Host/Interviewer (2:24)

75.

Mike Vrabel (2:24)

I feel like most I mean, mentally, probably a little younger. Physically, definitely a little older.

Host/Interviewer (2:30)

So it's your jersey number.

Mike Vrabel (2:31)

Yep.

Host/Interviewer (2:32)

You're probably that. Do you still feel like.

Mike Vrabel (2:34)

Well, when I. Back when I wasn't playing in Pittsburgh, they just changed my number every year. Yeah. It was just as they would bring somebody else in and I'd get 96, then I would get 56, and then I would, you know, I Wore, I think, three different numbers in four years, so ended up, well, I had 51 at 51. When I got to New England, we signed Brian Cox, and he was like, I've always worn 50. And I said, well, I'm not that attached to it. However, I don't make that much money. Let's come up with something here, and you can have the number. So Brian Cox took care of me, and he got his number.

Host/Interviewer (3:11)

What's been the best part of your birthday so far Today?

Mike Vrabel (3:16)

My son Carter surprised me. Got on a flight From Nashville at 6 in the morning, surprised me as I walked out of a meeting room, and smashed me with whipped cream, Ben Jones style. So I know Ben Jones couldn't make it, but Ben was the culprit back in Tennessee. Get everybody on his birthday. And I think Carter is trying to take over for Ben.

Host/Interviewer (3:34)

Well, you bring up Tennessee, so naturally there. And obviously things are so different now as you have this new job in New England. Looking back at that time in Tennessee is how do you reflect on it?

Mike Vrabel (3:47)

Well, we, you know, spend a lot of time there. You know, I mean, when you. When you're at a place for six years in the National Football League, I think that's. That's a long time as a player or as a coach. And so you put some roots there, had a lot of great times, had some times that. That weren't, you know, as positive. And, you know, everything has its shelf life. So I think Nashville will always be a part of us where kids were there, and Carter went to high school there and still going to live there, but we've moved on. Obviously, that's in the past.

Host/Interviewer (4:24)

I remember after your time in Tennessee, talking to people around the league about what you were going to do next, everyone was kind of saying the same thing, which is, he can't not do this. He has to coach. He loves that so much. So you were with the Browns as a consultant, and then people there were telling me that you were doing way more than consulting, that you were actually involved in so many different areas. Did you learn more in Cleveland about the process of what everyone else is doing because you were around so many.

Mike Vrabel (4:53)

What I learned was that there's nothing else that I want to do than try to be a head coach again. I learned that. I learned how important relationships are with players as a coach, as an assistant coach, I had a lot more time to spend with players and try to figure out what they need to improve and how I can help them. I wasn't worrying about injuries in the day to day. I was able to invest just in the players.

Host/Interviewer (5:20)

I get that. But to push back on you because you were a player, I would think that you'd be the best at understanding that perspective.

Mike Vrabel (5:28)

I didn't need it. It was a good reminder. It was a good reminder of what's important. It was a great reminder of what's important. When you're a head coach dealing with all the other stuff, the most important thing is still gonna be the players and the connection there. Somebody gave me the nickname human resource, and I'm like, I don't even know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Host/Interviewer (5:48)

That that was your job at your human resources.

Mike Vrabel (5:51)

It was like the human resource. I'm like, what does that mean? And it was D and D. Haslam was like, well, I don't know. I see you over here. I see you over here. I see over there. And I was like, wow, thank you. I hope that that's a positive.

Host/Interviewer (6:03)

Who's the head of HR for the Patriots, then? In this example, not the real one, probably Stretch.

Mike Vrabel (6:09)

Stretch is our human resource. Anything we need, anything us humans need. Stretch tries to, in 10 seconds, share.

Host/Interviewer (6:16)

With people who stretches.

Mike Vrabel (6:17)

Well, John Stryker is, you know, the heartbeat to what we do as an operation, as far as training room, weight room, our connection to our players, our staff. He's an extension of me. And so I think people realize that if they need to get to me and don't get to me, they go through Stretch. And there's a lot of trust there that he's built. So he's helped us win a lot of football games in Tennessee, and I'm excited that he's gonna be with us in New England to help us win there.

Host/Interviewer (6:46)

Before we talk New England, because I have a lot of questions about where you guys are at at camp now. There was a time when you were wrapping up your time with Cleveland and you had opportunities to coach other organizations. And, you know, it's been reported now that, you know, the teams that you met with and that you were interested in. Was there any other team outside New England that was enticing that you were that you maybe considered more than you expected.

Mike Vrabel (7:12)

Well, I mean, I think being able to visit with the jets was very intriguing and interesting and meeting everybody that was involved there, meeting with the Bears organization and what they were about and the people that they had there in place. But in the end, I think that this was just the right choice at the right time.

Host/Interviewer (7:35)

Has it ever been weird for you to be back in New England just because you played there? Like, do you ever have those moments of flashbacks? Yeah, yeah.

Mike Vrabel (7:42)

I mean, I think that that happens. I think that there's still people that, you know. Our head athletic trainer, Jim Whalen was my head athletic trainer, and Stacy James would come to me about media, and Nancy Meyer would handle my travel back home from minicamp, and she handles our players travel. And so, you know, there's a lot of familiar faces and then a lot of new ones as well.

Host/Interviewer (8:03)

Was it ever your dream to be the head coach of the New England Patriots? Like, did that ever cross your mind? Because, you know, Belichick has come out and said, you know, you were one of the most prepared, disciplined type players that it does. It didn't surprise him that you became a coach, but was it ever the Patriots on your radar?

Mike Vrabel (8:18)

Man, I've said this. I think that I've had an opportunity to go and be an assistant in New England. I didn't think that that was the right thing to be there at that time.

Host/Interviewer (8:26)

So this is when Bill was there, correct? He wanted to bring you on?

Mike Vrabel (8:29)

Yeah. You know, we had had a conversation and then ended up going to Houston. And I felt like that was the best thing for me at that time was to go there and kind of learn from. From Bill o', Brien, which I did. I learned a lot, and he helped me prepare me for the opportunity at Tennessee. And then, like I said, always the. When the time was right, if it all worked out, you know, we could. We could come back here. And now we are. We're getting started on this thing.

Host/Interviewer (8:55)

I know you're able to see your former teammate Tom Brady during the statue reveal last week. What does the greatest quarterback of all time think of this current New England Patriots team? Has he shared with you any of his thoughts?

Mike Vrabel (9:06)

No. No, he hasn't.

Host/Interviewer (9:07)

Is that competitiveness because now he's a Raider?

Mike Vrabel (9:08)

Well, I don't know. I mean, our conversations have never been about the team. It's been about, you know, life and family and what he's got going on and what I've got going on outside of, you know, coaching the Patriots and, you know, they're always easy conversations. You know, we go back and forth and try to give each other a hard time.

Host/Interviewer (9:27)

All right, let's start there then. Or not start. Let's continue talking New England. Now rip through this quick. Your quarterback. Yeah, right now. Where's he at?

Mike Vrabel (9:35)

Continuing to improve. And again, I think that these practices here against the Vikings defense, they do a lot. They show you a lot of. And, you know, they try to put you in a blender. And by that we mean, like, one play is hard, and then you just start thinking about the last play and the next play becomes even harder and harder until you're just spinning in the blender. And that's. That's what they like to use in the. In the quarterback room. And I haven't. I didn't see him do that yesterday. He wasn't perfect by any means, but he never went in the blender, so I think that that's good. I think I'm excited about what he's going to do today and what skill.

Host/Interviewer (10:08)

Is that then, like, if you can.

Mike Vrabel (10:09)

Just being able to process and his response and being able to just not let it be too big. Not let it be too big and be able to process one play at a time and try to get everybody on the same page with the protection and whatever run game and get us in the right call and continue to lead us and not waver.

Host/Interviewer (10:28)

Yeah. I've seen you out on the field, and I've read some stories about you working with Drake on leadership. What's something that you're hoping to see him develop over the next few weeks before we get to week one, that will say to you, like, he's really the guy.

Mike Vrabel (10:45)

And again, we've talked about this. We can have different personalities. We have to have one mentality, and that mentality is about the team and about our identity. And when he does things, it makes everybody else think, okay, that's acceptable. We go and we celebrate. Any play that we make, we want to celebrate as a team, and hopefully we score, we go and celebrate, and it's hard to score in this league. It's tough. And when we do, we want to be able to celebrate and not just think, oh, you know, we just. When the quarterback does things, everybody else says, oh, that must be the right thing to do.

Host/Interviewer (11:19)

You're not one to do the predictions thing, but what are the expectations? Because I feel like the outside world and the national media is looking at you guys and they think, okay, they've got my grable. They're going to be good. But what's the truth?

Mike Vrabel (11:34)

Yeah, that's never going to be the case. I mean, we have to work and we have to compete. And I've said this multiple times in this league, we're never going to accept losing, but we have to embrace moving on whether we win or whether we lose. We have to continue to move ahead and figure out what the next challenge is. And so whatever the predictions are or the expectations, the expectations are that we, that we compete, that we try to be good enough to take advantage of bad football, that we're not beating ourselves, that there is a rhythm to what we're doing, that there's a flow to what we do, and that the players, again, they're the ones that establish the identity. I can talk about it until I'm blue in the face. They are the ones that. It's their identity. And hopefully once you build something, you protect it because it's yours. You build a home, you protect it, you, you build a family, you protect it. And that's what we talk about.

Host/Interviewer (12:26)

What's the identity of this defense? What's the best thing you've seen from them at this point?

Mike Vrabel (12:31)

I think that we play, I mean, from the first game, I think that we played hard, I think that we finished. I think guys enjoyed being with each other. It's a group that hasn't been together long. There's a bunch of new faces. Some guys have been in and out, but I think that there was a joy to playing. We had a sudden change opportunity and again, whoever was on the other side against, for the commanders, that doesn't matter. They went out there, they didn't complain about having to go out there on the 30 yard line. Forced them to lose a couple yards. They missed a field goal. So again, these are the things that are important to me, that wherever we have to play defense, our job is to go play defense.

Host/Interviewer (13:10)

Well, this was the most serious conversation I think I've ever had with you in 10 years.

Mike Vrabel (13:14)

Well, you started talking about things and then I go into coach speak.

Host/Interviewer (13:16)

That's good.

Mike Vrabel (13:17)

I veer off into coach.

Host/Interviewer (13:18)

No, no, it was a little coach speaking, but it's, it's, it's all fair and, and I, I can see and I think people listening and watching you understand what you're, what you're trying to build. So we got to have a little fun. So I figured we'd do 50 seconds for your 50th.

Mike Vrabel (13:30)

50 seconds for my 50th.

Host/Interviewer (13:32)

Right. There's no way.

Mike Vrabel (13:33)

I don't think I'll Be able to get you 50 seconds.

Host/Interviewer (13:36)

Words are not our problems. Ever. In fact, I think we both probably talk a little too much. But we can do it.

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Mike Vrabel (14:47)

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Mike Vrabel (15:00)

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Mike Vrabel (15:15)

Other restrictions apply.

Host/Interviewer (15:19)

Start the clock. There's no clock.

Mike Vrabel (15:20)

No good. I was like, I'm looking for the clock.

Host/Interviewer (15:22)

Just pretend you probably have one naturally in your head. You know, as a crazy coach. Can I borrow your whistle?

Mike Vrabel (15:28)

No. 50 sec.

Host/Interviewer (15:29)

No, 50 for every time a new.

Mike Vrabel (15:31)

Question no one wants to see.

Host/Interviewer (15:34)

That is nasty. All right, here we go. First thing you check on your phone in the morning.

Mike Vrabel (15:43)

50 seconds of Tik Tok and then Twitter for. For news.

Host/Interviewer (15:46)

So Tik Tok, Twitter and then eventually text and call. Drink your coffee.

Mike Vrabel (15:51)

Order is quad espresso. I get it in downtown. I get it in the Back Bay. It's the grab and go. I think it's on Boylston.

Host/Interviewer (16:01)

That gets you through the day.

Mike Vrabel (16:02)

No, it gets me to work. It doesn't get me through the day. It gets me to the stadium.

Host/Interviewer (16:08)

Your best karaoke performance in the last 10 years.

Mike Vrabel (16:12)

So big time this year. Tahoe, third place. Mr. Brightside. Wait, you've got co host.

Host/Interviewer (16:19)

I thought you'd say I had never done karaoke.

Mike Vrabel (16:21)

Co contributor Kevin Millar.

Host/Interviewer (16:24)

Okay.

Mike Vrabel (16:24)

But the best part of this story, bright side.

Host/Interviewer (16:26)

Okay, good one.

Mike Vrabel (16:27)

It was great because I was like, let's just go with audience participation. We can't be serious. We have to do a song that the audience is then going to embrace, which then will sway the judges. So somebody asked them, 30 seconds before we go on this girl, There was like a green room. It was like tent. It was like a pop up tent. There was no green, green room. I'm just kidding. And she says, what are you singing? He goes, Mr. Blindside. I go, we are screwed.

Host/Interviewer (16:49)

You don't even know the name.

Mike Vrabel (16:50)

You don't even know the name of the song, Kevin. I'm like, it's not the movie the blind side. It's Mr. Bright. And it's. Then we crushed it.

Host/Interviewer (16:58)

Well, even more embarrassing, the audience loved it for the last 20 years. I thought that at the end of that song when he's like, I never.

Mike Vrabel (17:04)

Yeah.

Host/Interviewer (17:04)

I thought he was saying Diana.

Mike Vrabel (17:06)

Nope, it's I never.

Host/Interviewer (17:07)

It's. It's I never. So people text me all the time and that song's playing of them screaming into the phone because I'm an idiot. One word players use to describe you, your players here in New England. What do you think they would use?

Mike Vrabel (17:20)

Well, crazy is one word and I would say out of his mind. If you could just put a bunch of hyphens in there, I would imagine that.

Host/Interviewer (17:27)

I can tell English was definitely your best subject. If you could ban one question.

Mike Vrabel (17:30)

Spanish was actually my best subject.

Host/Interviewer (17:32)

Seriously?

Mike Vrabel (17:32)

Yes.

Host/Interviewer (17:33)

Why were you so good at that?

Mike Vrabel (17:34)

Because my high school football coach taught Spanish, so it took two years of Spanish. Okay, so from Jerry Reardon. That's why it was my best.

Host/Interviewer (17:39)

Answer this in Spanish. What's the one question that you wish Stacy James would ban the Patriots media from asking you.

Drake May (17:49)

About?

Mike Vrabel (17:49)

Injuries, of course.

Host/Interviewer (17:50)

Of course. How do you say injuries in Spanish?

Mike Vrabel (17:53)

Law injury.

Host/Interviewer (17:55)

I think that's it. Your wife Jen is a superb athlete.

Mike Vrabel (18:01)

I would say used to be.

Host/Interviewer (18:03)

Maybe used to be. But she still got it in her, I'm sure, the way you do. So which sport do you think Jen could beat you at now?

Mike Vrabel (18:11)

Ping pong.

Host/Interviewer (18:11)

Ping pong. Have you ever done it with her and she beats you fair and square?

Mike Vrabel (18:16)

I get too aggressive. Yeah, I can't, you know, I mean, after it's two volleys, I just try to kill it.

Host/Interviewer (18:22)

You are known for picking at things. I remember in Tennessee, players Used to tell me, like, the littlest, smallest things would drive you crazy. And I'm sure nothing's changed here in New England. Is there something outside football that drives Mike Vraybolk nuts?

Mike Vrabel (18:40)

Yes. People, when they leave their carts in the middle of the parking lot and they don't take them back to the cart return. And then the people at Starbucks that park in the handicap spot and go in there and try to get their order from the mobile order who aren't handicapped. By no means handicapped. No. I look in the dash, I look and then I wait. And then I. Then I just. I approach them.

Host/Interviewer (19:06)

Wait, wait.

Mike Vrabel (19:07)

And I say things like, so why. Why did you park here? One person would be like, with doordash. I'm like, I don't care. That's unacceptable. And then there's the mom that's going to yoga, and she's rushing because she's late. And I'm like, this is ridiculous.

Host/Interviewer (19:20)

And so you're policing the parking lot for people.

Mike Vrabel (19:23)

I accustom. I stay. Well, I had that when I was like, when I didn't have a job, I had nothing else to do. I'm like, I don't. I could sit here for 15 minutes, wait for this person to come out and actually see if they're handicapped and that they don't have a license or anything.

Host/Interviewer (19:37)

You check their licenses?

Mike Vrabel (19:38)

Well, sometimes it's on the license and it's not on the locker.

Host/Interviewer (19:41)

No, you mean on the plate of the. That it's handicapped?

Mike Vrabel (19:44)

Yeah, the plate. You know, just try to, you know, citizens arrest.

Host/Interviewer (19:48)

If there was a way you could actually punish them, what would you do?

Mike Vrabel (19:52)

Like, because I slash their tires, that's how much it bothers me.

Host/Interviewer (19:55)

Maybe a boot.

Mike Vrabel (19:56)

I wish I had a boot. That's a great idea. I would boot their car just like a mobile boot and said I parked in a handicap spot and I'm not handicapped.

Host/Interviewer (20:04)

Well, the good news is I think society will appreciate you when you decide to retire. Retire? Because I think I know exactly where you will be. And that is in the parking lot of a Starbucks, making sure people are.

Happy Mammoth Advertiser (20:15)

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Mike Vrabel (20:16)

Mind boggling.

Host/Interviewer (20:16)

It really. It really truly is. I'm sorry to get you all riled up on your birthday, coach. Good luck this season.

Mike Vrabel (20:21)

Yeah, thank you.

Host/Interviewer (20:22)

Thanks for hanging out first time on Scoop City. I didn't have you on last year because you weren't a coach, but fair enough, right? But you're back, so I. I appreciate you being on the show. Well, thank you and we will see you soon.

Mike Vrabel (20:34)

You got a great crew and I wish you the best of luck.

Host/Interviewer (20:36)

Thank you so much.

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Host/Interviewer (23:06)

All right, back here on Skip City, we got Patriots starting quarterback Drake May joining us now. You know, we're just talking about what, you know, Mike Raybol and just what he's been like. We talked to you in the off season about the things that you heard about him and now you've been around him. What's the best way to describe the way this experience has been with his head coach?

Drake May (23:23)

Yeah, I think first off, I think we're all excited, excited to have coach Coach Brabel in here. He's intense, he pushes us hard. He expects a lot from us and I think it means a lot when he's done it, when he's accomplished as a player and as a coach, you know, it speaks for itself and it's easy to kind of rally behind a coach like that who's done it on the field. Had success as a head coach and kind of bringing his, his deal kind of to the Patriots and you know, where he played. He's got a love for the Patriots itself, but I think it's awesome to play for a coach who cares and you know, carries himself with that much intensity and pushes me and the guys on the team as hard as he does every day.

Host/Interviewer (23:56)

He's giving you a lot of compliments. So start there, which is a good thing. You got to take a compliment from him. But one of the things that he mentioned was just in practice against the Vikings specifically you were doing a really good job of kind of preventing yourself from getting in the blender.

Drake May (24:09)

Yeah.

Host/Interviewer (24:10)

And staying calm. What do you think that characteristic is about in you that you're able to avoid those issues?

Drake May (24:17)

Yeah, I think we talk about in the quarterback room just staying, you know, confident, cool and collected when they're kind of the chaos that's going on. Try not to, you know, get our offense in bad plays. And really, it's just really myself to trust the guys around me. I think that's the big thing. Trust those guys. You know, they're great players and I think the biggest thing is when chaos going around, just take care of the football and just try to, hey, if they get us this play, just tackle it the next down I think that's what, you know, Coach Vabel talks about and what they talk about, you know, the quarterback room with Coach McDaniels.

Host/Interviewer (24:43)

What's Coach McDaniels like?

Drake May (24:44)

Yeah.

Host/Interviewer (24:45)

All right. Just. He actually asked me to ask you.

Drake May (24:47)

Oh, man.

Host/Interviewer (24:48)

Ask him. What do we. Like, what do you and Josh like?

Drake May (24:52)

Yeah, I think it's a. It's relationship that you want with the offensive coordinator. You know, he coaches me hard, but at the same time, he gets couple a excited when we do things well. And he knows the offense so well that he's trying to get us to that level. And I think he kind of understands what it's like being back there. And he's always got the quarterbacks back, and I think he pushes the guys around us to help us, you know, in the system. At the same time, expects a lot from us. So he's intense. He brings it every day. He loves competing. You know, he's just as competitive as any one of the players on the field. At times I feel like he's out there playing with us because he wants to, you know, have a good player, score touchdowns so bad.

Host/Interviewer (25:24)

I heard a rumor that you guys live very close to each other. How does he keep his yard?

Drake May (25:28)

Yeah, I know he gets on me for getting my landscape. I need to get it going, but I'm worried about football right now.

Host/Interviewer (25:33)

So when his garbage pails are out.

Drake May (25:34)

Do you ever pull them in for a. Yeah, exactly. No, sure. It's good, I think, just having somebody, you know, round a, you know, in a new area.

Host/Interviewer (25:42)

So what kind of teacher is he, though? Because that's what so much of the job is.

Drake May (25:45)

Yeah.

Host/Interviewer (25:46)

Can you figure out what the quarterback needs and explain it in a way that he can comprehend it, like, what makes him good? Because I've heard he's very good at understanding.

Drake May (25:52)

Oh, yeah. I think he's. He's always just thinking ahead. He knows the system so well. He kind of. He kind of knows the answers and knows kind of just like second nature, you know, what we should have done or what. He saw that play and he sees it so well. It's cool, you know, watching all the old tape back of all their games back in the days, and he knows, you know, the down and distance and what was going on and who scored a touchdown and what the protection was and what happened. I think we have plays in practice now that he pulls back old clips of that same play with something happening and kind of relates to that. So it's really cool to see him relate back to that and related to helping us out and play better.

Host/Interviewer (26:27)

Now, standing on the sideline with some people from Minnesota, they were saying how much they loved you coming out of the draft, like, that you were the guy.

Drake May (26:34)

Nah, I wouldn't say that.

Host/Interviewer (26:36)

You know, you look back at how this has all come about and where you've landed, and now they are obviously. Have you ever thought about what that would have been like if you went somewhere else? Like, did you want to go anywhere else?

Drake May (26:48)

Nah. Shoot. I think at that moment, sitting there in the. In the green room, I just want to hear my name called and get the call and, you know, was stoked on New England and, you know, the Patriots called, you know, what a city of Boston. And, you know, I think Minnesota seems nice, but, you know, the Boston fans and the Patriots, I can't say enough about being a Patriot.

Host/Interviewer (27:06)

All right, final question for you. In terms of just the expectations of this team, everyone just is assuming you're gonna. You're gonna take this next step in your second year. For you in the position, though, do you feel that you have really taken a step forward from where you were last year, despite the fact that you are in a new offense? I talked to Bo Nicks recently about it. Yeah, he's like, last year I memorized it. He's like, now I get the why. Like, now I understand. How would you describe where you're at now?

Drake May (27:35)

Yeah, I think that's. I think that's something. It's challenging, you know, coming to year two with a new offense. But at the same time, what's kind of helping me is I know what to expect, you know, you know, expecting the preseason games, you know, what to expect in a joint practice, you know, from last year, I've been trying to tell the rookies and, you know, Will Campbell and Jerry Wilson, the guys on offense, Kyle Williams, Treveon, like, it's hard to kind of know what to expect when you come out here as a rookie. You're not knowing how intense it is. I'm not going to know what do. So kind of coming here to year two, you know, have a good grasp on rebellion of what to expect and kind of the nerves that come with it and. And what's expected of me and how game days go. So that's the most comforting thing. And within the offense, I think just use those guys around me, just, you know, trust those guys and trust the system. And like I said, I think just trying to get as much of command of the offense I can head into.

Host/Interviewer (28:18)

Week one, you see, you Know what to do. You don't even know where to go. I saw a video clip of you going the wrong way.

Drake May (28:21)

Yeah. Someone teach this kid used to being a rookie. Exactly.

Host/Interviewer (28:25)

Rookie days are over.

Drake May (28:26)

I'm bus one. We were allowed to, you know, I'm a year two so I don't have to be in the rookie bus.

Host/Interviewer (28:29)

We ready for camp to wrap up here? Are you hitting that camp wall? Are you still like, all right, let's, let's take this time here before we walk.

Drake May (28:36)

Yeah, I think in between kind of the preseason game and joint practice with Washington, kind of head into this was kind of a wall. I think we're kind of getting over that and kind of hitting a new stride. Kind of anxious for the season. We're less than, you know, a month away, so it's coming soon. Thank you so much. Yeah, go fast.

Host/Interviewer (28:58)

Carol.

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