Takeaways from Vrabel's comments at the NFL Owners Meetings in Florida

Patriots' head coach Mike Vrabel met with the media at the annual Owners' Meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday morning. It was a thirty-four minute Q & A session. We know it was thirty-four minutes because Vrabel pointed it out as he stood up to leave at the end. "Thirty-four minutes. That will be the longest we ever go."

There were some pretty telling comments in those thirty-four minutes by Vrabel. He was very open in his responses. It was a sharp contrast from former head coach Bill Belichick who would never comment on any player not, currently, on the team. Belichick also would resort to "we are doing what is best for the team" in response to any questions about controversial moves such as the releases of veteran captains David Andrews and Ja'Whaun Bentley. I had to fight myself from allowing my inner Belichick voice from responding to the questions before Vrabel did.

While there may be some hints to Vrabel's intentions and thought process – if you pay close enough attention to his words, tone, inflections, and body language – one also has to be aware that all the owners and GMs are playing poker right now. They don't want to show their hand a month prior to the draft.

The best of them will put out false tells to throw off the scent of other teams. So while it is refreshing that Vrabel did answer questions with some level of candid insight and perspective, one needs to remember one of former head coach Jerod Mayo's favorite lines from last year which he repeated often – "I only tell you what I want you to know."

Having said that, let's go through Vrabel's comments and see what we can gleam from where he thinks this team is right now and the direction he thinks the team is heading.

What is the plan at tackle?

Vrabel loves to kick off his press conferences by going to longtime Patriots' beat reporter, Karen Guregian, for the first question. It is a small, cutesy thing that I will be keeping an eye on throughout the season just because the psychology behind superstitions intrigues me. I think Vrabel likes going to a familiar face first to get him settled into these awkward, uncomfortable press conferences.

Anyways, Guregian's first question was regarding the left tackle situation. Now that the signing of Stefon Diggs has addressed the wide receiver position, that leaves left tackle as the one glaring hole that hasn't been resolved in free agency or via trade.

Vrabel, immediately, dropped a bit of news by saying that second-year player Caedan Wallace is in consideration for the starting left tackle spot, along with incumbent (gulp) Vederian Lowe. Right off the bat, this is, most likely, a smokescreen by Vrabel to deflect the notion that New England will be looking to draft a left tackle with their first overall pick. The Patriots cannot, honestly, believe the answer to their starting left tackle position is in-house.

Thoughts on offensive tackles Will Campbell and Armand Membou

The previous question led right into this one. If Travis Hunter is not available – more on him later – the Patriots are believed to be looking at one of these two tackles with their pick. Originally, the thought was Campbell would be the first of the two drafted, but we are starting to see Membou's name a lot more often in a lot of mock drafts going to the Patriots.

The concern with Campbell is his lack of arm length and his very short wingspan. Vrabel was not concerned, citing that he has played and been effective playing in the toughest division (SEC) in college football against elite defenders.

The concern with Membou is that he played right tackle in college. Vrabel points out that there are many players who have managed to switch from right tackle to left tackle. I would note that there are many that haven't (see Caedan Wallace, so far).

The most telling part of the answer is the way he ended by saying, "Those are two good, young players to talk about in that conversation but, you know, there's others throughout the draft, as well."

The casualness with how Vrabel said this makes me think the Patriots might feel comfortable finding a starting left tackle in the second or, maybe even, the third round. That makes me think they may be looking at players like Josh Conerly Jr., Aireontae Ersery, Donovan Jackson, or BC's Ozzy Trapilo, as viable options to drafting Campbell or Membou.

Would the Patriots be open to trading down in the draft?

"We'd be open to everything," was Vrabel's predictable response.

Do you have a clear picture of who will be picked before you?

The question was posed by Vrabel's binky, Karen Guregian. Vrabel's mood lightened, immediately, as he replied, "Do you have any idea? {laughter and giddiness for a couple of seconds] You tell me who goes one, two, and three, and I will tell you who goes four. [more laughter]"

Then they moved on to another question. Hello? Stop laughing and ask the follow-up that was begging to be asked and which Vrabel was inviting the media to ask.

Someone in the media should have taken the bait and given him some scenarios.

"OK, if Ward goes first, Carter second, and Hunter third, what would you do?"

"What if Ward goes first, Carter second, and Shedeur Sanders third?"

"What if it goes Ward, Sanders, and Jaxson Dart – all quarterbacks?"

Obviously, Vrabel wouldn't have answered, but he did invite the questions. Maybe he would have, unintentionally, lowered his guard a bit and revealed a little something with how he refused to answer the hypotheticals.

Would Vrabel be open to playing Travis Hunter on offense and defense?

Vrabel sounded much more excited talking about Hunter than he did when talking about Campbell. Vrabel said, of course, he would be open to playing Hunter both ways. If he could handle it, why not? Vrabel did say he would have to focus on one, at first. I would presume Vrabel to mean wide receiver at first, if New England drafted him.

It is important to note that Vrabel played linebacker in the NFL, but, occasionally, was put in on offense in goal line situations as a tight end. He caught ten passes, all for touchdowns. Talk about records that will never be broken.

Vrabel's answer – to me – sounded like if Hunter was available at four, the Patriots are taking him. The same can't be said about the way he talked about Campbell or Membou. Remember – Vrabel pointed out "there are others [offensive tackles] throughout the draft, as well." Vrabel didn't mention that there other players like Hunter, and that is because there are none.

Vrabel sounded excited about the prospect of using Hunter both ways. His eyes lit up and you could almost see the wheels spinning in his head as he was speaking as if he were, already, visualizing schemes in which he could use Hunter.

Thoughts on Stefon Diggs and if he will be ready for the season opener?

Here's a note to anybody interviewing Vrabel: Don't use the word "timeline."

When asked if there was a timeline on Diggs being ready to play, Vrabel responded, "We try to stay away from timelines and predictions." As soon as the reporter said the word "timeline," you could see Vrabel cringing as he listened to the rest of the question.

Vrabel, correctly, notes that every injury is different and everyone responds differently. The only thing you can control is how hard you work to get back on the field and Vrabel pointed out that Diggs is working as hard as he can to do just that.

How are the Patriots going to fill the leadership voids left by the release of David Andrews and Ja'Whaun Bentley?

You could see a shift in Vrabel's demeanor when he realized what direction this question was going. The most unpopular moves made so far under the Vrabel regime have been the releases of Andrews and Bentley.

Vrabel notes that there will be opportunities for not only eight- or nine-year veterans, but also for younger players, including rookies, to step up into leadership roles. He finished his answer by, notably, saying there will be an opportunity to "create a new identity."

I think Vrabel is looking to cut all ties to the Belichick era and, to a lesser part and as brief as it was, the Mayo regime. Only Jabrill Peppers and Joe Cardona are left of the captains Mayo named last year. Gone are Jacoby Brissett, Deatrich Wise Jr., Bentley, and Andrews. The team did go 4-13, after all.

Might Vrabel be a bit insecure and, maybe, he doesn't want any resistance to changes he intends on making from players that have been around for a while and seen things done differently? I think that played a part in the decision to get rid of these veterans. He wants to change the culture of the team. He, also, wants to be the unquestioned "alpha" in the locker room.

He is not going to want to hear anyone pull a Dustin Pedroia and say, "That is not the way things have been done around here." Pedroia, famously, said that to the media in spring training during Bobby Valentine's first (and only) year as Red Sox manager when Valentine, unceremoniously, began criticizing specific players in the media.

With David Andrews' familiarity with the Josh McDaniels offense, why not give him a shot to make the team?

Andrews has gone on podcasts voicing his displeasure with being cut by Vrabel, but he understands football is a business. Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard asked this question to Vrabel. Bedard has been pretty vocal in believing the Patriots did Andrews wrong by releasing him.

Vrabel, calmly, gave the Belichick line of, "We did what we think is best for the team." He thanked Andrews for his years of service to the team, but that it was time to move on.

Vrabel noted that he is happy with the guys they have in the locker room. He mentioned the newly-signed Garrett Bradbury, who is the presumed starting center replacing Andrews going into next season.

More notable, Vrabel said that Cole Strange would be competing with Bradbury for the starting job, citing the excellent job Strange did playing center – a new position to him – in the final couple of games last year.

Again, this may be yet another smoke screen by Vrabel trying to elevate Cole Strange's trade value leading into the draft. But maybe not.

I think Strange has a shot to stick at center in this league, and to do well at it. I think he was overmatched playing guard, but his athleticism and intelligence can translate well to the center position. The acquisition of Bradbury may buy Strange a little time, although it is nearing time for the Patriots to decide if they want to pick up his fifth-year option on his rookie contract.

The importance of the draft

"If you don't draft well, it catches up to you." Boy, don't we know it, Vrabs. You are speaking to the choir on this one.

It is no secret that this was Belichick's biggest downfall towards the end of his career. Belichick could still coach but his drafts sucked at the end. There is no other way to say it – they sucked. The aforementioned first round pick of Cole Strange stands as one example of many.

Christian Barmore's status

If there is one player whose availability may impact the Patriots' playoff hopes for next year the most, in my eyes, it is Christian Barmore. A lot of blame last year went on first year defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington for the Patriots' defense going from one of the best in 2023 to one of the worst in 2024. While some of the criticism may be justified, the unavailability of Barmore (and Bentley) was hugely impactful.

Vrabel sounded hopeful that Barmore will be ready for the season. Obviously, the concern, first and foremost, is for Barmore's health as he battles dangerous blood clot issues. But, damn, we'd love to see #90 on the field playing alongside Milton Williams.

Thoughts on Tyler Warren

Oh, Tom E Curran, you just scored major brownie points with me for asking Vrabel about Tyler Warren, aka the next Gronk. I am on record touting Tyler Warren as my first choice for the Patriots in this draft. I have been banging the drum loud on all my social media as well as all the comment sections on Patriots' YouTube videos. If you see some crazy person always talking about Tyler Warren on there, that crazy person is me and you have been reading this article written by said crazy person.

Vrabel's immediate response was hard to dissect:

"How many tight ends can we play, right?" he asked Curran as the two shared a laugh.

Is he joking? Please tell me he is joking.

After calling Warren a "wonderful prospect," Vrabel gave me some hope when he concluded by saying, "I am all for playing and acquiring as many tight ends as we can get. So sign me up. Bring me as many good tight ends as you have out there and we'll find something for them to do."

The comment about finding them "something to do" wasn't as encouraging as the comments Vrabel made about Travis Hunter's explosiveness and versatility, but I will hang my hat on that for now. I will hold out hope that, because Vrabel played a little bit of tight end, he should see the value in the position.

Rob Gronkowski showed the value of the position. It is the one position – if you are really outstanding at it – that you have to be part offensive lineman, slot receiver, X receiver, H-back, and fullback. In Warren's case, he can be used as a running back and quarterback out of a Wildcat formation, as well. Can Hunter do all that? Hmmm?

Loose ends

Above were the major topics that were discussed. The final ten minutes of questioning involved linebackers, Joe Milton's trade value, and running backs.

Vrabel praised the development of Christian Ellis and cited that, as well as his speed, as reasons the Patriots matched the Raiders' offer sheet for him.

It was a bit of a surprise considering all the pickups in free agency the Patriots made at the position, but I am happy they did. I liked Ellis ever since last preseason. He stood out as a playmaker to me. I was surprised when media people were putting Ellis on the bubble for making the opening day roster. He did make the roster and when Bentley went down early in the season – and Raekwon McMillan was God-awful as his initial replacement – it offered Ellis an opportunity to play and he ran with it.

I could see Ellis following the career trajectory of his, now, teammate Robert Spillane. Vrabel noted the hard work Spillane has done to go from an undrafted free agent to a practice squad player to, now, a $33 million, 100+ tackle per season, starting linebacker in the NFL. Vrabel also mentioned that he could foresee Spillane wearing the green dot on his helmet and calling plays in the huddle for the defense. Spillane has those kind of leadership qualities.

Vrabel had high praise for Joe Milton. Again, Vrabel said he leaves every option open when it comes to trading Milton. He wants to do what is best for the team, but Vrabel also wants to do right by the player. He doesn't want to hold Milton back if he knows Milton could have success as a starter somewhere else in the right situation.

Vrabel also mentioned that he has no regrets for the Patriots – and Joe Milton – trying their hardest to win the final game of the season last year against the Bills, thus costing them the first pick in this year's draft. The coaching staff and players did the right thing, he said.

It is moments like this when you realize how much Vrabel cares about his players and why players love him so much. He said the players had a responsibility to themselves and their families to put the best tape out there for other teams to see.

When it came to the running back position, I again praise Vrabel for preaching something I believe, strongly. He didn't, solely, put the blame on Rhamondre Stevenson for his fumbling issues.

I think Stevenson is a top ten running back in this league. I think the biggest issue with him is he has put too much pressure on himself to do more than he should – too fight for that extra yard or for the goal line.

Vrabel points out that some of Stevenson's fumbles were created by a second defensive player coming in to strip the ball after Stevenson was fighting with the first defender. The fault on those plays lie with the linemen for not sticking with their blocks until the whistle. I thought that was a great point by Vrabel.

Vrabel also said he likes how Stevenson and Antonio Gibson complement each other. He is happy with that one-two punch, but said he would like to take a look at taking a running back "later in the draft." So I think we can stop with all the Ashton Jeanty talk.

Bottom Line

I continue to be impressed with Vrabel's command during these press conferences. I can see some cracks in his armor, however. I can see where, if and when things don't go well, he will get contentious with the media and things might get ugly. I, especially, saw signs of his dismissiveness and contentiousness in his interview with 98.5 The SportsHub's Michael Felger prior to his press conference with the rest of the media. Vrabel had issues with Tennessee's media at the end.

But I don't care about that stuff. We had to deal with Belichick and his rudeness and disrespect towards the media for two decades. Mayo went too far in the other direction, trying to schmooze with the media too much and being too open with them. Vrabel has been Goldilocks so far – just the right mix of both.