Mike Vrabel reached into New England Patriots history to make his point about where the offense needs to go next.
With New England coming off a 13-10 season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Vrabel emphasized the value of a functional running game and invoked Tom Brady while explaining the danger of leaning too heavily on the quarterback.
“When you throw about 45 times, unless you’re Tom Brady, you win about 25% of the time,” Vrabel said, per Mark Daniels of MassLive on Sept. 14.
“When you throw about 45 times, unless you’re Tom Brady, you win about 25% of the time.”
Drake Maye threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter as the Patriots watched a 10-0 advantage disappear in Seattle. He finished 23-of-33 passing for 178 yards, one touchdown and three picks.
Vrabel’s point wasn’t that Maye should never approach 45 attempts, but that the Patriots can’t make a habit of putting games overwhelmingly on their quarterback’s arm and expect favorable results.
Patriots’ Running Game Left Much to Fix
New England did try to stay committed to the ground game against Seattle.
The outcomes didn’t comply.
Rhamondre Stevenson carried 18 times for 51 yards, averaging 2.8 yards per attempt. Maye nearly matched that production with 47 yards on seven scrambles.
The Patriots struggled to generate consistent movement when they handed the ball off, leaving the offense without the kind of efficient early-down option that could have eased the burden on Maye.
The absence of TreVeyon Henderson didn’t help. Henderson missed the opener because of an ankle injury suffered in practice Aug. 24. He led New England with 911 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns as a rookie in 2025, giving the Patriots an explosive element that was missing against Seattle.
Stevenson can handle volume, but his longest run in the opener went for 12 yards.
Without Henderson, the Patriots had trouble turning their commitment to the run into chunk gains.
Calling runs alone won’t create balance, but New England has to make those carries productive enough to keep the offense out of obvious passing situations and give Josh McDaniels more of his playbook on second and third down.
Brady Reference Comes With Bigger Week 2 Stakes
Vrabel’s Brady line also arrives at a inopportune moment for Maye.
The Patriots are expected to be without A.J. Brown when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 20. Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain against Seattle and has been placed on injured reserve, with an expected absence of roughly six weeks.
That puts even more importance on finding help for Maye elsewhere.
Pittsburgh supplied a reminder Sunday of what can happen when an opposing quarterback is forced into mistakes. T.J. Watt produced two sacks, three tackles for loss and a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Steelers’ 20-13 victory over Atlanta. Pittsburgh intercepted two passes overall.
Those are precisely the situations Vrabel appears intent on avoiding.
Maye is going to serve as the operatopr of New England’s offense. And even though his talent gives the Patriots a chance to win games through the air, his late mistakes in Seattle won’t bode well for the upcoming games.
Vrabel’s message, however, made the desired formula crystal clear. The Patriots don’t want Maye operating as if he has to be Brady every Sunday.
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