Mike Vrabel is getting ready for irst regular season as the head coach of the organization he played for over two decades ago, the New England Patriots. And it seems as if Bill Belichick’s abrasive attitude towards the media has rubbed off on Vrabel.
On Wednesday, Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs joined Dianna Russini on a live edition of the Scoop City podcast from Patriots training camp. During the conversation with Russini, Diggs was asked whether he would be healthy heading into Week 1 of the regular season after coming off of a torn ACL back in October. And Diggs didn’t sound entirely sure that being ready by Week 1 was a certainty.
“I feel great,” Diggs told Russini. “I’m pushing the needle always. I’m always doing more than less. We’ll see about Week 1, I don’t know how I feel about it. We’ll see. Coaches aren’t too excited. I’m not too excited. I’m just trying to take a day by day. So we’ll see. It looks like we just don’t know where it’s gonna go.”
Understandably, Diggs’ comments were brought up to Vrabel during his press conference on Thursday by NBC Sports Boston reporter Phil Perry. But Vrabel either wasn’t aware of the comments, or simply wasn’t buying what Diggs had to say, questioning whether Perry was trying to “bait him into something.”
“Did you really believe that Phil?” Vrabel asked Perry. “I mean, you are a smart guy. I don’t know where you went to school. It wasn’t Ohio State. Like, do you really believe that? Do you really believe that Phil? Or are you just trying to bait me into something?”
“I’m not baiting you into anything,” replied Perry. “He did say he wasn’t sure he would be ready for Week 1. Is there any doubt in your mind that he will be ready?”
“I don’t know the context in which he said it,” said Vrabel in response to the reporter’s follow-up question. “You’d have to help me. I mean, he’s been out here almost every day. I’m excited on where he is at. We’ll see when Week 1 comes. He’s gonna practice today. Hopefully he helps us in the red zone. But we can’t predict the future about Week 1. He’s gonna be out there today. He works hard, he cares, which are two important things.”
The question itself certainly was a reasonable one, given what Diggs had told Russini. So it certainly seems a bit unwarranted for Vrabel to give such a snarky response.
Fiery press conference moments certainly aren’t all that abnormal for Vrabel throughout his coaching career. And that trend certainly hasn’t changed in New England.
Just last month, Vrabel went off on a reporter for asking a repeat question, questioning whether he was “in a coma” when the question was asked earlier in the press conference.
Mike Vrabel may not gain all that many allies amongst Boston media members should he continue to disparage reporters during press conferences. But as was the case with Belichick during his tenure in New England, all will be forgiven by fans and media members alike as long as the Patriots are winning.