New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel isn’t one to sugarcoat things, and last Sunday’s 45-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers only made him more blunt.
“We lost, and we got our a**es kicked,” Vrabel said after the Patriots fell to 5-4. “There’s no two ways around it.”
He then said he wanted to put “48 guys out there that care” in Germany. The next morning, with the trade deadline looming, he told WEEI that any player who didn’t want to be there should let the team know by the next day.
Five days later, Vrabel had another pointed message from Munich.
Mike Vrabel Sends Warning to Patriots Players
On Friday, before practice at FC Bayern Munich’s training facility, Vrabel was asked about running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver A.J. Brown. Both are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
His response gave some the impression that he wasn’t happy with at least one of those players.
“We’re always looking for guys that are looking for ways in as opposed to ways out,” Vrabel said. “At this point in the season, 10 weeks straight without a bye, there’s pretty much nobody out there that’s 100 percent. We have to realize that, we have to recognize that, we also have to find ways to do our job. Rhamondre is one of those players that’s looking for a way in.”
Stevenson, the Patriots’ leading rusher, hurt his knee against Green Bay and sat out practice Wednesday. He still made the trip and was limited Thursday and Friday.
That’s the “way in” Vrabel was talking about. But the “ways out” part didn’t go unnoticed.
Some fans believe that part of Vrabel’s message was directed at Brown, who’s missed several games this season due to injury. Brown has been nursing a knee injury for the last few games.
“(He’s talking about) AJB without question,” one fan declared.
“Everyone saying Davis but he’s genuinely built like glass. It’s AJ Brown,” another fan added.
“Who’s been injured a lot and not played? AJ,” one user noted.
“I see nothing wrong with this statement… Calling out the players with the mamba mentality; the winners who push through… AJ Brown may be one of the ones being called out for lacking that drive,” another user exclaimed.
A.J. Brown’s First Season in New England Hasn’t Gone to Plan
Of course, Brown wasn’t supposed to be a question mark.
The Patriots acquired the three-time Pro Bowler from the Philadelphia Eagles on June 1 for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. The trade reunited Brown with Vrabel, his former head coach with the Tennessee Titans.
However, Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener in Seattle and missed four straight games. Not long after he returned, a knee injury cost him two weeks of practice and games against the Miami Dolphins and Packers.
All told, Brown has played in just three of the Patriots’ nine games (9 catches, 101 yards). He returned to practice Wednesday and was limited this week.
When asked whether the Patriots need to protect Brown from himself once he’s back, Vrabel didn’t sound like a coach questioning his receiver’s toughness.
“We got to trust them a little bit,” Vrabel said, adding that the team would “kind of see how it goes.”
He also said he felt “pretty good” about both players after Thursday’s practice.
The Patriots (5-4) face the 6-2 Lions at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday at FC Bayern Munich Arena, their last game before the bye week.
Mike Vrabel Sends Stern Warning to Patriots Player Ahead of Lions Game