Patriots' Vrabel downplays 1st game vs. Titans since firing
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel downplayed having any additional motivation ahead of Sunday's game against his former team, the Tennessee Titans.
"There will be too many things to focus on relating to the game," Vrabel said Wednesday, according to ESPN's Turron Davenport. "There will be things that are interesting but not important to us in regards to the game that we need to play."
Vrabel guided the Titans to a 54-45 record from 2018-23 and was named Coach of the Year after the club claimed the AFC's No. 1 seed in 2021. Tennessee captured the division title twice (2020, '21) and made it as far as the AFC Championship Game in three postseason appearances during his tenure.
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk dismissed Vrabel after the 2023 campaign following back-to-back losing seasons. He returned to New England - where he starred as a linebacker - in January.
Sunday's matchup marks the first time Vrabel will return to Nissan Stadium since his ouster. Yet, the 50-year-old is more focused on leading his team to its fifth win of the season than seeking vengeance against his former employer. He pushed back against the idea that his club would have added motivation to win following his unceremonious departure from the Titans.
"We're not trying to win one for the Gipper here," Vrabel said, according to NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry.
The Titans don't plan to hold a tribute for Vrabel's return this weekend, according to reporter Paul Kuharsky.
The 4-2 Patriots sit atop the AFC East standings ahead of their matchup against the 1-5 Titans, who dismissed coach Brian Callahan six games into his second year with the franchise. Senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy was promoted to interim coach.
The Patriots are off to the team's best start since 2019, and their current three-game winning streak is their longest since '22. Quarterback Drake Maye has developed into a rising star in Year 2. He tallied 289 total yards and three touchdowns in New England's 25-19 win over the New Orleans Saints last week. Defensively, the Patriots are allowing 20 points and 83.5 rushing yards per game.
Despite the impressive start to his tenure as the Patriots' coach, Vrabel doesn't believe that holding the top spot in the division serves as affirmation of the team's success under his stewardship quite yet.
"They're not going to cancel the rest of the season," Vrabel added." That's not really our focus right now."