Mike Vrabel doubles down on preseason decision, despite backlash
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has no regrets about resting the starters during the preseason.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel remains unapologetic about his decision to keep the starters on the bench throughout the team's three preseason games. However, it became apparent during Wednesday's 13-10 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks that the squad struggled with rust, particularly on offense. Vrabel reiterated his stance against criticism, asserting that playing backups like the Eagles or Colts for eight plays would not have adequately prepared his team for the challenges they faced.
"Playing the backups for the Eagles or the Colts for eight plays, I don't think was going to prepare us for what we saw last night," Vrabel told reporters. "I thought we handled the environment; I thought we did. I know the execution wasn't good enough, but the line of scrimmage, penalties, the operation, those things gave us a chance. Some other things didn't give us a chance."
The team's performance was further hampered by injuries, with quarterback Drake Maye throwing three interceptions and star wide receiver A.J. Brown suffering a high ankle sprain that will sideline him for at least four games. Despite these setbacks, the Patriots are optimistic about their upcoming match against the Pittsburgh Steelers at home at Gillette Stadium, followed by back-to-back road games against Jacksonville and Buffalo.
The staff is eager to bounce back quickly after this difficult start to the season. For more updates, follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
