Like Eliot Wolf on Tuesday, Mike Vrabel spent Wednesday at the combine going through the media carwash, with various appearances, including two with the assembled media at the podium, and with New England reporters.
Considering we heard from Vrabel about two weeks ago after the Super Bowl, and since he took at least some personal time after a very long season, the Patriots' head coach was pretty light on the details when it came to his football team heading into free agency and the draft process. If you were hoping to get a vision for where the Patriots are going this offseason, that didn't happen.
"I don't want to tell you what it is because we're still working through it," Vrabel said. "We want to have a plan, and we want to bring in really talented players that we have a vision for, that we also believe in the type of character that they have as we build this team and improve on what we did this year. We know how difficult that will be. So right now, the plan is to evaluate everybody that we can, have communication and conversations, when those times come, with the agents as we approach the tampering window. Right now, it's about gaining information from our scouting department and having our coaches look at it and then figuring out a few players at each position that may help us."
Some of the key takeaways from Vrabel:
• No clarity on Diggs' future with the team.
"He worked extremely hard in the time that he was rehabbing from the knee. I think he was just a really good presence each and every week. So, as we look to evaluate the football team, we're doing that constantly, Eliot [Wolf], myself, Ryan [Cowden], Stretch [John Streicher] and Eliot's staff. Just being a little bit behind of where we were with just how long the season went, where those conversations for each and every player are happening in the meetings in between the ones we have the draft players here. So, there's a lot of things that we'll do between now and the time that the football season starts. So, that's going to be the same with, I would say, most every player on our roster."
• Vrabel has done his most draft work on tight end and edge.
While that's two of the deeper position groups, I think that's a good indicator for where they might be beefing up in the draft.
What he's looking for from the edge:
"I think that there's got to be a violence. There's got to be ability to move off the football and to create some sort of disruption. You have to be able to factor in on the quarterback. You have to be able to make plays on the football. We know the quarterback is responsible for the most turnovers in football. So, can they affect the quarterback? And then the ability to set the edge, rush and have enough coverage acumen that the few times we ask them to do it, they can do it."
Tight ends:
"I just know that when you go and you evaluate other teams and you get ready to play for them, there's a bunch of fourth and fifth round tight ends that end up starting, playing and contributing. So, wherever that value is, I just think that there are some names there. I, myself, personally, have to do a better job of evaluating that position that I can then give input to the rest of the personnel staff and kind of the vision that we have for that position. We've met with a bunch of edge players. There's depth there. So, we'll continue to work our way across the board and enjoy these meetings, and I'll have to go back and continue to watch."
• Vrabel talked about his relationship to AJ Brown, but I wouldn't read much into it.
"I think the relationship with players, and specifically, you asked about A.J. It has meant a lot. I've watched him grow. I've watched him mature. I'm proud of him, proud of the father that he is. I'm proud of the husband. That has nothing to do with where he plays or where he played. Those are the things that are important. We reach out and text each other during the good things that happen to each other. Sometimes things don't go so well for the people that you're close with, and you text for those as well. It's a two-way street of support and reminders of what got us to where we are here today."
We already knew he has an ongoing close relationship with Brown. I don't think this means anything. Plus, if Vrabel was determined to land Brown via trade — and he might, depending on the deal – you would think he would tread carefully when it comes to the world of tampering.
"I think that we'll look at everything that we can possibly look at to add to our roster," he said. "And again, there's a lot of things that go into trades. There's a lot of, you know, back and forth and, you know, taking on, you know, compensation. I'm sure there'll be a lot of opportunities for us to talk about trades, not only this week, but as we, you know, prepare and get closer to the draft, those are things when time ramps up."
• Vrabel doesn't care about your cap space, or the rookie QB contract.
"I've never really tried to get focused [on that]. If I shop at Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom or something, I've gotten to the point now in my life where if I want something, I can usually buy it. I'm sure Richard Miller, Eliot and Matt Groh will work and do everything that they can to help us sign the players, with certain exceptions. I haven't even gotten that far. If you like something, you usually just try to buy it."
On the rookie QB contract: "I think there's always time to be aggressive, but not reckless. We certainly understand what premium quarterbacks cost in this league, where they get to and what they should be compensated. So, we'll do our best to build and continue to build a roster worthy of competing for a championship."
Vrabel was also asked about spending, with some big extensions coming due:
"I don't think I can answer that question right now. I would imagine that we will try to do everything that we can to add to our roster, knowing that we have responsibilities to contracts in the future, but also given the opportunity to add good players, I hope that we would be able to do that. That's nothing that I've been informed of. If that's what you're looking at, that's nothing that I've been informed of at this point. So draft good players, develop them and re-sign them, and then be able to add the right people at the right time through free agency."
• Vrabel challenged his staff to look at how they can do their core concepts better and a bit differently.
"I think expectations should always be high. They were high when we started this thing just a little over a year ago. Look at the schedule, see where we go, see when we go to Seattle, see when we go to L.A. Everything's a different challenge, but that's a little far out. I think right now it's about, from a coaching standpoint, what we did well, how we can enhance it, the new ideas. We have to have fresh ideas to what we're doing in all three phases. That's been my direction to the staff is to go through and focus on what we can do to enhance the core concepts, but also, I need to see some new ideas that maybe force us to push ourselves in a different direction. Not a wholesale change, but things that we feel like can help us, but that are also new."
Later he added ...
"How do we make a core concept better? Formations, motions, whatever it may be, but it's still the same concept. Now, what is it within that that we want to try to do that's maybe a little different? And again, we can't have 20 of them per personnel group, but maybe everybody has one idea, and we pick a couple that kind of work in the pass game, in the run game, screen game, you know, how do we move the pocket with the quarterback? All these different things that build up your first and second down offense?"
• Vrabel prefers to find No. 1 receivers in the draft, and is excited to see what Kyle Williams can do in Year 2.
"They're not going to be there at free agency, but you have to try to draft them," Vrabel said. "I think that's where a lot of them are, and you develop them. Some of them develop and guys that transition in that position from year one to year two can be pretty special. It's a lot for these guys. And again, they go from the combine and the combine training to maybe not running as many routes or understanding defense. And, you know, once they get out there in training camp, they realize, like, you know, this isn't combine training, and coverages change. And you know, things that look like man coverage now become zone coverage, and things that are zone coverage now become match coverage. There's just a lot of volume for that particular position, and so excited to see where guys like Kyle Williams go from year one to year two, and just his development and his, you know, growth, you know, mentally and physically
"I just know that I'm excited about seeing where he goes from year one to year two. Some fantastic plays. The ability to adjust down the field on the deep ball. He's got really good release skills. You saw what the crossing route was against Tampa Bay, and his ability to create an X play that was a maybe 10 or 12 yard pass. ... We're just excited that he's with us, and what he showed us, and his attitude was fantastic, you know, and we'll have to help him reach his potential."
• No timeline on Christian Gonzalez extension. Vrabel worked with Gonzalez a lot this season, and the corner said he would like to be a captain at some point.
"Well, it's a priority to extend and keep all our best players," Vrabel said. "That's the obligation that we have to the team. That's what our coaches want, that's what our personnel people want. That's what Robert and Jonathan want. That's what our fans want. So we have to draft them and, you know, figure out a way to develop the guys that we draft and then ultimately re-sign them. So what the timing of that looks like? I don't know. I know that'll be all part of the equation moving forward. And really enjoyed, you know, just our relationship, and how he and I had to put some time into it. And again, there's a lot of trust that goes along with certain guys. And watched him continue to get better and improve as the season wore on. Asked him if he wanted to be a captain, and is that something that he strives to be? Want to help him try to get there, to use his ability and his instincts and his knowledge to help the team, help the guys next to him."
• Vrabel, a few times, referenced wanting competition at every position, especially the offensive line.
That's interesting because Will Campbell didn't have any last season.
"We need competition. I know that competition makes everybody better, and that's something we will want to do is to try to provide competition at all those spots. ... That's a position (offensive line) that I would say not only us, but that the league needs to figure out how to develop. And you look at some of these numbers, quarterbacks, whether they're mobile quarterbacks or not, quarterbacks are scrambling more this year than they ever have in the past, so I don't think they want to scramble on purpose. So we have to find guys that we can develop and what those rules are, and how do we develop young offensive linemen to be able to play and protect our most valuable asset."
Jared Wilson will continue to work at guard and center.
"We asked him to prepare as a starter each week as center, even though he didn't have to. So I'm sure that he'll do the same thing when we start April 20th."
• Vrabel wants Drake Maye to continuing developing as a leader, especially in practice.
"Just continue that development and taking an active role. Instead of me or Josh making corrections, I think that's something that Drake wants to be able to do, is correct himself, but also the players that are out there with him. And that goes throughout the team, it's just trying to hold each other accountable. And that's always when you kind of know what you have as a good football team, or one that has potential, is that they're close enough and they're knowledgeable enough that they could hold each other accountable."
