From The Athletic, an Interesting tactic the Pats employ....
Mike Vrabel frequently lauds his right-hand man in game management, John Streicher. Here’s how this dynamic duo outflanked Denver without anyone noticing.
When Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez intercepted Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham to secure New England’s spot in the Super Bowl, CBS’s Tony Romo lauded Gonzalez for “sensing” Stidham might throw deep. Romo also blamed Stidham for making a terrible decision.
There was no mention of Streicher (nicknamed “Stretch”) or Vrabel, even though their tactics were unfolding on the field for everyone to see. The substitution mechanics those two implemented before the snap helped burn nearly all of the final 15 seconds off the play clock, forcing Denver to rush through the most important play of its season.
“The late subs is definitely Stretch,” a coach from another team said.
Before the snap, with 15 seconds left on the play clock, the Broncos finished making a substitution, replacing one tight end (Evan Engram) with another (Adam Trautman).
Per NFL rules, the umpire, Barry Anderson, stood over the ball so that New England would have time to make a counter-substitution.
The Patriots had plenty of time to anticipate the personnel change because Engram had spent several seconds jogging off the field (Trautman was already in the huddle).
New England was in no rush, however, because at this point, the play clock was working against the Broncos. The art lies in the Patriots’ substitution being slow enough to create stress for Denver, but fast enough to avoid incurring a penalty for defensive delay of game. Vrabel’s Titans were early adopters of these tactics, which the league has warned teams about privately.
With the umpire still standing over the ball, Patriots defensive linemen Christian Barmore, Leonard Taylor and Milton Williams began their slow jog from the sideline. Williams turned around after several steps, returning to the sideline (more confusion!).
The play clock had dropped from 15 seconds to nine seconds by the time Barmore and Taylor made it to their spots on the defensive line. Only then did teammates Khyiris Tonga and Cory Durden begin trotting off the field.
Five seconds remained on the play clock when Anderson, the umpire, embarked on a path from the ball through the offensive backfield (between Stidham and running back R.J. Harvey) so he could get into position for the play. Denver barely beat the play clock.
“That rushed interception was a messed-up operation where, ‘Shoot, we gotta snap it, I got the umpire standing over the ball, I can’t snap it,’” the coach from another team said.
Vrabel and Streicher had struck again.
Denver was at an additional disadvantage because Stidham did not take first-team reps in practice until starter Bo Nix suffered a season-ending foot injury in the divisional round.
“Forget about trying to read the defense,” the opposing coach added. “Stidham is so worried about snapping it that he doesn’t see Christian Gonzalez in press-bail, and now he throws a go ball to (Marvin) Mims against a corner who is playing 12 yards off for an interception that seals the game.”
The Patriots used the same substitution tactic on third-and-10 earlier in the fourth quarter, and Stidham threw short of the sticks, leading to a punt.
These are the sorts of tactics Vrabel and Streicher honed during six seasons together with the Tennessee Titans (2018-23) and a seventh with New England. Vrabel has the bandwidth during games to manage such things because his coordinators handle play calling. He also has inside knowledge of rules and related trends as a member of the NFL’s Competition Committee.
“The other example was the replay-assisted sack/fumble/backwards pass,” the coach said. “Because Vrabel doesn’t have to get defensive personnel or down-and-distance or what the defensive play is, he is already with the alternate official on the sideline. He has his red flag out. He is standing on the field to make them talk about it.”
As detailed in 2022, Vrabel’s defensive linemen are also known for moving subtly (“stemming”) to incite opponent false starts in critical moments.
League-wide, offenses have committed 89 false-start penalties on fourth-and-1 in the seven seasons when Vrabel was a head coach, per TruMedia. A league-high seven of the 89 occurred against Vrabel-coached teams, including two of the four costliest in terms of EPA.
Because of Vrabel’s Titans, the NFL closed a loophole that Tennessee exploited against New England in the 2019 playoffs. The Titans won other games after taking intentional penalties while seeking competitive advantages. They were also known for laying on opposing offensive players during two-minute situations and incurring well-timed injuries to defensive players, allowing them to regroup as needed.
These are all tactics to watch in the Super Bowl.
