TRANSCRIPT: Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel Post Game Press Conference - @ Giants - 21st August 2025

On playing a game without numerous starters:

"Uh, just on a short week and we had a couple good days um that you guys, you know, were able to watch and so that's kind of where I where I was and decided to do that and give us a chance to evaluate some other players."

His thoughts on the big picture of the team:

"Well, again, we’re going to continually try to strengthen the roster every way we can. There’s a couple of options, right?  You can try to trade for players. You could try to claim some players next week. So, again, we’re always going to be trying to strengthen the roster, and that’s what we’ll try to do here over the course of the next 10 days."

His view on preseason, the joint practices, camp as a whole, and where the team is at:

“Well, I think it’s a good example. Where we’re at, again, is still building and developing. But you can see when we were able to do these things in other games that happened to us tonight, we were able win. It’s a clear and easy example to show the team that when we give up X plays or we have penalties on defense, that’s going to lead to scores and touchdowns. When we can’t get into drives, we’re going to struggle. And then obviously the turnovers. When we turn the football over, we give up big plays on defense. So it’ll be easy to teach from just to show where we were in other games and then where we were tonight.”

On which facet of the team he is happiest with:

“I think that’s probably a tough question right now. Disappointed with just how we played or executed. But I mean, I think that the guys, I think that there’s glimpses of football in which we’d like to play it and continuing to improve each day. We’re so far from being where we need to be and just trying to get that message across, stringing one good day together, putting another day together. We’ve got four big days this week that we’ll really have to work.”

On how Borregales is kicking the ball:

“Well, I mean, I think he’s hitting the ball okay. I think that we needed to try to - We expect to make those kicks. We’ll just have to kind of see where this thing plays out. Again, we got two kickers that we have a lot of faith in. I think he, again, swung it pretty well. I just don’t think that it went in. It wasn’t obviously straight enough. Last week’s was just disappointed in the operation in the manner in which he got out there in a timely fashion and kind of rushed it. That, I thought, improved, but we didn’t make the one we needed to make, the long one tonight.”

On Peppers playing tonight and if that was because he didn't play in preseason before tonight:

“Well, no.  Just, again, we got to have 11 out there, but wanted to see him play with Craig [Woodson] alongside. He’s played a couple… Pep’s played a couple of different spots and wanted to just see him play safety alongside Craig. I know he’s played some in nickel. He’s played some in the box on third down. He’s played some different places. Really where we, tonight, wanted to see him was alongside Craig, playing safety exclusively.”

On why Keion White was out there when other players who are first team or starters weren't out there:

“Because I decided and talked to Keion, and wanted to see him work on some things and continue to develop and try to continue to improve. He was excited about playing. He wanted to play more. That’s kind of our whole job is to be ready to play and prepared until told otherwise. Just try to work on some things that we had been talking about and do it in game action.

His thoughts on Kyle Dugger's night:

“I think that he’s continued to take advantage of the opportunities and the reps, and I think he’s feeling more comfortable. We talked about a long rehab process in the offseason that he committed to, but it wasn’t a quick rehab process. I mean, he had surgery. I think that he’s gotten better. I think he’s improved. I think he’s feeling better. It looks like he’s feeling better on tape. That’s good to see. Those are all positive things. Making a play, two interceptions. I thought he flashed. I thought he triggered. I thought he tackled. I thought his length showed up, all these things. And we didn’t blitz anybody tonight. We didn’t do any of that, but just playing in our base scheme. Those things, I thought, showed up tonight.”

What to expect over the next few days as the roster deadline looms:

“We put a lot into this, and into the players and getting to know them, and the roster is going to change. That’s part of the business that we’re in. We always want to make those transactions as respectful as possible, but that’s part of the game, and that’s kind of the life we’ve chosen. There’ll be some conversations that we’ll have with players over the next few days, and we will keep those, obviously, very respectful. Hopefully, some of those guys can either end up back on our team or on somebody else’s.”

On Ja’Lynn Polk's season-ending shoulder surgery and if he can add anything to that:

“No. Other than I’d like to find out where some of these come from, some of these rats around here, so we’ll figure that out.”

 

How he feels about LG and if there has been a decision made on the starter:

 

“Full disclosure, I had that conversation with Zolak just earlier today, so I don’t think any time from the time that I talked about it today with him till now has gotten any clearer.  But if it does, I’ll let you know.”

 

Reporter apologizes. "Sorry."

 

“No, I know. That’s okay. That’s why I was telling you. I only made that comment to him eight hours ago.”

 

[Zolak: That was a pregame interview.]

 

“Okay, pregame interview. Sorry.”

 

On what he likes about the football team and what encouragement he has seen from the players:

 

“I think that we started to have an identity. I think that, again, you have to put it on tape each and every day. I thought that we were heading in the right direction. It doesn’t matter who you play in this league, it’s got to come from your team. Your team has to look a certain way, whether it’s the first string guys or the guys that are trying to build some depth and be multiple position backups or whatever that … special teams players, role players, that has to carry through. I liked where we were starting to go defensively and showing some glimpses of the team defense. I liked our ability to take it. I thought our special teams units had done some nice things. We didn’t have as many opportunities tonight. There’ll be some young players that I’m excited about that maybe we haven’t heard a whole lot from that are continuing to improve.”

 

Asked again about the LG position and if there is a reason for Caeden Wallace cross training less than other players:

 

“Well, we’d always hoped that he would be in that competition. Got injured, missed a few days, and came back. So gave him a large opportunity there at left guard today. That’s kind of where he was starting to make strides, I think, in the offseason. And we’ll just continue to coach him. And he’s gotten reps at other places in practice, and maybe that hasn’t shown up as much in the games.”

 

Watch the full press conference on YouTube here:

 

 

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