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Oct 12, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel on the sidelines during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Mike Vrabel Calls Out Refs After Patriots Game

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Mike D'Abate | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 3:00 PM ET

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — As the New England Patriots continue to bask in the glow of their 25-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints, many local and national pundits continue to laud the team’s future to be as bright as the clean, white road uniforms they wore at Caesars Superdome this weekend.

Unfortunately, the performance of a crew wearing black and white stripes continues to grab its share of the headlines … for all the wrong reasons.

The Patriots were able to secure the win despite a bad showing from the officiating crew, led by official Adrian Hill. Among their most egregious missteps was a paranormal offensive pass interference call against receiver Stefon Diggs in the first quarter and another which nullified a 61-yard touchdown catch for DeMario Douglas — a scoring strike which would have given Douglas his second 50+ yard touchdown in as many possessions.

Mike Vrabel's Solution

Unsurprisingly, the officiating errors from Week 6 have caused both frustration and comedic disbelief from fans, media and New England’s coaching staff — including head coach Mike Vrabel.

“We just have to be able to deal with whatever situation is presented to us, whether we agree with it or disagree with it, learn that it's not going to change,” Vrabel said less then 24 hours removed from his team’s Week 6 win. “I’m frustrated and disappointed for the players there that had some really explosive gains taken away by judgment – probably poor judgment, but it's all part of it. So, I like the resolve for us, the ability for us to play through some of those, however difficult that it may be.”

While the game’s questionable officiating was not enough to eclipse another standout performance from quarterback Drake Maye, it certainly caused more than just fleeting frustration for Vrabel and his coaching staff — a point which he made in further detail during a recent appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show.

“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.”

“They send these videos out every week, and they do a great job. [Club communications liaison} Walt Anderson does a great job, [head of officiating] Ramon George does a great job,” he continued. “And they send these videos out. And, of course, me and Stretch [John Streicher, vice president of football operations and strategy John Streicher], we hang on to every word. 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.’ Me and Stretch watch them."

Though some may take Vrabel’s suggestion with a facetious “grain of salt,” his point is valid. Perhaps a more seasoned group of officials — in addition to some added tutelage for those having difficulty with the NFL’s current rule book — will help to notably lessen the copious amounts of missed calls, make-up calls, necessary red flags and missed fumbles seen in New Orleans this weekend.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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