Giardi: Vrabel's return to Tennessee 'interesting or important?'

FOXBOROUGH - Mike Vrabel isn't shy about being in the spotlight. Still, his impending return to Tennessee this weekend had Wednesday questions being asked on a Monday (Vrabel is very particular about when subjects can be broached, or more importantly, when he will answer).

"This is going to be probably a lot to be said about this, and think would file under the category of, you know, is it interesting or important?" he opined. "And I would probably say this would be very interesting, but in the end, not very important to our preparation or what we need to continue to try to do to improve as a team. 

"But having spent six years there or seven years there, I think it'll be nice to see some people that I haven't seen in a few years that helped us win - players and staff. But we've got a huge job here to do as we prepare for them."

A very diplomatic answer from the Patriots' head coach, and no doubt it's the most essential truth, if not the whole truth. Vrabel had to spend a year in coaching purgatory, joining the Browns' staff as an advisor, before getting this opportunity in New England. And while the Titans are once again the scummy residue at the bottom of a rain barrel - and back in the coaching market after firing Brian Callahan this afternoon - Vrabel has the Pats as one of the best stories in the entire league.

I texted a former Titan, who is still playing in the league. He didn't want to get too deep into it - he's got his own season to focus on - but did write, "Vrabes isn't going there to win by three. He'll want to remind them they chose wrong."

Considering the Titans have won just four of their 23 games since firing Vrabel, that's a fair statement. However, it also tells the story of a franchise that seems unable to get out of its own way under owner Amy Adams Strunk.

Quick history lesson: Vrabel had emerged as the chief power broker in Tennessee after the dismissal of GM Jon Robinson. With one trip to an AFC title game and a #1 seed two seasons later, his approach put him in the conversation as one of the best coaches in the league. But after a 7-3 start in 2022, the Titans cratered, losing their final seven games of the season. The following year, the talent erosion resulting from poor drafts and a poor trade (A.J. Brown to Philly) led to another subpar campaign, and Vrabel was dismissed by Adams Strunk. She did one interview in the aftermath, with the team broadcaster. It lasted less than five minutes. That's it. That's all.

"He did a lot of great things," Ryan Tannehill said at the time. "He was definitely one of the best, if not the best, head coach I played for as far as how we prepared as a team and how he educated the team on a weekly basis. Situationally, I always felt like we were really good, and game management, I felt like we were really good. That's where the head coach comes in. I don't know what their reasons were for letting him go."

The Patriots are reaping the benefits of Vrabel's expertise — and his personal touch. In the postgame locker room video released by the team on Sunday, Vrabel reminds the players that even though they didn't play their best, they should celebrate and enjoy the win. 

When asked why that was important for him to verbalize, he told us, "They're the ones that go out and perform and execute, and I want them to embrace that. It's a tough league to win in, and tough league to win consistently in - and on the road, and the numbers and the history would tell you that..."

Which is why he won't let his preparation, and that of the team's - get sidetracked by past history, even if it's a game that has a little more meaning than just one of 17.