On Sunday, the Patriots (4-2) won their third consecutive game for the first time since the 2022 season, beating the Saints 25-19 down in New Orleans (1-5) while second-year quarterback Drake Maye put on yet another dazzling performance under center.
Up next for New England is an old friend of head coach Mike Vrabel, as the Patriots head on the road for a third straight week to take on the Titans (1-5).
Tennessee is in the midst of a full rebuild. They’re in the spot New England has been in the last few years leading into 2025. They’re trying to figure out if they have their quarterback for the future while simultaneously trying to figure out if he has the right coaching staff around him. All of that plus the roster building outside of the QB room, and Vrabel’s former team is a long way away from competing for a playoff spot anytime soon.
In his six years with the Titans, Vrabel was 58-47, and had his team playing in the AFC Championship Game in only his second year on the sidelines. In year four, he coached his team to the No. 1 seed in the conference despite having to field a record number of players on his gameday roster due to injuries, which earned him the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year Award.
After the early success, his team would go 13-21 over his final two years in Tennessee, ultimately leading to his ousting in Nashville.
After spending the 2024 season as a consultant for the Browns, Vrabel is back doing what he’s great at, with the early returns in New England showing that the Patriots Hall of Fame linebacker knows a thing or two about establishing a winning culture.
Whether he’ll admit it this week or not, the Titans had to be circled for him when the schedule came down this spring. As a competitor who has won at the highest level as a player, you know he wants this one.
When asked about the familiar faces he’ll be coaching against in Week 7 during his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show, Vrabel predictably downplayed it.
“I know you never like to make it about yourself, but obviously with Tennessee up next, is this week any different for you at all?” asked WEEI’s Courtney Cox. “Does it feel any different?”
“Well, I think it's going to feel different, [but] it can't be different,” said Vrabel. “It has to be the way we prepare, the way that we try to put together a game plan. But I mean, I think it's gonna - we have to recognize the obvious, having spent time there. So [there’s] a lot of people on the other side that I know that I coached or worked with.”
“The moment that a lot of us thought of you potentially having the job you have with the Patriots came at halftime when you were inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.” said WEEI’s Chris Curtis. “You made comments about how people here need to know how good they have it with the Krafts and with the coaches and with everybody. Did that cause issues when you were with Tennessee? Was that something that irked the people you worked for?”
“I don't know, you'd have to ask the owner,” said Vrabel. “I know losing irked the owner, or losing irked me. So like John Cooper used to say at Ohio State, ‘Winning takes care of everything.’ And we didn't win enough games in Tennessee.”
As of publishing, the Patriots are a 6.5-point favorite at FanDuel. You can get them on the moneyline at -330, and the total sits at 41.5.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.