FOXBOROUGH – On Monday, we got our first chance to talk to Mike Vrabel since the postgame press conference after the Chicago loss. Lots of topics were covered, so let’s review the head coach’s answers and put them into the BSJ translator.
Q: There are a few guys – Greg Van Roten, one of them – who are eligible to be put on the clock. Will we see him again this week?
MV: “We probably won’t see him today, but maybe this week. We’ll see where it goes. Those guys, I think him and Dell (Pettus) are eligible, potentially, to try to get back there and see where it goes. But we’ll have to make a decision with Marcus Bryant, so we’ll probably get away with it today here. See where the guys progress and go from there.”
Q: Mike, what’s happening with IR management for the remainder of the season with the limited number of returning spots?
MV: “Probably just the depth you have at that position or the need. I don’t think it’s something you really want to get used to, but we’re in the position we’re in. So it’s figuring out who’s healthy enough to come back. Some guys aren’t. Then we’ll see where we go with the depth at each position.”
Q: Mike, Alijah (Vera-Tucker), you put him on IR on Thursday. Is this something you hope will be a short-term thing?
MV: “I don’t think it’s for the season, but I can’t tell you what the short term is determined by, regardless of how many weeks he has to be out. It wasn’t going to be this week, so we figured it would be at least four games, that’s why we made the decision we did.”
BSJ ANALYSIS: With the sheer number of injuries the Patriots have dealt with in the spring, summer and now through the first seven weeks of the regular season, deciding who to bring back is a little trickier than they would like.
All teams can recall eight players from the IR. The Pats have already used two: AJ Brown and Bryant (although the 2nd-year tackle has not yet been activated). But when you look at who’s left – Vera-Tucker, Mack Hollins, Roméo Doubs, Reggie GilliamPettus, Van Roten – and since they’re not even halfway through the season, one assumes Vrabel and company will have to save a few spots in case they have IR cases later in the year (remember, Milton Williams, Will Campbell and Hollins all returned late in the season/post-season).
It makes me wonder if someone like Van Roten will have a chance to return or be released, like punter Bryce Baringer, who was sent packing today so the Pats wouldn’t use one of those eight spots.
By the way, the good news is Ben Brown went to practice on Monday, and it appears the knee injury wasn’t as bad as it seemed at the time. This could also factor into the decision regarding Van Roten.
Mike, what did you think of AJ (Brown)’s performance in the running game?
MV: “We know it takes all 11. A receiver’s job is critical to being able to protect the guy with the ball and his ability to play without the ball. So I would say offensively we need to do a better job, and that includes AJ. That includes the quarterback running fakes. That’s what it takes in the running game.”
BSJ analysis: Look, Brown’s efforts – or lack thereof – have been
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