New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was not happy with what he saw from his defense on Saturday, and he was not shy about saying it.
Vrabel took the unusual step of calling a timeout with 1:53 to go in the first quarter of Saturday’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. while his team was on defense. The Eagles had driven 59 yards to the Patriots’ 27-yard line, which prompted an abrupt timeout from Vrabel.
After the game, Vrabel was asked about the unusual timeout, and his explanation was simple.
“I saw dogs–t defense and I wanted to talk to them,” Vrabel said.
The chat did not necessarily bring the desired results on the drive in question, as the Eagles did go on to score a touchdown. However, the Eagles only scored 14 points in the remainder of the game, so Vrabel’s timeout may have paid long-term dividends.
Vrabel has no problem calling out his players, even the stars. He saw bad defense and was not going to tolerate it, even if it was the first quarter of a preseason game.
