Mike Vrabel CANNOT Instill a New Culture Overnight

Beasley Digital

On Friday's edition of Felger and Mazz, the guys reacted to the Patriots first padded practice of training camp. While reacting to the reports, Michael Holley explains how Vrabel is facing a uphill battle in terms of implementing a new culture in just one offseason.

Transcript

00:00What would you be asking about? What would you want us to look for?

00:04And you heard Vrabel say there, he's a trenches guy.

00:08He'd focus on the trenches. So Patriots in pads today.

00:11First time, Vrabel's first time with the team in pads.

00:15What would you have looked for? What would be the first thing?

00:17Well, I think, first of all, it's a great answer from Vrabel,

00:20because he is almost the opposite of Bill,

00:26where Bill will sometimes make you guess Belichick,

00:31would make you guess what his philosophy was.

00:35But you have to listen.

00:37If you have to listen very closely,

00:38you can figure out what the philosophy of Bill Belichick was over the years.

00:42Mike Vrabel is not really making you guess.

00:44He's saying the same things over and over.

00:46His first press conference, he says,

00:48we want to take advantage of bad football.

00:51The game is won up front.

00:54Look at the Super Bowl.

00:55Look how Philadelphia was able to take advantage of Kansas City.

00:58And then today, he's talking about not falling down, being coordinated,

01:02being powerful enough to establish yourself at the line of scrimmage.

01:05This is what he wants.

01:07And it's noble.

01:10It's admirable.

01:11I think you will see elements of it this year.

01:14I just think it's hard to establish that in year one

01:17with the team as bad as the Patriots were.

01:20They don't – I think he got some of his players in.

01:27But they don't – you can't transform that.

01:30You can't get that type of mentality and that type of performance in one offseason.

01:35Don't you think they can do it on the defensive line?

01:37No.

01:38No.

01:39I mean, they got a lot of veteran guys there, Michael.

01:41Yeah, they got a lot of veteran guys.

01:42When I say veteran guys, I'm counting guys who have been in the league for three years.

01:45Milton Williams.

01:46Yeah.

01:47You know, Harold Landry.

01:48Okay.

01:49Nice.

01:49Barmore.

01:50Yeah.

01:51Keon White.

01:52Okay.

01:53Milton Williams, we don't know.

01:56He was part of a great rotation in Philadelphia.

01:58Their defensive line is amazing.

02:00If they paid him, like, he's going to have to be an MVP player.

02:02Yeah, right.

02:02And he's going to have to do that.

02:03He's going to have to play a lot more than he has in his career.

02:07Keon White talks a good game.

02:08You've got to back it up now, big fella.

02:10Time to back it up.

02:11So, I don't know what you're going to get from Keon White.

02:13Barmore.

02:14Once again, you don't know what you're going to get.

02:15Essentially missing all of last year.

02:18They were the worst team with sacks last year.

02:22Worst team in football.

02:23Just did not get to the passer.

02:26Harold Landry is good.

02:27He's a good Vrabel player.

02:29Solid.

02:29Above average.

02:31But that's a lot to overcome.

02:34So, I think what I'm looking for, and this is where it starts.

02:39Anything that happened, I don't want to hear about anything that happened last week.

02:42Does not matter to me, because it's not real football until you put the pads on.

02:47Put the pads on, and the number one thing, Murray, I'm looking for is the left tackle.

02:54It's back to that.

02:55I'm not going to sit up here talking about short arms.

02:57Not short arm talk today.

02:59But anybody can play left tackle without pads on.

03:03Now, let's put it on the pads, and let's see who Will Campbell is.

03:06Let's see if Will Campbell is a tackle or a guard, because everything else becomes irrelevant.

03:12The development of Drake May, Josh McDaniels, how good Steph Diggs looks, and look at Demario

03:18Douglas.

03:18All that's irrelevant if that guy can't play left tackle.

03:21Campbell reportedly had a good day as a run blocker.

03:23Just reading from all the reports down there, and he was part of the good from Mike Giardi

03:27of Boston Sports Journal.

03:29Said Will Campbell had good moments as a run blocker, and he was kind of blowing some people

03:32up.

03:32Now, that said, Milton Williams, hopefully I'm saying the name correctly, Kyrus Tonga,

03:38Keon White in particular, were a handful defensively.

03:41And then the corners held up after Gonzalez.

03:44That's the big story of the day.

03:45Christian Gonzalez left with that injury.

03:47And so no further update on that injury status, though.

03:50Michael, Murray, are there any details on the Gonzalez injury?

03:56It sounded like it was a hamstring.

03:57It looked at, yeah, nothing beyond that.

03:58Just left leg, limped, went with the trainers, never returned.

04:02But just, you know, look, we're no doctors, but just you've watched enough football.

04:05You've seen these training camp practices.

04:07It did look like it was probably a hamstring.

04:09That would suck.

04:10That would suck to be without him for a long time.

04:14You know, you look at the strength of this.

04:16You talked to me about the front seven.

04:18I have questions.

04:19I don't really have a lot of questions about the secondary.

04:21If you get Carlton Davis out there, Davis and Gonzalez, you're not just above average.

04:29I'd say that's a top ten corner duel in the league.

04:34So how do you feel about their safeties?

04:37Good.

04:37I think their safeties are good.

04:39Like last year.

04:40I don't.

04:40You don't think their safeties are good?

04:41I don't.

04:42I think they have two strong safeties.

04:44I don't think they have a true free safety.

04:47Someone who can, you know, I'll just use the general term.

04:50Kyle Hamilton.

04:51Yeah.

04:51So run sideline to sideline.

04:53Yeah.

04:53You know, cover the secondary.

04:54I don't think they have that kind of guy.

04:56I don't think either one of those guys is a pass player.

04:59Well, I thought Doug Duggar disappointed me last year.

05:03And so I'm going to give him a pass because I thought he was trending in that direction.

05:07He's he's definitely got the tools for it.

05:10Last year was a down year for Kyle Duggar.

05:12And then Peppers, we know.

05:14I mean, that year was all over on the field, off the field.

05:17Just craziness for Jabril Peppers.

05:20Do you think that you don't you think Marcus Jones, but he's more of a corner, you know,

05:25you don't think you can kind of invent that guy?

05:27No.

05:28Kind of like hybrid guy.

05:29I mean, maybe they can, but I don't see it yet.

05:31So, no.

05:32So, look, if you're saying to me, someone's going to come out of the woodwork and they're

05:35going to move Marcus Jones to safety and he's going to be the guy.

05:38So small, though.

05:39Okay.

05:39Yeah.

05:39I don't think he's big enough.

05:41Yeah.

05:41He's just so small.

05:41Yeah.

05:42I don't think he's big enough.

05:43And so now look, what's his name in Seattle?

05:45Earl Thomas was an overly big guy.

05:47Yeah, but just would.

05:48Yeah.

05:48But he would hammer people.

05:49But Jones likes to hit.

05:51And he could cover.

05:52He could really, really cover.

05:53Yeah.

05:53He could, you know, so there's a combination of speed and strength there that you have

05:57to have to play that position.

05:58And also smarts.

06:00Right?

06:00Like, free safety is a big spot.

06:03And when the Patriots have been, you know, McCourty wasn't, like, to me, McCourty wasn't

06:08a Hall of Fame caliber talent, but he was solid.

06:11You know, McCourty was a solid BB plus safety in what he may have lacked in some of the raw

06:17ability he had.

06:18I would say McCourty was an A minus safety.

06:20Okay.

06:21Fine.

06:21I would say, you look at McCourty, but just exactly what you're talking about.

06:24They didn't draft him to be a safety.

06:27You know, that first year, he was great as a corner.

06:29Then he lost it.

06:30He just couldn't cover.

06:31All of a sudden, he just lost the ability to play corner.

06:33They move him to safety, and he's all over the place.

06:36Has great speed.

06:37He ended his career with great speed.

06:39Yep.

06:40And if you look at, in your mind's eye, think of a Devin McCourty interception.

06:46It's like you're in a ghost town.

06:48Nobody within 20 yards.

06:50Correct.

06:50And the ball is just coming to you.

06:52But he could cover.

06:54He could cover the deep middle of the field.

06:57And so, you can find those guys, even if you don't draft them as free.

07:03Yeah, it can be done.

07:04And look, I think McCourty, more often than not, had himself in the right position.

07:08So, he was smart.

07:10Really smart.

07:11They used to have a lot of those guys, too.

07:12Like, McCourty was one of them.

07:14Duran Harmon, to a degree, was one of those guys.

07:18They never really struggled with the deep middle guy.

07:20I think part of it was scheme.

07:22But we haven't seen a guy like that in a long time.

07:26They haven't had one in a while.

07:28Really, since McCourty left.

07:29Yeah, they haven't had one.

07:30And just quickly, as you mention it, is there, like, if I say to you, what was the most memorable

07:36play of Devin McCourty's career?

07:38Do you have one?

07:40Of his career?

07:42I wouldn't say of his career.

07:43The one play that stands out to me, was this the, when he was traveling, what, 21 miles an hour?

07:48So, remember this return?

07:51In Seattle?

07:52That one?

07:52Was it a pick six in Seattle?

07:53Yeah, pick six.

07:54He was fast.

07:55Yeah.

07:56So, but as far as a career-defining, no.

08:01Do you remember any of his interceptions?

08:03Yeah, but you know what?

08:04That's what I'm saying, this interception.

08:06When I think of his interceptions, it's always, oh, boy.

08:09Wow, what a terrible throw from the quarterback.

08:12Devin McCourty's going to come up with that.

08:13I remember one.

08:15Which one?

08:15Murray, do you remember it?

08:17No.

08:18Baltimore.

08:18There was one against Baltimore.

08:19I think it was in the game where they threw the two-trick plays.

08:23Okay.

08:24So, I think he picked off Flacco on the sideline, created, unless it was a different Baltimore

08:30game, but I'm pretty sure it was that one where he picked off Flacco on the sideline and

08:34kept his feet in bounds.

08:36That's the only one I remember.

08:37Yeah.

08:38You know what?

08:38That is, in that game, you know what I remember about that game?

08:41It's weird.

08:43Like, the things that stand out over the years.

08:46That game.

08:46So, you remember the, we all remember the trick plays.

08:49You remember that interception.

08:50I remember that that was a sneaky game mismanagement situation from Bill Belichick.

08:56Do you remember this?

08:57Do you remember the game?

08:58If you go back and watch it, I think it was Nance on the broadcast.

09:01So, Nance is pretty much saying, hey, and the Patriots will advance.

09:07And I'm thinking, wait a minute.

09:08Hey, Jim.

09:09I think you and Bill Belichick have kind of missed the game situation.

09:14The clock.

09:15The Ravens can still get the ball.

09:18And the Ravens wound up throwing the ball deep.

09:21It was a scary game.

09:22I think the Patriots really, I think Belichick screwed up the clock there.

09:28And the Ravens had a chance at the end to steal it.

09:33They didn't, clearly.

09:34But it was a pretty big blunder from Belichick that everybody kind of glossed over because

09:40the Patriots won the game.

09:41So, was it like a Hail Mary type of game?

09:43Yeah.

09:43Okay.

09:44I'll look it up.

09:44And it was great, Holly.

09:45So, Revis was back there.

09:46Because in the first half, I think it was Steve Smith on the Ravens at the time.

09:51That sounds right, yeah.

09:52So, Steve Smith was really, had his way with Revis in the first couple of series of the

09:58game.

09:58And then Revis responded and pretty much shut him down in the second half.

10:03But I think it was, they were going for Steve Smith late in the game.

10:08And I'm thinking, wait a minute.

10:09If this is a pass interference or if this is a reception, the Ravens might come away and

10:14steal this game.

10:15Steve Smith finished the day with three catches on four targets.

10:18All three catches on three targets were in the first half.

10:22First half.

10:2344 yards and a touchdown.

10:25Yeah.

10:25So, first half.

10:26Very good.

10:26First half, he kind of had his way with Revis.

10:29And Revis was like, all right, we'll take care of this.

10:32Okay, good.

10:32I'd like to know that your memory is actually working.

10:35So, that way I can, the next time you say something about the pass, I'll be able to

10:38believe you.

10:39So, that's it.

10:40And you still won't believe me.

10:41Yes.

10:41And you still won't.

10:42So, that's it.

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