Nov 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel walks downfield during the third quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Patriots' Mike Vrabel Gets Honest About Giants New Coach

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Dec 1, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The New England Patriots are getting ready for a Monday Night Football showdown against the New York Giants for Week 13, and the Giants are heading into the matchup with a recent, major staffing change.

On November 24, the Giants parted ways with former defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and bringing on Charlie Bullen. The change was their second major changeup in November alone, after firing head coach Brian Daboll on November 10 and bringing in current head coach Mike Kafka.

Ahead of the game, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talked strategy, but is clearly keeping his expectations realistic, as the Giants have not had much turnaround time to establish a whole new approach so late in the season.

“I mean, if they can change the defense in a week — I don’t know — they’re better than we are,” Vrabel said, per the New York Post's Paul Schwartz. “Maybe he pressures more, maybe he plays more Cover 2. Maybe they — I would have no idea. But I think the structure has got to be somewhat the same. I mean, he may want to pressure more. I think that the calls that they have, those can always change. … It would be really hard to completely change from an under front to an over in base."

"But then, they were pretty multiple before. I think we’ll just always have to be prepared for things that they could do, and maybe that there’s more pressure on early downs, less pressure on third down or whatever those things have been. But I wouldn’t have any idea how he would plan on calling it…. We’ll have to just see and make sure that we’re prepared for anything that could come up throughout the game.”

Expecting the Unexpected

The Giants enter the matchup with long odds, facing the 10-2 Patriots with a 2-10 record (tied with the New Orleans Saints for the worst in the NFC). The Patriots are on a tear with a nine-game win streak, and are looking more and more like serious Super Bowl contenders. The Giants are expected to take advantage of their recent shakeups by being unpredictable in this game, and the on-fire Patriots will need to be ready for anything.

This is Vrabel's first season at the helm of the Patriots, and quarterback Drake Maye's sophomore year in the NFL. Despite their relatively cushy schedule, the Pats are coming off their 4-13 2024 with a bang. They'll hope to stay out ahead of the Buffalo Bills given their recent takedown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and if they're as good as they have been, they should have a fairly easy time with the Giants.

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

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