« I don’t want any of us in this organization to think that something is unbelievable. »
« I don’t want any of us in this organization to think that something is unbelievable. »
Hours after the Patriots’ stunned the Bills 23-20 in Buffalo on Sunday, New England head coach Mike Vrabel was back at it on Monday morning with his weekly WEEI interview on “The Greg Hill Show.”
“Happy for the players,” Vrabel said after being congratulated about the win. “We’ve got to pick up the pieces and keep moving.”
The game was filled with important performances from a Patriots’ standpoint, especially as the team tries to build itself back into a winner. Quarterback Drake Maye made several highlight plays, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs tallied 10 catches for 146 yards against his former team.
In reference to an earlier Diggs quote that he had only a “five out of 10” comfort level in the Patriots’ offense (said after last week’s win over the Panthers), Vrabel humorously predicted that perhaps the veteran wideout will be more locked in by November.
“Hopefully by Thanksgiving we can be up to eight or nine,” Vrabel joked after Diggs said he was up to a six following his best game as a Patriot.
The victory over the Bills — a team that has won the AFC East six years in a row — was a major achievement for the Patriots, and can be seen as an early signature win for both Maye and Vrabel.
Queried about how he can use such a momentous win to help his team in the future, Vrabel shared a story from his father.
“You know I probably lose sight of some of that sometimes with especially some of our younger players,” Vrabel said of the value of winning in Buffalo. “My dad, who I think always has good perspective, was able to be at the game last night. He just kind of rattled off all the young players that are out there making contributions.
“He said, ‘I’ve been here a bunch, and it was loud.’ It was something that you have to remind these guys that if they can do it in [that game], they can do it pretty much anywhere.”
Here’s what Vrabel had to say about a few other topics:The ongoing role of Rhamondre Stevenson
Though he fumbled again in the first quarter, running back Rhamondre Stevenson remained in the Patriots’ rotation.
