PATRIOTS HEAD COACH MIKE VRABEL
PRESS CONFERENCE
October 17, 2025
Q: Do you have any updates for us on player availability?
MV: I sure do, thanks for asking. [Charles] Woods will be questionable, [Jaylinn] Hawkins will be questionable, [Harold] Landry [III] will be questionable and [Stefon] Diggs will be questionable.
Q: Kyle Dugger played a good majority of the game last week, and I was just wondering what you saw from him coming in and having his role expanded.
MV: Yeah, ready to go. Taking advantage of his opportunity. Continue to work hard and improve on some things. Hopefully, we can use his length and he can find a way to tip a pass, break it up, continue to work, tackle, blitz and all the things that we ask him to do. So, he was ready for his opportunity. I know that all those guys will be ready to go Sunday.
Q: You guys were quick to sign Thomas Odukoya. What did you like about him?
MV: Well, obviously, there's a small list of the international players that you can work with during the season to be able to practice, understand, and again, the development of that. Thomas has been with us when we were in Tennessee. He's continued to improve, great teammate, practices extremely hard. He's improved – was a very good blocker – but has improved just his overall body control and ability to run routes for a wide tight end. It's not like some receiving tight end, but he knows what his role is. He contributes on special teams, and he's gotten better. We just weren't able to get him before. He would go back there, and that was his prerogative. Hopefully he can continue to improve, be a valuable member here with the international program and be ready, like everybody else on this practice squad, to prepare as a starter.
Q: So, he could be elevated from the international program?
MV: Well, I think you have to sign him. I think that there are some things that relate to that. We would have to manage the roster, sign him and do some different things. He doesn't have the same elevation rules that the other players have, I think, but we would obviously cross that bridge and talk about those things.
Q: Mike, I apologize if you've been asked this earlier in the week. The process of preparing for a rookie quarterback like Cam Ward, even though he hasn't shown his potential, we know what he can do from his college days. How do you do it with limited film?
MV: Well, he's shown his potential. Like a lot of young players, maybe he's not as consistent or there's been some contested catches that maybe haven't gone their way. But I mean, he's clearly shown his potential, his arm talent, the ability to avoid and continue to get outside the pocket when he has to. There's a fearlessness, and you need that when you're talking about playing quarterback in this league. So again, he doesn't look very rattled, but there's plenty of quality throws in there. Whether they were caught, contested or dropped, you could still watch the tape and see that they were throws that were accurate. It just didn't end up being catches.
Q: Zak Kuhr mentioned that the defense has done pretty well on third-and-3-plus, but struggled a bit on first and second down. I'm curious what you see as the disparity between the early down execution and the late down execution.
MV: I think we just have to be able to limit and contest early – we have to affect the quarterback on early downs and continue to stop the run. I think that if we can get them into third-and-longer yardages, I think that for a lot of teams, those third and those short yardage situations are tough. But we just have to find ways to continue to affect the quarterback on early downs, mixed coverages. I agree with you, that's not something that we're overlooking. I think the balance of limiting X plays and some of those probably may contribute to some of those numbers, but we know that in this league that you have to be able to affect the quarterback, turn the football over and be able to stop the run.
Q: I imagine if Stef [Stefon Diggs] isn't ready to go or is limited, you still have a very high level of confidence in the rest of the guys.
MV: Yeah, I mean, again, I think they've all shown that when given opportunities, that they've all made plays and all contribute. So yeah, again, everybody here, we have a high level of confidence in to be able to do their job. That room is understanding that the ball is going to go to the person that's open first in the progression. It gets mixed around, and the quarterback ultimately has the deciding factor. He's the one that has the football, but it's good to see that guys are taking advantage of their opportunities when they come, not getting frustrated when it doesn't. It's a long season, and I know that the touches, the touchdowns and the explosive plays, I think, will balance itself out.
Q: Mike, in the short time we've gotten to know Harold Landry [III], he comes off as a very tough guy mentally and physically, even within the NFL spectrum. What have you come to appreciate about him in that regard?
MV: I mean, I've been with Harold for a long time. I've watched him grow, I've watched him get married, I've watched him have kids, I've watched his kids grow up, I've watched them play baseball and then they've got football now. He's got a great family, there's a good balance to what he does, and his family is important to him, which I appreciate. When he's here, he works, he comes in early, he's diligent and he works. When he goes home, he appreciates his family. He's a professional; you don't have to track him down. You don't have to worry that he's going to be in the weight room or in treatment. He's versatile, he's done a lot for us in Tennessee and now doing that here. So again, he's been a good addition to this football team.
Q: Mike, there's a guy that you coached in Tennessee who's in his 16th season and has played, I think, 239 games. You've got a long snapper, who's often taken for granted on the outside, who's in his sixth game. How do you last as long as Morgan Cox has?
MV: You snap him straight, that's what you do. You can't miss there. Morgan is just – he can relate and he can have a conversation with everybody in that locker room or everybody in the coaching staff. The people, the support staff are important to Morgan. He makes sure that they're recognized and taken care of. Whether you're a D-lineman or you're an offensive lineman, a young player, you can talk to a guy like Morgan Cox. So again, he's done his job really well, very consistent. Another guy that values his family and values the football team. He's knowledgeable, and he could be an excellent special teams coach. He's very, very knowledgeable on scheme, return scheme, punt-rush scheme. I mean, he's really like another coach. He is as a coach.
Q: You've said a couple of times you really like Khyiris Tonga as a person. What specifically do you appreciate about his football journey or in working with him so far?
MV: He shows up, he works, doesn't say a whole lot. Plays hard, practices, has improved his technique. Some conditioning, worked very hard in the offseason. I would say another one of those really good additions to the football team. He's always got a smile on his face. It was fun going back and watching his BYU highlight film. He's a little bigger and his hair was dyed blonde, so we had some good laughs on that last week.
Q: Jeffery Simmons, how are you helping the offensive line prepare for him?
MV: Play style, I mean, Jeffery's an excellent player and great play demeanor. Plays physical, has multiple moves and techniques. So, I can't do anything physically to recreate what he would do. Try to just show them as much tape and try to explain to them how he's going to play, the style and do everything that we can to hopefully not allow him to affect the play.
Q: Mike, I don't know if you had any expectations about this coming into the year, but the camaraderie of this team, is that exceeded or –
MV: I don't know, I don't have anything to judge it by. I don't. I just know that I want them to enjoy coming to work. I want them to enjoy where they do it at, who they do it with. We're lucky and fortunate to be in this position. I think there's a fine line between having fun and working, being focused and being ready to lock in. I have to be able to manage that and make sure that that doesn't cross over. I hope that they enjoy each other. We're together a lot. We're together, they're together a lot. They're the ones that are on the field that do it together in a unit. Again, we always say that the closer that you become with somebody, the easier it is for you to hold them accountable.
