Following his team's preseason win over the Eagles, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel made an honest acknowledgment about his team that is typically something that wouldn't be heard from a coach, let alone one that is coming off a Super Bowl appearance.
Vrabel's surprising assessment of his team came after he was asked about resting his starters for a second straight preseason game. Instead of breezing past the question with a non-answer, Vrabel went with the direct approach.
"I don't think we have a very deep team, Mike," Vrabel said while addressing the reporter who asked the question. "So, you know, I think we have to make sure that we're preparing our football team, and that we're doing everything that we can to keep our best players available. And if that means playing Thursday (in New England's final preseason game) as part of preparation, that's what we'll do. Have not made that decision yet, but I would say that that's something that I'm confident in with where we're set up currently."
Vrabel's admission quickly generated attention on social media, and for good reason. He essentially said that he is keeping his starters out of preseason games because the Patriots can ill afford to lose any of their starters, as they currently do not have the depth necessary to replace them.
That's troubling on several levels, most especially because, in a physical sport like football, depth is a critical component to a team. It's one of the biggest things a team needs to have in order to endure the rigors of a 17-game regular season and a three- or four-game postseason.
Options for improvement
Fortunately for Patriots fans, the team's apparent lack of depth can improve. New England will have the ability to sign a slew of players who will be available at the end of the preseason when teams make their initial 53-man roster cuts. The Patriots can also trade for players from other teams at any time until November 10.
Another option, and the most tangible one, is for Vrabel and his staff to continue coaching up the backups who currently make up the roster. Part of that, Vrabel said, will involve working on consistency and avoiding the same mistake twice.
"As far as some of the younger guys, we need to make new mistakes, because you need to be able to count on some of these guys when we put the roster together to be able to contribute," Vrabel said. "I think that there's a lot of ebbs and flows in a professional football game. How can you handle making a mistake? How can you handle getting blocked? How can you handle being a good play and then coming back and being able to do it again?
"How they bounce back, how they handle different situations, what they do in live action, I think is really critical."
From a depth perspective, one notable positive from Saturday's game was second-year running back Lan Larison. Larison, a former undrafted rookie who suffered a season-ending foot injury last preseason, had 12 touches for 74 yards that included a touchdown run and a 28-yard reception.
"I felt like Lan certainly had a good performance," Vrabel said. "A gritty, tough, performance tonight. He did some really good things."
