We've all been consuming Mike Vrabel content at an incredible rate. I feel like I've been at an all-you-can-eat buffet for two weeks, but I've got that hollow leg thing working for me. Two exchanges stood out to me as I reviewed his press conference comments and the obscene number of one-on-one interviews Vrabel conducted with the TV and radio people. They happened on WEEI's 'The Greg Hill Show' the day after the hiring was made official.
Q: I don’t want to add any pressure, but you’re …
Vrabel: “You probably won’t be able to.”
But you’re here to save us, like the entire region. Are you aware?
“Yeah, I think we’re all aware of what our job is here to do.”
We have high expectations.
“And so do I. Yours aren’t higher than mine. I can promise you.”
Vrabel is coming into this situation eyes wide open. He knows the roster lacks high-end talent; hell, talent, period. He understands the front-office politics that have taken place and who is more involved than some would have you believe (Jonathan). It might take some time to clean up this mess, but Vrabel has a vision of how he wants to accomplish it and expects the players and staff to be willing to do whatever it takes. I don't know how much weeding out he will do, but you can bet there are no sacred cows, regardless of stature, draft position, or contract.
The other response from Vrabel that should speak to you came regarding free agency. Yes, the Pats have cash to burn, but just because you have it doesn't mean they'll come.
“Well, I think that we have to make it a destination. Again, I’ll tell you a story about free agency. When I got to Houston, they had natural grass in their dome, and they would wheel it out and cut it into sections. I’m like, ‘This is unique. What’s this?’ They’re like, ‘Well, we thought that the free agents would want to play on natural grass.’ I said, ‘The only thing free agents care about is green, and it’s not natural grass.
“There’s two forms of free agency. The one is trying to go out and maximize your earning potential and go for the top dollar. We see that early in free agency, the first couple of days, maybe the first week. Then after that, I try to tell players it comes down to opportunity. If you want the best opportunity to go and be able to produce and contribute, and then that’s going to lead to then the next form of free agency, where then you could take advantage of the system in a year or two or whatever you sign with us. I was one of those players coming from Pittsburgh and signing here; it was about the opportunity. It wasn’t about the dollars. That turned into being able to have those types of contracts as my career went on, production increased, and all those other things. We’re going to identify players at all different levels, and it’s a process of putting it all together.”
There's no guarantee the Pats can get the big ticket items after a four-win season - unless they're willing to pay a substantial suck tax. However, there is a real opportunity to build up the middle class of the roster, which helps raise the floor of a roster that currently resides in the basement. In many ways, it could take on a 2001 feel (they signed 21 players, including Vrabel, Bryan Cox, Mike Compton, Roman Phifer, and David Patten). Now, I'm not predicting this season to end like that one - not sure lightning strikes twice - but this roster needs a serious infusion of talent/fresh faces, and the Pats need to take advantage of that second wave.
TEXANS AT CHIEFS (SATURDAY AT 4:30 PM)
The Texans showed no fear of the Chiefs when the two teams met earlier this season (a 27-19 KC win). Especially when it came to how their defense matched up the weapons Patrick Mahomes had at his disposal. They played more man-to-man on the outside, trusting their excellent corners Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter to corral a group of wideouts that has been just okay until recently.
On top of that, the Texans were able to generate pressure on Mahomes, particularly off both tackle spots. Throw in an occasional linebacker blitz, and it was a challenging day for KC. Now, as he often does, Mahomes found ways to survive and thrive, and he was helped in part by several changes that took place going into that game and then during the game.
The first was getting Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown back in the lineup. That was his initial game back after missing the entire season, and let me tell you, his speed created more of a threat than the collection of guys that tried to fill his shoes.
Once in the game, Mahomes kept finding himself looking up rookie first-rounder Xavier Worthy (7 rec, 65 yds, TD), and later in the game, had more time to do it once Andy Reid moved Joe Thuney over from left guard to left tackle. Thuney blanked Danielle Hunter in 13 pass rush snaps. It's unknown if Thuney will start at LT on Saturday or move back inside, but if you want to get a little nauseous as you read this, the former Patriot has not allowed a sack playing left tackle in 2024 (in 130 pass block snaps). The other 3 LTs the Chiefs had to play there allowed 11.5 sacks combined. Whoops.
"Going up against great defenses, you've got to get the ball out of your hand," said Mahomes as he evaluated this matchup. "Make a positive play and move on to the next one."
The Texans won the AFC South but didn't take the expected regular season leap. However, they turned Justin Herbert and that upstart Chargers team into a pumpkin in their one-sided Wild Card round win last weekend. Four sacks. Four interceptions. Eight QB hits. Hunter (12 sacks this season) and Will Anderson (11.5 sacks) can take over a football game, and they certainly paved the way and set up a rematch in KC.
C.J. Stroud will have to play like he did late in the first half and into the second half if Houston is to have a chance. He looked all out of sorts early in that Chargers game, but his recovery of a fumbled snap and subsequent strike to Xavier Hutchison kick-started a 99-yard scoring drive, gave the Texans into the lead, and got Stroud into a zone.
BEFORE: 9-16, 83 yards, INT, 5.2 yards per attempt
AFTER: 12-16, 164 yards, TD, 10.3 yards per attempt
Stroud had moments against KC in week 16 but was emotionally overcome at one point after best friend and teammate Tank Dell blew out his knee on a touchdown pass and threw a pair of interceptions in the loss.
"I've always wanted to be in these moments," said Stroud, adding, "Owning the little things" would be essential to beat a team the quality of the Chiefs.
COMMANDERS AT LIONS (SATURDAY, 8 PM)
"It's rare for a team to turn it around this fast," Terry McLaurin told the gathered media earlier this week, and the man ain't wrong.
What the Commanders have done, 12-5 in the regular season and now a last-second playoff win at Tampa Bay, is eye-opening. The stability head coach Dan Quinn has brought to the table has been important, but Jayden Daniels is where it's at.
"He's a killer," said Quinn of his rookie quarterback, who has led six fourth-quarter comebacks this season.
"I'm just competitive," said Daniels. "I just want to win. I will do whatever it takes to win."
On that front, Daniels regularly does early morning walkthroughs with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. It's just another way for him to get reps for what Washington is doing offensively and talk through what the opposing defense will do. I'd say it's helped, wouldn't you?
“He’s dangerous, he poses a major threat," said Lions coach Dan Campbell. "He does not play the position like a rookie quarterback. He’s composed, he understands how to progress, he sees the field well, he buys time with his legs, he’s a dangerous runner, he’s smart, you can tell he understands how to run that offense, what they’re asking him to do and then he’s got weapons. He’s got weapons around him. …He’s a difference maker.”
Can Daniels take his team into Detroit and upset the top-seeded Lions? That franchise has long been at or near the bottom of the league. But Campbell has instilled a culture, GM Brad Holmes got him players, and now, they enter the postseason as the NFC favorite.
"I don't think about, man, we're the one seed," said Campbell. "So if we, you know, if you guys don't succeed, then I never think like that. I look at it as I know who we are. I know what we're about. I know how we have to prepare. I respect the opponent; now it's time to go to work. That's how I look at it. I don't look at anything else. I don't think of what if it doesn't, what if? What if? The 'what ifs' like expletive, man, I couldn't sleep at night if I lived that way. There's no freaking way. So no, I don't think of that.
"We've had attention for four years here. There's been more stuff that's been made out, that's been built one way. We've been so good, we've been so bad, we're a laughing stock now, we're great, and it's just been this roller coaster of ups and downs, and it's just the next week of it, you know what I mean? And so this is nothing new that we're in right now. This is nothing new for me, for the coaches, for the players. We're in the middle of the circus, man, and it's about time to perform. That's the world we're in."
The Lions have the #1 scoring offense in football and are the first team in NFL history to have two running backs and two wide receivers to each have 1,000+ yards from scrimmage (David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jameson Williams). Their defense has been challenged by injuries, but they submitted an elite performance in a week 18 win-and-get-the-1-seed matchup with Minnesota, and will need to do something similar to Daniels to advance.
RAMS AT EAGLES (SUNDAY, 3 PM)
While I trust Sean McVay's ability to devise a legitimate plan for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, I wonder if his team has enough juice left to put forth the kind of effort it will take to win?
The wildfires in and around Los Angeles led to a panicked scene around the team as late as Thursday and forced the relocation of Monday's game to Phoenix. This week hasn't been any less hectic. Finding the energy to come up with a win over the Vikings was one thing. Doing it again six days later, across the country, is a tall task.
There is, however, the memory of what Philadelphia did to LA when they met in week 12. It was 37-20, and Saquon Barkley went off, rushing for 255 yards and two scores.
“That humbling night, when you have the right people…it's just like I've told you guys. I think a lot of the scars that we've had as a team have been what led us to the point that we're at," said McVay. "I know the greatest growth opportunities that I have ever taken part, with myself in particular, are when it's the most challenging times."
That same Rams front seven that got pounded into submission that day submitted one of the best defensive performances in recent memory, sacking Sam Darnold nine times in Monday's win. But they're still a little light against the run, and Barkley will be a focal point again.
"They are playing as well as any defense in the league right now, and they are playing really confidently," said Eagles OC Kellen Moore. "They will stress us in a lot of different ways. And there will be a lot of challenges associated with our run game based on them having the film and the film they have put out the last month and a half, which has been really, really impressive. It will be a challenge."
Yes, the Rams' work in pass defense has been, but they've allowed 100+ yards or more in five of their last seven games, and no one runs it as well or has as imposing an offensive line as Philly does.
Meanwhile, the Eagles' defense has gelled as the season has progressed under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, finishing first in total defense and pass defense, second in scoring, and 10th against the rush.
RAVENS AT BILLS (SUNDAY, 6:30 PM)
There aren't two players in the playoffs that have more pressure on them than the quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. They will finish 1-2 in the MVP voting (each has accounted for 40+ touchdowns and fewer than 10 turnovers) and headed toward Canton, Ohio, one day. Still, neither has the playoff resume that matches their regular season success.
Allen would have already been in a Super Bowl - and probably would have won it - if not for the 13-second game against Kansas City. He threw four touchdown passes that day and was the best player on the field (with Mahomes on the other side).
"The play's never really over, and then when he runs, he is a big dude," admired Marlon Humphrey. "He can juke you, but he can run you over and keep running very easily. Just a super tough quarterback to go against. That's the biggest thing if I had to put it on one thing. He's just... the play's just never over."
Jackson doesn't have Allen's size, but much like the Bills QB, you have to defend the play, then the second and sometimes third effort off that play.
"He's just an incredible athlete, incredible player, probably in a lot of ways changed some of the things around the NFL, by the way he plays," said Sean McDermott of Jackson. "And so just the utmost respect for him and his game."
Despite being a two-time MVP, Jackson and the Ravens have struggled to find their footing in the postseason. They're just 1-3 in the divisional round or later. Allen and the Bills are 1-4 using the same criteria, and the only win came over Baltimore in 2020. This week, neither was asked about what's at stake personally.
"Excuse me for everyone who's watching, but I really don't care who's watching," Jackson said. "Us players, we're just trying to win. We really don't care how people feel about it. That's a tough environment, tough team – offense, defense, special teams.
"I believe we're already built up. It's playoffs; it's not like we can go out there, lose a game, and prepare for another game. It's win or go home."
"In the history of football, I've never played against another quarterback. I've played against their defense," said Allen, adding, "I think that's why you play the game - to be in moments like these."
The two teams met way back in week 4. At 1-2, Baltimore approached it like its season depended on it. The result spoke to that, a 35-10 win for the sons of John Harbaugh. Should we read much into that?
"I feel like we've grown quite a bit since that game," said Allen. "Obviously, learned a lot from those moments... They got a really good football team, too. They're playing this week for a reason."
STAYING PUT IN PITT
After being among the most surprising teams in the league through the first 14 weeks, the Steelers crashed and burned, losing their final five games, including in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
It's Pittsburgh's fifth straight one-and-done, and it raised immediate questions about Mike Tomlin's future there, including the notion that he could be traded.
"Save your time," he told reporters at his end-of-the-year press conference.
Tomlin sets an undeniable floor for this franchise — it's well-documented. He has never had a losing season in his 18 seasons at the helm. But he acknowledged that change would come with the roster and - perhaps - the coaching staff.
"Certainly, there's change that comes when we don't have the desired outcome, and so those are just the realities of the business," Tomlin said. "I would imagine there's going to be some things that change around here on a lot of levels, but that's this game, as I've mentioned, and so I understand that. I'm open to that really just beginning the processes of some of the decision-making that has to transpire."
The Steelers' ordinarily stout defense didn't hold up their end of the bargain during that final stretch and surrendered 299 yards rushing in their 28-14 postseason loss to the Ravens. But it was the offense that really bottomed out. The Russell Wilson-led group - occasionally supplemented by Justin Fields - scored only seven touchdowns during their skid. Both players are scheduled to be free agents, although Tomlin isn't closing the door on either. Why, exactly? I'll let him explain.
"Just their professionalism, approach to business, their relationship with the game was an encouragement in that regard," he said.
Fields began the season as a starter as Wilson recovered from a calf injury. He improved in the passing game under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, winning four of his six starts.
"I thought that the way that he managed his professional circumstance was really impressive," said Tomlin. "I thought he brought an urgency to his day-to-day work regardless of his role. I thought he got continually better within our system of ball throughout the process. I thought the way he conducted himself makes that (a return) a legitimate thought or idea at this juncture."
Tomlin may have been pleased with Fields' growth, but the moment Wilson proved healthy, the coach handed him the keys. Initially, it looked brilliant. There were points where Wilson looked like the Russ of old. Six wins in seven starts. Obviously, that didn't last.
"I don't view it as misfortune, to be quite honest with you," said Tomlin. "Particularly at this level in this business and game, there's football justice. You get what you deserve, and so we are here and we're here for really tangible reasons. We didn't involve in the right ways. We didn't strike the right chords at the right time, particularly down the stretch."
