Milton Williams was placed on injured reserve by the Patriots.
Milton Williams was placed on injured reserve by the Patriots.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Welcome back to the mailbag. Topics this week include Milton Williams, Mike Vrabel’s coaching style, the defense, and more. Let’s get to it.
Does the placing ofMilton Williams on IR put the decision to trade Keion White to the 49ers in a different light? Or did White’s performance degrade so much that it didn’t matter?
— Vincent Lee, Quincy
While White didn’t set the world on fire on the edge for the last year-plus, there’s not enough positional redundancy to consider White and Williams a one-for-one switch. Williams did play some out there, but he has been more of an interior defender. If someone such as Harold Landry or K’Lavon Chaisson had gone down after the White trade, it might have been a different story.
I have always thought that any team that has a terrific third quarter must have a great coach who could fire up his team during halftime. This is what is happening with the Patriots. Fans should recognize how much Mike Vrabel means to this team.
— Tom Murray, Brattleboro, Vt.
No argument here. One of the secrets to the Patriots’ success is their ability to score with less than two minutes left in the first half, and put together a dominant third quarter on both sides of the ball. It was one of their hallmarks going into the Jets game and figures to be one of their strong suits moving forward. While it’s not so much a byproduct of a passionate halftime speech — more like important adjustments — that sort of complementary football is very much a positive.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has been a breath of fresh air.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has been a breath of fresh air.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Mike Vrabel says, “Go out there and have fun,” at a critical moment in the win over Tampa Bay. Bill Belichick said, “Do your job” and “No days off.” I always wondered why players wanted to play for a martinet like Belichick, but I can readily understand why they would like to play for Vrabel. Such a breath of fresh air.
— Jimmy Jillett, Melrose
If you’re winning, I’m not sure anyone really cares about the motivational approach. I do think Vrabel is better suited to connect with more of the modern-day players, at least in part because of his age, as well as that he played the game at a high level. He can view it through a different lens. At the same time, there’s also the empathy he’s developed over the last few seasons that allows him to forge genuine relationships with those in the locker room. That doesn’t mean Vrabel spares the needle; he can be as sharp-tongued as Belichick was. He’s just more aware that every player is different and can be motivated in different ways.
Seems the defense is not performing like a Super Bowl contender. The Jets gave me a scare; they ran all over New England on Thursday. After the Week 1 game with the Raiders, they were the second-worst team after the Jets, and they gave the Patriots one of their two losses.
— Paul Tucker, Portland, Ore.
On a short week against a team that was truly committed to running the football, the Patriots did well. However, if this team has a potentially fatal flaw, it’s the defense’s inability to stop teams on their first offensive possession. It’s a maddening trend, one they fully acknowledge. They can get away with it against inferior opponents, but if they want to play deep into January, they need to figure out a fix. It doesn’t matter if Drake Maye ends up winning the MVP. If you can’t get some early three-and-outs in the postseason, you’re going to be one-and-done.
It seems to me that lost in the defense’s solid play is the recent disappearance of Harold Landry. Do the stats back that up?
— Tim C., Charlestown, R.I.
It’s not so much regression on Landry’s part, but the recent emergence of Chaisson that’s the real story on the edge. In many ways, Chaisson is giving them the production they thought they were going to get with White. Chaisson is on pace to reach double digits in sacks, and his willingness to jump in anywhere as needed impressed Vrabel. Not bad for a guy on a one-year deal. For a guy dealing with some health issues, Landry has done well. He’s second on the team with 5½ sacks, and his 41 pressures — according to Pro Football Focus — are 11th among all edge defenders.
Harold Landry is second on the Patriots with 5½ sacks.
Harold Landry is second on the Patriots with 5½ sacks.Greg M. Cooper/Associated Press
With it never hurting to get a head start on the holiday season, what should the Patriots be asking for from Santa this year?
— Ed Helinski, Auburn, N.Y.
Better first-quarter defense. Hoping one of their linebackers can develop coverage skills so they won’t be hamstrung against a good tight end in December and January. And good health and good luck, which should (theoretically) bring with it the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.