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Mike Vrabel on botched fake punt: ‘It was a bad call by me.’
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- Mike Vrabel on botched fake punt: ‘It was a bad call by me.’
FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots surprised everyone but the Baltimore Ravens when they attempted a fake punt Sunday night that nearly cost them the game.
The botched attempt - Marte Mapu took the direct snap and fumbled while trying to make a pass - set up a Raven’s fourth-quarter touchdown that gave them a 24-13 lead.
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On Tuesday, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel took the blame for making that costly call.
“It’s something that we had practiced, something that I felt confident in. I wouldn’t have called it if we didn’t feel confident in it,” Vrabel said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work. So, it was a bad call by me.”
Vrabel explained that the play was designed for Mapu to throw it, to give Jack Westover a chance to get open. Only Mapu took off with the ball when Westover didn’t get open immediately.
“It certainly wasn’t designed to run, he just felt like it wasn’t there and he made a decision,” Vrabel said. “So, I made a decision to try the play. I’ll make other calls. There’ll be good ones and there’ll be bad ones as well.
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“So, I just felt like we needed something there and it didn’t go our way. Credit to the guys, they kept playing and found a way to win the game.”
After that Ravens score to put them up by 11, the Patriots stormed back, scoring the next 15 points.
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