Tom Brady and Mike Vrabel were once teammates, but now they are bitter rivals. Well, at least they are during practice sessions due to Vrabel being the second-year head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Both men are extremely competitive and want to come out ahead in the battle of AFC teams.
The Patriots are in Nashville this week for joint practice sessions with the Titans, which means that Vrabel’s defense is tasked with slowing down Brady on a daily basis. However, slowing Brady down can only happen on the practice field. When the 42-year-old quarterback is heading towards practice, he needs to hustle!
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AtoZ Sports Nashville captured footage of Brady walking onto the field while Vrabel yelled at him from the sidelines for taking his sweet time.
Mike Vrabel yells at @TomBrady for walking on the practice field #titans #Patriots pic.twitter.com/meiUQVjT3y
— AtoZSports Nashville (@AtoZSports) August 14, 2019
“You’re walking on the field, huh?” Vrabel yelled at Brady.
Of course, the Patriots quarterback countered with, “why don’t you pay attention to your own s—?”
While the back-and-forth sounded combative initially, it comes from a place of friendship. Vrabel was a member of the New England Patriots defense from 2001-2008, and he was teammates with Brady during three Super Bowl victories (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX).
Despite playing linebacker, the Titans head coach still served as a reliable weapon in the passing attack, catching 10 passes on 14 targets for 10 touchdowns. One of these scores came in Super Bowl XXXVIII, which made Vrabel the first defensive player to score a touchdown in the Big Game since William “The Refrigerator” Perry of the Chicago Bears did so in Super Bowl XX.
With Vrabel entering his second season as head coach of the Titans, the pressure is rising for this Nashville-based franchise to make a move in the AFC South and return to the postseason. The hope is that Vrabel can use his championship experience to help the team rise and make a deep run for the first time since 2002.
Of course, part of this process will be toppling Brady and the Patriots. Vrabel’s team was successful during the 2018 regular-season meeting, defeating the Patriots 34-10, but can they repeat the task during week two of the preseason and in the postseason if needed? The answer won’t be provided until the playoffs begin in January, but one thing is certain in August – Vrabel won’t allow anyone to leisurely walk onto the practice field, even if it is a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
