Three days after the Patriots surprisingly released safety Jabrill Peppers, head coach Mike Vrabel explained the organization’s decision to cut ties with the player.

Rumors have swirled that New England didn’t view Peppers, an eight-year NFL veteran, as a scheme fit on Vrabel’s defense.

While Vrabel didn’t go into specifics, he denied that the decision had to do with the scheme.

“No, I don’t think — that was certainly not the issue,” Vrabel said. “There’s a lot of reasons. I wouldn’t say — we’re going to try to do what’s best for the team. We’ve got a lot of different schemes that we can run at all three phases … there’s a lot that goes into it. Again, we’re just trying to build toward Sunday here, and that’s our focus. It’s a decision that we had to make. Again, wish the best for Jab

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