Instead of celebrating their third straight win of the season and improving to 4-2, the New England Patriots had to focus on the embarrassing display of officiating on Sunday. The questionable calls that stole the headlines in Week 6 continued to be a major talking point for head coach Mike Vrabel and the Patriots on Monday.
In his press conference on Monday morning, Vrabel was asked about officiating once again, and said that he "was frustrated for the players to have plays taken away by 'probably poor judgment,'" per MassLive's Karen Guregian.
Mike Vrabel Has the Right Approach on Officiating After Patriots' Week 6 Win
This comes on the heels of Vrabel expressing his frustrations with the officiating on Sunday. He was furious with the offensive pass interference call in the first quarter that wiped out a 61-yard touchdown for DeMario Douglas. Stefon Diggs was later called for a second offensive pass interference in the fourth quarter that negated a 53-yard reception for the star receiver. Both of these calls, but especially the first OPI on Diggs when he wasn't even involved in the play, drew the ire of Patriots and football fans, alike.
Vrabel then had to take the matters into his own hands with two challenges in the fourth quarter. The Patriots head coach used a red flag to overturn a call to a fumble and gave the Patriots the possession. He then used and won a second challenge in quick succession that allowed New England to run down the clock until the two-minute warning, essentially sealing the game for them.
After the game, Vrabel went on The Greg Hill Show and said the officiating was "comical" on Sunday. Yet, he acknowledged that there wasn't anything he could do and that he has a team to lead.
This is the right attitude to have for Vrabel. He voiced his frustration for his players who had 114 yards and a touchdown taken away on very soft and questionable calls. Instead of making his post-game comments entirely about officiating, focusing on his players and how he feels bad for them is a good sign of leadership.
Bad referees will always be a part of the game, and as frustrating as that can be, it's important that the coaching staff and the players focus on what they can control rather than getting too worked up about calls on the field.