If I told you that New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel deflected a question at a press conference, you might assume that the question was about the Dianna Russini scandal that engulfed his offseason.
That would make far more sense than what actually happened.
On Sunday, the Patriots secured their first win of the 2026 NFL season by taking care of the uninspired Pittsburgh Steelers. In the 20-3 victory, however, the offense only scored 13 points, while quarterback Drake Maye looked a little flustered for a second straight week.
After the game, Ben Volin, senior NFL writer for The Boston Globe, asked Vrabel a perfectly reasonable and relatively benign question about Maye and the team’s murky offensive identity to start the season.
“Thirteen points a week after just scoring 10, just what’s your concern level with Drake Maye and the offense right now?” Volin asked during Vrabel’s postgame press conference. “Are you worried he’s maybe pressing a little too much?”
Vrabel made a face and shook his head before answering in a monotone, perturbed, and borderline condescending tone. “Nope, just trying to win the game, Ben,” he said. “You’re not gonna ruin my Sunday, but I’ll come back to you tomorrow. Thanks, bud.”
No one was getting to Mike Vrabel pic.twitter.com/cZuSj1ivjl
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 20, 2026
It was a strange reaction from Vrabel, considering nothing about Volin’s question or tone was inflammatory in the slightest. Volin, as confused as everyone else by the exchange, posted the shrug emoji on X.
Volin wasn’t alone. Vrabel seemed to just be in a sassy mood.
In response to the following question, Vrabel interrupted the reporter to say, “You neither! You’re not gonna ruin it, either!”
Later, when Andrew Callahan asked about Christian Gonzalez shadowing DK Metcalf, Vrabel said, “I don’t recall.” Awkward pause. “I mean, I recall. I’m just not gonna tell you, I guess. I just saw somebody say, ‘I don’t recall’ a bunch of times. It’s like a show or something. He was in court.”
And to end the presser, Vrabel shut down a question about Romeo Doubs’s “difficulties” in Week 1. “Rome dropped one ball last week in the first game,” he said. “You guys are — I mean, I’ve seen, ‘He dropped three passes!’ I don’t think he dropped three passes. He dropped one. We get back to work.”
Say what you want, but at least Mike Vrabel is consistent.
About Megan Armstrong
Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.