Vrabel on Campbell, Lomu and a quarterback who 'looked very calm'
Vrabel gave no timeline on Will Campbell, said A.J. Brown has a chance to return this week and confirmed the Efton Chism lateral was designed.
Vrabel on Campbell, Lomu and a quarterback who “looked very calm”
The bottom line: Mike Vrabel gave no timeline on Will Campbell or TreVeyon Henderson at his Monday news conference, said A.J. Brown has a chance to return this week, and confirmed that the lateral Efton Chism III threw on Sunday was designed. One thing has changed since he spoke: Henderson’s diagnosis came back Tuesday.
The injuries
The bottom line: Vrabel would not put a number on either man, 24 hours after the game.
The details:
- On Campbell: “I mean, we’ll see how the week goes. He’ll get looked at and continue to rehab. He wasn’t able to finish the game, so I don’t know how much time he’ll miss. I don’t know if he’ll be back towards the end of the week or be back Wednesday. We’ll take it day by day, see how he feels tomorrow, see what he does Wednesday and keep you updated on the injury report.”
- Asked whether Henderson was in the same boat: “Yeah, probably. We’ll evaluate here and see how it looks.” He added that “those two players will do everything that they can to get back,” but that he did not know their availability “less than 24 hours after the game.”
- That has since moved. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Tuesday morning that Henderson has a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss multiple weeks without needing surgery. Campbell’s situation is unchanged: he was due for an MRI on the knee in which he tore an MCL last season, and no result has been announced.
- On whether Brown could play this week: “A chance? Yep, there is.” Brown has been on injured reserve since Week 1.
- What Brown would add: “Well, I think just helping to add to the production. I think that’s all you want from the receivers, is that they’re a productive group, that they win 1-on-1 match-ups, contested catches, create separation, give quarterbacks confidence and places to go with the football.”
Caleb Lomu and the line
The bottom line: Vrabel’s compliment to the rookie left tackle was that nobody noticed him.
The details:
- “I don’t think it was too big for him. I think he was able to settle down. You didn’t really notice him a lot, so I think that’s probably a good thing. He was able to anchor at times on some power and allowed Drake [Maye] to be able transfer up into the pocket.”
- On the combinations the line may have to use: “whether it’s Ben [Brown] and Jared [Wilson], or it’s Ben and Morgan [Moses] or Ben and Caleb, just being able to work together with the guy next to you and then try to help each other do their job.”
- Asked how the line handled the Raiders’ stunts: “it’s about protecting the guy next to you and being able to flatten the guy out, use your length. That’ll do a lot to help the games and then making sure that the penetrator doesn’t get into the crease.”
- Asked which group he wished he had given a game ball to: “Probably the offensive line.”
- On Morgan Moses drawing a penalty and then helping Rhamondre Stevenson score: “being able to overcome some of those negative plays or penalties that maybe in the past had set us back, and we were able to overcome them.”
On Maye
The bottom line: Vrabel came back to clean pockets and decisiveness, the same things the charting shows changed over the last two games.
The details:
- “Well, he looked very calm. Again, when we give him clean pockets, he’s very accurate down the field. He maybe only had a few, I would say, wrong decisions or where he wanted to go with the football. Just seemed very in control, very confident. When he felt like he needed to run, he was decisive.”
- “So, it was good to see him spread the ball around and have a lot of success. Clean pockets, smart with the football.”
- On being seen telling Maye “We’re not going to take any more stuff” for a second straight week: “I think that’s just for all of us. Listen, we’re all in the judgment business, and we understand what this is. It’s week-to-week. It’s day-to-day. It’s focusing on what we can do to improve, play our position, play our role.”
Vildor, game balls and what Vrabel wants the identity to be
The bottom line: A cornerback signed off the practice squad got a game ball, and Vrabel used him to describe the standard.
The details:
- Kindle Vildor had a pass breakup and helped force the fumble that ended a Raiders drive in the 45-17 win. “Yeah, he gets a PBU, gets a big punch out there, changes the momentum, helps us get the drive stopped.”
- Vrabel relayed a coach’s note that Vildor “had a mental error on the play, but he also had an extra effort” then said: “I think that’s really defines what we want our identity to be, is that the ability to have an error or a mistake, but also the ability to go finish, still impact the play and know that a mental error doesn’t have to necessarily mean that the play is over or a mistake.”
- On getting the whole roster to play unselfishly: “I mean, I think it’s hard to get 70 guys to believe that and to understand that. Do I think that we have a high majority? Yeah. And whatever’s left on that, we’ll continue to chip away.”
Three other things he said
- The Chism lateral was designed. Asked directly whether the 16-yard lateral play was schemed rather than improvised, Vrabel answered: “Yes.”
- Why he went for it on fourth down near the goal line: “Just want to score touchdowns.” He added that New England’s recent success on fourth down makes the call easier: “the better that we do in those situations, I would say that the easier it is for me to put my confidence and put the team’s confidence in our offense to be able to pick those up.”
- On Eli Raridon, who was targeted five times: “If you’re targeted five times as a tight end, you want five catches.” Of Hunter Henry: “he’s where he’s supposed to be most of the time.”
- On Stevenson, who played through being limited in practice and took extra carries after Henderson went out: “Consistent. I think he hit some good runs. I think his protection was good.”
Wednesday’s practice is the next time the team updates availability. The current Patriots injury report carries it for both teams.
Our take
The most revealing answer was the shortest one. Asked why he went for it on fourth down inside the 10, Vrabel said: “Just want to score touchdowns.” No process, no hedge.
That’s the same coach who won’t give you a week on Campbell. He isn’t being cagey, he genuinely doesn’t have it yet, and the Henderson news landing the next morning rather than from him is the proof. What he will tell you is what he wants the team to look like, and he picked a practice-squad corner with a mental error on the same play as the game ball to explain it.
The Lomu line is the one to hang onto. “You didn’t really notice him a lot, so I think that’s probably a good thing.” If Campbell misses time, that is the entire bar the rookie has to clear.