Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24-23 in a hard-fought contest on Sunday. However, the on-field play itself has not been the main talking point from the game lately.
Rather, it has been Raheem Morris’ allegation that the current AFC East leaders simulated Michael Penix Jr.’s snap count during a 2nd down in the fourth quarter, which caused him to flinch and throw the ball to the ground. It resulted in an intentional grounding penalty that sent the Falcons out of opposing territory and forced them to punt.
Penix himself recounted:
“Supposedly they were clapping. For us, whenever I’m clapping, that means I want the ball. I knew [center Ryan Neuzil] said he heard them clapping, and he thought it was my clap, and he snapped the ball.”
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But addressing the media on Monday, Vrabel dismissed the notion:
“Annoyed? I don’t think annoyed, I’m trying to not waste any more time looking for anybody clapping…”
He would also discuss the issue on The Greg Hill Show:
“I didn’t see anything. Is that fake? I don’t know … That was new. I didn’t see that. Maybe that’s a testament to our fans. They got loud, and I could hear the energy, so thank them for that. But I didn’t see anything.”
Mike Vrabel discusses DeMario Douglas’ breakout moment
One standout player from the Patriots’ win was DeMario Douglas, who had 100 yards and a touchdown on just four catches only hours after learning of his uncle’s murder. And Mike Vrabel liked what he saw from him in the wake of such a tragedy.
In the same conference, he said:
“Credit to Pop, he was like, ‘I just didn’t want to be a distraction.’ …Pop is just one example of many that exhibit the type of camaraderie and togetherness that we want to create. He’s always got a smile on his face. He’ll do whatever you ask him to do.”
He continued:
“To have him have some success, be able to get into the end zone and have some big catches when maybe that production wasn’t there – again, it’s just another example of another week, another receiver taking advantage of their opportunity. That was a cool opportunity and moment.”
Next for the team is a visit to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this coming Sunday. Kickoff is at 1 pm ET on CBS.