is the decision to release d J James Instagram.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Just uh, you know, probably you know, as opportunity and
you know, somebody else to earn another opportunity.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
What Yeah, no, I was gonna ask a similar question,
But what was the when was that realization?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Because he was someone obviously a week ago.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
You wanted to work with.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, I mean I think that just giving somebody else
another opportunity, uh this week, and you know, we'll kind
of see where that goes. But I appreciated what DJ
was able to do and compete and work hard, extremely hard.
There's just going to be a you know, some of
these things are going to be fluid. We have to
try to continue to turn the roster and see see
(09:15):
who can help us.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
We go to a point, a new game day captain
different from the week one. And what's surry expectation for
those game day captain to be different from those sixth
Railer captains.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yeah, the votes came out how they came out, We
renounced captains. But I've always kind of liked to have
a game captain of somebody that's you know, worked through
something or you know it was going back to his
hometown or played well last year's You know, there's different
reasons for that, and I think I mentioned because Casey
(09:50):
had received votes as a special Teams captain and as
a defensive captain, that I thought it would be a
good idea to start off with him. You know, there's
the role of the captain during the game is you know,
they're going to say heads or tails and figure out
if we defer. I mean, just the leadership. Is that
what we need and continue to grow the leadership and
(10:13):
the accountability. Again, at the end of the day, teams
that that hold each other accountable to to all the
little things that to the details, to doing the right things,
to professionalism are the teams that in the end I
think can sustain this this grind of the season because
(10:33):
there's sit we're in it and so now it's it's
one day at a time, and it's it's going to
have to have great leadership and great focus and an
energy to improve. Like you mentioned earlier in the week,
you know, you always try to get into the right plague.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Sometimes they're gonna get to the minus experiments and get.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
A look and you say, you know, if we can't
run that play, and you said, well, maybe we can't.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Is this kind of a data collection thing, let's run
the play? It might be.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Yeah, I mean we've been through this where you're not
going to block the safety. Sometimes a guy makes a miss,
sometimes he runs him over, like we watch all the games,
like that's kind of sometimes how it happens. And sometimes
a guy makes a tackle.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
And so I've been through that, you know what I mean.
So it's.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You know, you just don't want to put people in
harm's way if they're pressuring and you hand a ball
off into some you know pressure. So again, I think
it's all relative and having some decisive answers to give
yourself the best chance, right, you.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Don't want to hand the.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Ball off into somebody that's unblocked and blitzing. Well, if
somebody's you know, for example, let's say maybe it's six
or seven yards, well, you know, let's let it eat and.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Let somebody make make a miss.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Do you get to a point where on a coaching
staff you said, let's let's try and run some of
these That might not be the greatest book to try
it seal it goes to meat.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
If it doesn't work, then the guy goes, see, that's
why we don't want run that play. Yeah, no, I
don't think we need to do that.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I think we want to be all on the same
page on what the expectations are and being sound and
as long as that the players understand it, then that's
the most important thing. And so you know, we don't
want to do any I told you so is. That's
not how we're looking to do business. We're just trying
to be great here for the players in preparation, have
great energy, structure of practice, continue to improve and get
(12:24):
started off and find a way to go down and
win a football game.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Appreciate it.
That stuff getting up there is a on Okay, good,
I just want to update you here. I didn't want
to put out a statement. I would rather just speak
on it myself. So, due to some unforeseen you know,
ongoings here with with Terrell Torell is gonna be Terrell
(00:22):
Williams will be a way for the next few days.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
So it's nothing related to the incident from March, but
it was something that just came up and you know,
we'll have to run some more tests and we think
it's best and I think it's best that you know,
he he focused on that and and we prepare for
Miami with what we've been doing, and we'll talk to
(00:48):
you a little bit later in the week on Friday
about how the.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
The calling of the game will go.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Defensively, Zach and I have been, you know, working with
the staff to make sure that where where we need
to be, and that'll be all we'll talk about what's real.
But I just want to let you guys know what
would be going on there here for the next few days,
and then we'll keep you posted as anything comes up, so.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
You know that that's where we're at here to start.
What did you guys play.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Might you see Christian Untiles today?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Well, I don't think we'll see him today.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Continuing to improve, which is positive and working hard, but
I don't think we'll see him today on the practice field.
So again, just working hard and keep improving, staying engaged.
Mm hmm, still preparing as a as a starter and
(01:51):
asking questions and the meetings and and all those things.
So that's that's where we're at today. Sorry, Phil, go ahead,
That's okay. I just wanted with Terrell.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Is this something that just came up today? Was it
after the game? Was late at the timing?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
The timing was sometime between the game and and let's
say today, you know what I mean. But it wasn't today,
it was, you know, earlier in the week. So this
is this is where we're at. And UH want the
best for him, want the best for him and our players,
our players families.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And everybody else. So again.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
I can't speculate right now. I just want to make
sure that he's he's focused on getting getting results and
and and figuring out what the next step is here
or medically.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Exact experience over the course of the spring of the
summer maybe helped sett him up for.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Sure, yeah, I mean, you know, I mean, I think
Zach does a fantastic job, always has since he's been
with us before. And you know, work the work through
the game plan, we'll work through practice, We'll work through
the normal operation a third down and short yardage and
red zone, and you know, we'll have to be great.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
We'll have to, uh have.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Great preparation for for for an offense that you know,
motions a lot and relies on you know, their speed
and their timing, their precision. So it's always a big
challenge to play this team. What's your recollection like of
the times that you have to deal with Miami and
(03:30):
South Florida and in the early portionless season, because it
can be glad well, I mean, it's gonna be warm,
it's gonna be wet, it'll be humid. I'm sure it'll rain,
probably lightning, who knows, but it'll rain and then it'll stop.
I mean, I think as a as a rookie, I
think we might have played down there as a young player,
back when the dirt was still there and it would
(03:51):
rain and then it would fill up and it wouldn't
drain very well, and then it would just be grass
and then water and then after it stopped, it would
eventually drain out. But I think that's about what the
forecast is every single time you go down there. Like
obviously you haven't been here the last few years, but
the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Organization has had a tough time with the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Do you feel the weight of.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
That at all this week? Play? No? No, I don't.
Every every week is different. Every week is a huge challenge.
I feel the.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
You know, the opportunity to go on the road and
win a division game. That's what I feel, And that's
where our our thought processes is that we want to
we want to try to get off to a good start,
and if we don't, we can't worry about it, you
know what I mean. These are all things that we
have to be able to overcome. Whether you get off
to a good start, you're still gonna have to finish strong.
And if you don't get off to a great start,
(04:42):
you got to go on to the next play. And
just the understanding that that's how this game goes and
we have to we have to be able to work
past it, and we have to continue to practice that
way that if it's not perfect, that we get what
we can get.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
We're decisive, we're aggressive.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
We get back in the huddle and then we get
another call and we get lined up and we continue
to build it uh together and we try to bring
three phases together and put the return opportunities that we have.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
To help our offense to.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
Then you know, our offense is able to score or
clip the field, provide our defense with opportunities, we get
some turnovers, take care of the ball.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
You know that that's the formula to to winning. You
want of them make a big plays every game off.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Obviously this week that retired, Well, we're certainly gonna have
to make them earn it and we're gonna have to
find ways to to.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Get the drive stopped. Right, you either have to do what.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
The colst did, which was which was turn it over,
or you're gonna have to you know, make a play
along the way and and and and make them earn it.
Pick and choose your spots to to try to be
you know aggressive. And it's not just Tyreek. I mean
they got a fantastic you know, orchestrator. I mean it
(06:00):
does a fantastic job of knowing where he wants to
go with the ball, quick delivery. He's extremely accurate and
then the speed with what with Waddle and you know
Tyreek and and and the whole team. And then again
then they have a fullback that has versatility and can
play on the end alte of scrimmage motions.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
You know usually every big play, you know, he's kind
of in the run game. He's somewhere near it like
a player and a coach. Now, what do you enjoy?
Speaker 1 (06:30):
What have you enjoyed about playing on the road.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Well, you have to embrace that. You have to you know,
you have to travel.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
With with with the attitude that we need everybody that
that we're going with our group and you know, the
things that we talked about fundamentally earlier about playing great
defense and being able to control the game right and
create some turnovers. You have to you know, there's certain
(06:57):
things that you have to do on the road that
you know, whether you do them or you eliminate some
of the other bad football, you know, that's what you
have to do to win on the road.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
In the division, we're.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Able to have some success over the middle, it felt
specifically off play action. How do you limit the disadvantage
of linebackers having to cover over the middle against the
speed of like doctors. Yeah, I mean I think that
sometimes we can you know, you know, I mean try
to panic back there a little bit, and you know,
that's what happens sometimes when you're in zone coverage and
then man coverage.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
You just can't let your guy catch the ball.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
So those are the kind of philosophies that we talk about.
And you know, it's a fine line, but continuing to
rep that and turn and you know, panic and look
those guys up underneath and force them to try to go,
you know, somewhere else or go to a check down.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Like when Zach is taking the role that he is now,
does he have the full latitude to be the defensive
play caller?
Speaker 1 (07:56):
You Well, then we'll cover that later on in the week.
I think that, uh, you know, we've worked through that.
You know, I'll kind of continue to talk about that
later in the week, and you know we we are,
you know, I think I'm excited. I know everybody else
is about our preparation and what we've tried to put
in and see today. You know, what what what works
(08:16):
and what looks good most importantly, what the players uh
can can understand and feel comfortable playing fast and aggressive,
Like what.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
May be the best interesting team to do one. Go ahead, well,
what is the decision to release d J James Instagram.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Just uh, you know, probably you know, as opportunity and
you know, somebody else to earn another opportunity.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
What Yeah, no, I was gonna ask a similar question,
But what was the when was that realization?
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Because he was someone obviously a week ago.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
You wanted to work with.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Yeah, I mean I think that just giving somebody else
another opportunity, uh this week, and you know, we'll kind
of see where that goes. But I appreciated what DJ
was able to do and compete and work hard, extremely hard.
There's just going to be a you know, some of
these things are going to be fluid. We have to
try to continue to turn the roster and see see
(09:15):
who can help us.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
We go to a point, a new game day captain
different from the week one. And what's surry expectation for
those game day captain to be different from those sixth
Railer captains.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Yeah, the votes came out how they came out, We
renounced captains. But I've always kind of liked to have
a game captain of somebody that's you know, worked through
something or you know it was going back to his
hometown or played well last year's You know, there's different
reasons for that, and I think I mentioned because Casey
(09:50):
had received votes as a special Teams captain and as
a defensive captain, that I thought it would be a
good idea to start off with him. You know, there's
the role of the captain during the game is you know,
they're going to say heads or tails and figure out
if we defer. I mean, just the leadership. Is that
what we need and continue to grow the leadership and
(10:13):
the accountability. Again, at the end of the day, teams
that that hold each other accountable to to all the
little things that to the details, to doing the right things,
to professionalism are the teams that in the end I
think can sustain this this grind of the season because
(10:33):
there's sit we're in it and so now it's it's
one day at a time, and it's it's going to
have to have great leadership and great focus and an
energy to improve. Like you mentioned earlier in the week,
you know, you always try to get into the right plague.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Sometimes they're gonna get to the minus experiments and get.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
A look and you say, you know, if we can't
run that play, and you said, well, maybe we can't.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Is this kind of a data collection thing, let's run
the play? It might be.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Yeah, I mean we've been through this where you're not
going to block the safety. Sometimes a guy makes a miss,
sometimes he runs him over, like we watch all the games,
like that's kind of sometimes how it happens. And sometimes
a guy makes a tackle.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
And so I've been through that, you know what I mean.
So it's.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
You know, you just don't want to put people in
harm's way if they're pressuring and you hand a ball
off into some you know pressure. So again, I think
it's all relative and having some decisive answers to give
yourself the best chance, right, you.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Don't want to hand the.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Ball off into somebody that's unblocked and blitzing. Well, if
somebody's you know, for example, let's say maybe it's six
or seven yards, well, you know, let's let it eat and.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Let somebody make make a miss.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Do you get to a point where on a coaching
staff you said, let's let's try and run some of
these That might not be the greatest book to try
it seal it goes to meat.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
If it doesn't work, then the guy goes, see, that's
why we don't want run that play. Yeah, no, I
don't think we need to do that.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I think we want to be all on the same
page on what the expectations are and being sound and
as long as that the players understand it, then that's
the most important thing. And so you know, we don't
want to do any I told you so is. That's
not how we're looking to do business. We're just trying
to be great here for the players in preparation, have
great energy, structure of practice, continue to improve and get
(12:24):
started off and find a way to go down and
win a football game.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Appreciate it.
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