Mike Vrabel on Falcons’ accusations of Patriots’ illegal clapping

A day after the Patriots held on to defeat the Falcons 24-23, Mike Vrabel stopped in for his weekly interview with WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”

The New England head coach refuted the notion that the closeness of the rating — coupled with a number of Patriots mistakes — made the eventual win feel like a loss.

“I don’t wish to ever say that, however they’re hungry for extra,” Vrabel mentioned of his gamers. “They wish to proceed to execute for 4 quarters, put all of it collectively.”

Vrabel careworn an ongoing effort to attain higher consistency, along with his workforce at present displaying “glimpses” of each good and unhealthy soccer.

“After which there are glimpses of, ‘What’s that?’” he mentioned, referring to the occasional poor play. “So I feel they wish to get again to the place we’re all attuned with one another, enjoying collectively, feeding off one another, and never a number of the errors that confirmed up yesterday.”

Listed here are a number of different subjects Vrabel touched on in the course of the interview:

“Clapgate”

Following the sport on Sunday, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris accused the Patriots of getting “simulated a snap” by clapping earlier than the play. It occurred in a vital state of affairs within the fourth quarter with 2:09 remaining within the recreation and with Atlanta on the Patriots’ 48-yard line.

Trailing 24-23, Falcons heart Ryan Neuzil snapped the ball early, main a frazzled (and pressured) Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to do away with the ball early. He was then flagged for intentional grounding, which proved to be an insurmountable hurdle within the eventual defeat. After the sport, Morris mentioned the Patriots prompted the miscue.

“They did a pleasant job. They simulated a snap,” he told reporters. “The ball got here early, was snapped early. Inside that snap, that was after we received the intentional grounding. Good job by these guys. Nice situational soccer. Nice play. Received to snap the ball. That’s why the ball was snapped early on Mike. He wasn’t prepared for the snap.”

By NFL guidelines, simulating an opposing workforce’s snap is a 15-yard penalty for “disconcerting indicators,” although it wasn’t known as on Sunday.

Requested if he has a response to the allegation, Vrabel appeared confused.

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I imply I didn’t see something.”

“Clapgate,” he joked.

“That was new. I didn’t see that,” Vrabel added. “Possibly that’s a testomony to our followers. It received loud and I might hear the power, so thank them for that. However that’s a superb level. I didn’t see something, and I’ll allow you to guys go examine.”

Drake Maye

The Patriots’ quarterback had a roller-coaster day in opposition to the Falcons’ highly-rated go protection. Although he threw for 259 yards — over 100 yards greater than what Atlanta was yielding on common — Maye’s two turnovers led to 10 factors for the opposition.

Vrabel took a sympathetic line with Maye.

“We’ve to do higher job of defending him, particularly in the midst of the pocket,” he mentioned. “We’ve talked about that since we received right here.”

Although he famous that Maye additionally has to wash up a number of components of his recreation, the Patriots’ coach mentioned his message to the 23-year-old after his interception was to keep watch over the larger image.

“This can be a lengthy recreation. It’s a protracted season,” Vrabel mentioned when requested what his message to Maye was. “All of us put numerous strain on ourselves, and we simply must guarantee that we’re centered on the subsequent play. That’s what I needed to remind him.”

DeMario Douglas

After posting a profession day — 4 catches for 100 yards and a landing — Patriots huge receiver DeMario Douglas revealed that he was coping with a private tragedy: His uncle had been shot and killed on Saturday.

“This complete morning, my temper was totally different, I couldn’t maintain my tears,” Douglas told Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network after the sport on Sunday.

Vrabel mentioned that after studying in regards to the the loss that Douglas endured, he was centered on attempting to supply no matter assist the huge receiver may want.

“Nicely clearly [I] was unaware of that,” Vrabel defined. “So once I turned conscious of that, simply reached out to Pop and simply mentioned how proud I used to be of him to have the ability to do this, to hold that weight on his coronary heart and on his thoughts, and mentioned no matter we might do to help him and his household, no matter he wanted, that we needed to do this. So we’ll discover out extra at the moment in how we will help him.”

Concerning Douglas’ character, the Patriots coach praised the 24-year-old’s angle and perspective.

“He is a good character. He has an enormous coronary heart. He’s a fantastic teammate, and he at all times has a smile on his face. I like teaching him, and I like being round him.”

Energy of schedule

Although the Patriots are actually 7-2, New England has confronted a relatively simpler schedule (as solely three of the workforce’s 9 opponents this season at present have successful information).

Vrabel, requested about this notion, refuted it.

“I can solely coach one workforce at a time. I don’t make the schedule,” he mentioned in response to the cost that his workforce has had a lighter schedule to amass its present successful streak.

“Each workforce beats each workforce,” Vrabel added. “That’s my mind-boggling to me within the Nationwide Soccer League that there can be energy of schedule. You’ve received a wage cap. Everyone spends the identical amount of cash. So that you guys know on this league that that doesn’t actually imply something.”

Movember

With the onset of November, Vrabel fortunately relayed that he’s now within the very early levels of rising a mustache.

“I’m beginning off this little Movember mustache. Sooner or later in,” he mentioned, explaining that it’s in partnership with Gillette for charity. The subject is very related given the information earlier in 2025 that the workforce’s defensive coordinator, Terrell Williams, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“We’re going to do the Movember factor right here for males’s well being, and prostate most cancers. Clearly hits house right here with Large T [Terrell Williams] and simply ensuring our coaches and everyone’s wholesome is one thing that we’re centered on,” mentioned Vrabel.

“Every week possibly we’ll have a progress report. I’ll appear to be Tom Selleck right here in one other couple weeks.”

The upcoming commerce deadline

The NFL commerce deadline is about for Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 4 p.m.

New England, at present atop the AFC East, is predicted to be a purchaser (although the workforce has already made multiple trades to ship former gamers elsewhere).

“We’ll proceed to see who desires to maneuver folks, and let these guys deal with that,” Vrabel famous concerning the commerce deadline. “They normally come to me when one thing occurs, one thing [has] potential, after which we discuss it. I’m not going to sit down there and chase each angle right here this morning as I attempt to get the coaches and everyone prepared for Tampa Bay.”

Does the present document change the entrance workplace’s degree of aggression to make a deal?

“It’s 9 video games in to what we’re attempting to construct right here,” Vrabel mentioned. “I don’t suppose that that’s made something extra imminent. If one thing that we really feel like goes to assist us now and sooner or later, then that’s in all probability one thing we should always take a look at, however I don’t suppose that the 7-2 document goes to must power us to do one thing or not do one thing. If it really works for the long-term, and we are able to construct this factor…I wish to be right here for a very long time.”