My Two Cents: Mike Vrabel Gets Ultimate Refresher Back With Patriots on Bye Weekend
Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel was back in New England over the weekend, getting inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday night. He won three Super Bowls there and was part of the greatest dynasty in the NFL, at least in modern times.
It had to be the perfect reminder that he knows what the hell he's doing, and that he's knows how to win NFL football games.
Because, yes, "been there and done that'' does mean something.
And you know what else means something, and was probably reiterated over his weekend in Foxborough? It takes great players — a lot of them — to win a Super Bowl in this league.
Vrabel's coach, Bill Belichick, had a lot of great players back then, and for basically a 20-year period. He doesn't have good players now, and the Patriots are 1-5. Vrabel doesn't have enough good players either, and his Titans are 2-4.
On his flight back home from Boston, Vrabel surely hit the switch back to current times. Everybody will get back from their time off on Monday, and on Tuesday they'll back to work on preparing for the Atlanta Falcons.
But he will certainly remember the best part of his weekend, that he was surrounded by great players with the Patriots, and they did it the right way.
“There was understanding, there was respect, you could say things that needed to be said to each other, and every day that’s what I’m trying to recreate wherever I coach, and now it’s with Tennessee,” said Vrabel. “What I’m trying to recreate is what we had in that locker room. I don’t know if we’ll get it, but every day I’m going to try.”
Vrabel the coach constantly pounds home the value of team during his six years as coach of the Titans, which has been filled with plenty of success but has been a struggling in the past year and change.
“Nothing was more important than the team,” Vrabel said during his induction . “Not your feelings, not your stats, not your paycheck, not what you’ve done in the past. Nothing was more important than the football team. And guys that were here before me, made me aware of it. Just like I was able to make our guys aware of it.”
Vrabel has always taken a lot of pride in being a captain for Belichick on several Patriots teams. With the title came a lot of responsibility. Vrabel has always been a Patriots favorite, and he doesn't take that for granted.
He was truly honored and humbled to be added to the team's Hall of Fame.
“The only thing that mattered on a team, was what you could do to help us win,” he said “And the amazing thing was, the more we won, the more individual opportunities were created for each and every one of us. Whether that was on the field, off the field, post-career ... the better the team did, the more opportunity we had individually here and everywhere else.
“This is just an amazing (honor). I don’t want to take it for granted. I’m so thankful to my teammates, the organization, the coaches, the fans ... I’m very appreciative of this honor.”
Former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel (left) tells a story about 2023 Patriots Hall of Fame inductee Mike Vrabel (right) on Saturday night in Foxborough, Mass. (Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports)
Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave Vrabel a little ribbing during his introduction speech. He joked that Vrabel needed seven votes to get in, and that was probably because he lost a few votes after beating the Patriots in 2018 as head coach of the Titans.
“This Hall of Fame honor is well deserved and long overdo,” said Kraft. “I’m sure you would have been in years ago. But after beating the Patriots in 2018, knocking us out of playoffs the following year, you might have lost a few votes.”
Vrabel wasn't used to losing much in New England and, frankly, wasn't used to losing much here in Nashville, either. He 48-27 in his first 75 games from 2018 through last November, but is just 2-11 since. Injuries have been an issue, but so has several years of bad drafts.
The Titans aren't real good right now, and they are on the verge of a complete makeover, with 35-year-old quarterback Ryan Tannehill and soon to be 30-year-old running back Derrick Henry both in the final year of their contracts.
Maybe a weekend away will be good for Vrabel. It's an honor to be inducted into any kind of Hall of Fame, and he certainly cherishes all his time in New England. He was a great Patriot, and a multiple Super Bowl winner.
It's a good respite from a frustrating start to the 2023 Titans season. Maybe we'll plan on a few more ''Patriot Way'' analogies soon.
In any case, good for him. The smiles on his face during the event made it really clear that he enjoyed the event up there.
