One day after securing a 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints to push his team to 4-2 on the season, Mike Vrabel couldn’t hold back on his criticism of the game’s officiating.
Asked Monday during his WEEI radio appearance about what could be done to improve officiating following several controversial calls in Sunday’s game, the New England Patriots coach had some pointed words.
“I got a tough enough job to coach this football team,” Vrabel said with a laugh. “There’s not much. It becomes comical, at a point.’
Vrabel added that he and Patriots vice president of football operations and strategy John Streicher closely parse officiating videos sent weekly to teams that break down the application of certain rules. He said he does not feel as though the message is reaching game officials.
‘And then I’ll see something in the game, I’m like, ‘Did they even watch the video?’ Like, me and Stretch – we’re pausing it, rewinding it, like, ‘Ah, I love these videos.’ And then I’m like, ‘Hey, did you watch the video last week? Like, they talked about this exact thing.”
Vrabel did not mention any objections to particular calls, but two offensive pass interference penalties against New England loomed large in the game.
In the first quarter, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye found DeMario Douglas free for a deep pass, with the receiver then evading a would-be tackler and racing into the end zone. The 61-yard score was called back, however, when officials flagged Stefon Diggs for offensive pass interference. Diggs had been engaged in contact with Saints cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry away from the action.
“On that play, we ruled blocking downfield by No. 8 early during the play,” referee Adrian Hill said after the game in a pool report. “If there is a situation where a player blocks downfield, it’s not a foul until a pass is thrown, so you kind of put that in the bank. And then the pass was thrown downfield later, that created the offensive pass interference.’
Diggs later had a 51-yard reception of his own wiped out when officials again called him for pass interference.
“I don’t really be tripping, to be honest. I try my best to make plays and catch the ball when they come to me,” Diggs told reporters after the game, according to MassLive. “When I get (back) hopefully we can submit them to the league to see if it was supposed to be called or not. But I don’t cry over spilled milk.”