The Patriots are 1-2 after being blown out by the Jaguars on Sunday and head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t sugarcoat his feelings about where things stand for the team after the 35-6 loss.
Vrabel said his “concern level is very high for this football team” after another week of sloppy play for a team that advanced to the Super Bowl last season. Vrabel said that the Patriots “can’t turn it over at the rate we’re turning it over” in reference to three turnovers on Sunday and then faced a lot of questions about the guy who was responsible for all of them.
Quarterback Drake Maye lost a fumble and threw two interceptions, which gives him six interceptions on the season. Vrabel could be seen talking to Maye on the sideline at points during the loss and he shared an idea of what goes on in those conversations.
“I try to talk to him about taking the ball and putting it where it’s supposed to go. . . . I think he knows what to do,” Vrabel said. “I think we have to do it better. We all want to make plays, we just have to make good ones. And if it’s not there, we have to make a great decision. I think sometimes you can want it too badly, but we can’t force anything”
Vrabel said he can’t get inside the “psyche” of players when asked about Maye’s mental state at the moment, but the issue has become a big enough problem that Vrabel wasn’t able to put off talking about it any longer.