NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Nissan Stadium will host a complicated reunion this Sunday when the Tennessee Titans face the New England Patriots.
Former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel now runs the team in New England, where he also spent most of his career as a player and won three Super Bowls.
Vrabel coached the Titans from 2018-2023. In that time, he led Tennessee to an AFC title game appearance and was named NFL Coach of the Year.
The Titans fired Vrabel after the 2023 season, in which the team finished 6-11. Vrabel coached 99 games over six seasons in Nashville with a record of 54-45 (54.5 winning percentage).
Tennessee hired Brian Callahan to replace Mike Vrabel as the franchise’s head coach.
Callahan was fired Monday after a 1-5 start to the season and a 4-19 record at the helm over a season and change.
The Titans named senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy interim head coach, so he will face Mike Vrabel and the Patriots Sunday.
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There are only nine players on Tennessee’s active roster who played under Mike Vrabel. WSMV spoke to some of those players about facing their former head coach.
“It’s a weird experience for me,” Titans tight end and 2022 fourth-round draft pick Chig Okonkwo said. “This game has been circled on my calendar for a while. Obviously, you know, Vrabel brought me into the NFL, so it’s a pretty big deal for me, honestly, going out and playing this game very well and helping us win the game, for sure.”
Fellow 2022 draftee and Tennessee defensive back Roger McCreary felt similarly about going up against Vrabel.
“With me knowing ‘Vrabes’ personally, it’s going to be a tough game,” McCreary said. “You know, just his coaching style and stuff, I feel like it’s going to be interesting. I feel like at the end of the day, he’s going to try and get that dub, and that’s what he’s telling his team right now. So all we got to focus on is trying to defeat them, really.”
The Titans and Patriots kick off Sunday at Nissan Stadium at noon.
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