Ex-Titans vet predicts if fans will boo or cheer Mike Vrabel in return
Ex-Titans vet predicts if fans will boo or cheer Mike Vrabel in return
Former Tennessee Titans safety Blaine Bishop believes New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel will receive a warm welcome when he returns to Tennessee in Week 7 of the 2025 season.
That will be one of the more intriguing games on the Patriots' roster from a storyline perspective. Vrabel, a former NFL Coach of the Year, not only brought the Titans back to the playoffs, but he led them all the way to the AFC Championship Game in 2019.
He was later fired by the organization in 2023 after three playoff appearances.
"It will be exciting, a great conversation piece, and I think he will be received well," Bishop said, via ESPN's Mike Reiss. "As a head coach here, he did really well up to the end. The fans loved Vrabel. He won. Was Coach of the Year [in 2021]. He's in the conversation, even though it was a short window, as one of the best coaches in the Tennessee Titans' small history."
Vrabel and the Patriots are expected to go head-to-head with Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward for the first time as well. So the battle of young quarterbacks with Drake Maye and Ward will be the primary focus, along with Vrabel's return to the "Music City".
There were plenty of Titans fans who didn't believe Vrabel deserved to get fired. So it wouldn't be a surprise to see a pro-Vrabel reaction when he initially steps onto the field. But after that show of respect, it will likely be back to business.
The Titans beat the Patriots by a 20-17 margin when the two teams met in Tennessee last season, following a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter by Maye. We'll see if the Patriots and Vrabel get their revenge in October.
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