Mike Vrabel comments on officiating in Patriots’ loss to Bills

Patriots fans weren’t the only ones questioning the officiating during Sunday’s Week 15 loss to the Bills.

Head coach Mike Vrabel was asked about some of the questionable calls made in the 35-31 loss Monday morning on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”

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“It is a difficult job. They do have a difficult job,” Vrabel said. “The consistency, sometimes, I struggle with it. I’ll say this: The Bills lead the NFL in offensive holds. And I’ll leave it at that. That would be hard for me to understand how a team coming into the game leading, and that’s how they play, didn’t have one yesterday. So that’s hard for me to understand.”

The Patriots were penalized seven times for 65 yards, while the Bills were penalized twice for 15 yards.

That doesn’t count a debatable call made early in the fourth quarter when Marcus Jones was flagged for pass interference on a 37-yard catch by Bills receiver Khalil Shakir that actually appeared to be an interception.

“I don’t think it was a catch,” Vrabel said. “Whether we think it’s Pl, that’s their call. So, again, we have to know what the rules are, we have to know how they’re calling it, what the mechanics are. If you’re not playing the football, the margin for error goes way, way, way down. When you’re not playing the football and there is perceived contact – or whatever it may be – the margin for error goes way, way down.”

Vrabel was asked how the officials could rule that Jones wasn’t making a play on the ball when he ultimately came away with the football.

“Because you’re not looking back and playing it. I’m playing [you], and [you] get your arms back through me. And whether he’s coming back, or we’re drifting, that’s where I think the struggle is. …

“I felt like both players were still drifting away from the football, as opposed to going back. I know his arms went back, but he continued to drift. That’s where sometimes they don’t get called. That wasn’t the case yesterday.”

Vrabel wasn’t making any excuses Monday morning, however, stating during his press conference, “The officiating or the penalties weren’t the reason that we lost the game.”

The Patriots are now 11-3 on the season after the Bills snapped their 10-game winning streak. They still have games to go against the Ravens, Jets and Dolphins.

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