Mike Vrabel has done everything he can to distance himself from the organization where he won three Super Bowls as a player. The New England Patriots are Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans’ upcoming opponent for the wild-card round of the playoffs on Saturday.
Vrabel will spend his first playoff game as a coach in the place where he spent most of his playoff appearances as a player: Gillette Stadium. The retired linebacker was key in establishing New England’s dynasty in the early 2000s. That’s when the chatter about “The Patriot Way” began. To this day, it’s not totally clear what the expression means, with the already-vague phrase getting convoluted over the years. Vrabel was asked what it means to him.
“Isn’t that the street the movie theater is on?” he asked Tuesday. “I didn’t come up with it, so I don’t know.”
He was asked if he sees any similarities between the Patriots team in 2019 and the 2008 team Vrabel played on.
“Since I left? I don’t know. Is Matt Light the left tackle? Is Dan Koppen the center? I mean, Tom’s the quarterback. But that’s the only player aside from (Stephen) Gostkowski,” Vrabel said. “I mean, there’s always going to be change in the NFL, there’s carryover.”
Vrabel has no time for reflection — he’s treating the Patriots like he would any other opponent.
“I haven’t had a paycheck with a Patriots logo on it since 2008,” Vrabel said earlier this week. “So, no different than going and coaching against someone with the Texans or coaching against them last year. It’s a huge challenge to go up there and try to win.”
