Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel Defends Not Playing Starters During Preseason: ‘Results-Based Analytics is Tough’
· Yahoo Sports
Patriots Coach Mike Vrabel Defends Not Playing Starters During Preseason: ‘Results-Based Analytics is Tough’ originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The Patriots would like to forget Week 1 of the NFL’s 2026 season. New England lost a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks, 13-10. Drake Maye threw three interceptions, and the offense was limited thanks to Seattle's defense.
Critics have dissected all aspects of this Patriots team. One thing discussed is preseason play.
Tommy DeVito acted as the QB for the Patriots, while several starters didn’t play. Coach Mike Vrabel has been questioned all weekend about not utilizing starters and whether he has any regrets. He called it a "damned if you do, damned if you don’t" situation.
"I don’t know what else to tell you… I have to make a decision. I don’t know how much we want to get into this. They get hurt, 'Oh, that dumb son of a b----. Why is he playing them in the preseason?' There’s nothing we can do other than play better," Vrabel said on The Greg Hill Show.
"Going out there against the Eagles backups at home, for eight plays or 10 plays, wasn’t going to prepare us for the environment that we had on opening night. The work that we did prior to that game did much to prepare us that day than playing in that game… We weren’t going to see the same type of defense, we weren’t going to see any of that stuff. That’s just what I think. And if we wouldn’t played better, 'Ah, that was great. They didn’t throw interceptions.'"
Outside three interceptions, Maye threw for over 178 yards. Mack Hollins was the lead receiver after A.J. Brown got injured late in the game. Rhamondre Stevenson ran the ball and caught it for a combined 95 yards.
The Patriots play the Steelers in a Week 2 matchup pitting Maye against Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers didn’t play during the preseason, not believing he would gain any advantage by participating. The same question Vrabel has been asked will come into play here.
Vrabel looks to move on, hoping for a different outcome against the Steelers.
"Results-based analytics is tough. We have to make decisions. We have to be convicted in them, and we have to feel like we’re well-informed with the decisions that we’re making and then go and believe in them and make them work," Vrabel said.