Overview
- Saturday at Gillette Stadium Vrabel called a timeout with 1:53 left in the first quarter while New England was on defense after the Eagles reached the Patriots' 27-yard line.
- Vrabel told reporters he took the timeout because he "saw dog s**t defense" and wanted to address the players on the sideline.
- The Eagles scored on that drive but the Patriots still won the preseason game 24-21.
- Vrabel said he is resting starters, including quarterback Drake Maye, and warned that the team does not have deep roster depth after recent injuries to offensive linemen Andrew Rupcich and Ben Brown and other players.
- The episode underscores a coaching approach that mixes public accountability with deliberate starter protection and makes further roster moves and evaluations likely before the regular season opener.