The New England Patriots‘ preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles was supposed to be a confidence booster. However, rookie Gabe Jacas took home a hard lesson on the importance of humility. The head coach, Mike Vrabel, was not sugarcoating when evaluating Jacas, stating that even though there might be flashes of talent, mistakes cannot be ignored.

The Patriots rookie linebacker received a penalty for roughing the passer after he came into contact with Andy Dalton a bit too late, ruining a potential Kindle Vildor interception.

“No, well, they’re just saying like, that’s just how the league is,” Jacas explained about what the coaches told him, via Matt Dolloff. “Like, you know, any second that he throws the ball, you know, they’re most likely to call that. So it’s a learning lesson for me, but, you know, just got to be careful after he throws the ball.”

Jacas ended the night with four tackles and a quarterback hit to go along with the penalty, a mixed bag that fits the up-and-down. Two plays later, he forced a pressure on Eagles quarterback Andy Dalton and caused an incompletion. Earlier in the first half, too, Jacas had pressured him. He came back and delivered consistently in the third quarter.

Gabe Jacas has had a slow start in the NFL, marking a rough night against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 of the preseason, too. He didn’t sign his rookie contract until July 25. The contract also includes an injury waiver, since he’s recently had knee surgery. Jacas missed mandatory minicamp and did not participate in the rookie minicamp either. However, Mike Vrabel has taken a hands-on approach to develop the young player.

Despite the slow start, Jacas has worked closely with Vrabel throughout camp, including learning a completely new role on the punt protection unit, something he had never done before entering the league. He was on 1-on-1 drills with Vrabel and was put on the top team during practice, ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted.

Asked about Jacas’ overall performance, the head coach didn’t hand out empty praise.

“Still inconsistent,” Vrabel said. “The effort is certainly there. We’re just putting a lot on him right now; we have to be able to see what he can do. I think he’ll just continue to improve because he has that type of attitude and is willing.”

And instead of pushing back against the tough coaching, he says it’s exactly what he needs.

“That style of coaching, you don’t get everywhere else,” Jacas said on Wednesday. “So, the fact that he’s so hard on me just brings the best out of me every day. He demands a lot from me.”

New England’s edge rush depth remains a question mark heading into the regular season, which means the pressure on Jacas to figure things out quickly isn’t going away anytime soon.