Patriots News, 10-19, Vrabel Goes “Godfather” It’s Strictly Business
(PHOTO: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images)
Good morning. Here is your Patriots news, 10-19, and NFL notes this week. The Patriots finish up their three-game road trip in Music City this afternoon, with a chance to return home with a 5-2 record.
Mike Vrabel returns to Tennessee for the first time, the same week that the Titans jettisoned the coach (Brian Callahan) after a tough 4-19 stint. They hired Callahan when they foolishly let Vrabel go.
Vrabel comes in with the Patriots in first place and has a chance to rub it in and run it up if he can work his team into it. But he’s not taking the bait (that’s not his style). As Mike D’Abate wrote, he’s taking the approach from The Godfather, where this is business, not personal.
“I think it would file under the category of, is it interesting or important?” Vrabel said earlier this week. “I would probably say this would be very interesting. But in the end, not very important to our preparation or what we need to do to continue to try to improve as a team.”
Ten of Vrabel’s coaches or front office personnel were with him in Tennessee, and three of the Patriots’ players, Harold Landry, Robert Spillane, and Jack Gibbens, were also in Tennessee during the Vrabel era there. But the message coming out of Gillette this week is, “Ignore the Noise, and Take Care of Business.”
Stefon Diggs said it best. He returned to Buffalo a few weeks ago and torched the Bills for 146 yards.
“I talked to my position coach [Todd Downing] about it, I talked to coach Josh [McDaniels] about it weeks ago,” Diggs said to Mike Kadlick of SI, about his approach.
“You know, he had told me his tidbit as far as, like, going back and playing some of the old teams he coached for and stuff like that. But I told them from my point of view, like, I don’t chase it. And I don’t chase the game, I just let the game come to me. You can play with a chip on your shoulder, but at the end of the day, it’s still football. You can’t force things to happen. … Don’t get caught up in the hoopla and all the extra stuff.
“Just play football. I feel like coach is gonna be the same guy … he knows that guys like us are gonna go out there and give it everything we got regardless.”
Diggs said his teammates will prepare hard, taking a page from the coach.
“They’re gonna play hard,” said Diggs. “When you see your old guys or you see coaches that you once played for and you’ve got a lot of love and respect for, of course, small parts of you probably want to beat them, you know? But it’s just like each and every week. I feel like guys who play hard and love this game they’re gonna play with a passion. So you can expect everybody’s best shot.”
Vrabel Reaches Out To Callahan After Titans Fired Him:
Vrabel knows full well what Brian Callahan was going through this week. So, despite Callahan getting hired from the job that he was fired from, he reached out to Callahan.
When asked about it, Vrabel mentioned the human element that often goes overlooked.
“I don’t want to see anybody that shares a job with you get let go,” Vrabel told reporters on Wednesday. “That’s a tough feeling with family and school. Whether it’s in college or pro, we’re in the media every single day. And there’s a human element to this that I don’t want to forget.
“I just remember all those coaches or people who reached out to me after I was let go. I think that’s important because nobody texts you when you lose; they all text you when you win. So, it’s a good reminder.”
Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News:
Harold Landry: The Patriots’ star edge rusher is questionable to play today after missing practice earlier this week after suffering an injury against the Saints.
Landry has come as advertised to the Patriots’ defense and locker room after being voted a team captain, leading the Patriots with 4.5 sacks and 25 total pressures.
Last week in New Orleans, Landry appeared to suffer a significant injury when his leg got caught underneath a pile while attempting to make a tackle. Landry left the game briefly in the first quarter but was able to return and finish the game. He missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practice before returning as a full participant for Friday’s practice, giving him a chance to play on Sunday.
Calvin Ridley: The Titans will be without the best wide receiver today. Ridley injured his hamstring in the second quarter of last week’s loss to the Raiders. And he’s been ruled out of today’s game.
The Titans are going to roll with rookie Elic Ayomanor and veterans Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett at wide receiver for rookie QB Cam Ward today. They’ll rely heavily on veteran running back Tony Pollard, who had an outstanding game against the Patriots last year, when they lost to the Titans in overtime.
Patriots No Huddle Podcast: Derek, Mike, and I broke down the win against New Orleans on our Sunday night postgame podcast. Later in the week, the three of us broke down the upcoming Titans’ game, focusing on key matchups and key strategies for success. You can find our podcasts on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify. Please take a look and leave us a review.
Russ Francis/Chuck Fairbanks: The former Patriot tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn’t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders’ Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position.
This will be displayed in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis’ numbers stand up well against Casper’s, yet he isn’t even in the team’s HOF.
Players and Matchups To Watch Against Tennessee:
The Patriots are looking to win their third road game, and fourth overall in a row, and return to Gillette at a solid 5-2, a game ahead of the Bills.
The Titans are a mess, and it is hoped that head coach Mike McCoy can right the ship. At 1-5, the Titans are 31st overall in scoring (13.8 points per game) and 31st in DVOA.
Now their best wide receiver, Calvin Ridley, and edge rusher Arden Key are out with injuries. But their best player, Jeffrey Simmons, is still there, and he can single-handedly wreck a game.
From a Patriots perspective, what must be done to win the game this week?
Crash The Middle With Barmore and Williams:
The Titans have had issues protecting Cam Ward, he’s been sacked 25 times, and with Ridley out, their best offensive player is Pollard, who is outstanding at running after contact.
The best way to stop them is for the Patriots’ big men inside, Barmore, Williams, and Khyiris Tonga to penetrate, disrupt, and blow everything up before it has a chance to develop. Williams going against Peter Skronski will be a battle to keep an eye on.
Getting after Cam Ward by crashing the middle and not allowing him to step up will allow the edge players, Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson, going against tackles Dan Moore and JC Latham to get home.
Drake Maye Keeps The Deep Ball Going:
The Patriots’ second-year QB continues to be outstanding this season. Thus far, he’s completed 73.2 percent of his passes for 1,522 yards, 12 total touchdowns (10 passing, two rushing), and just two interceptions, with a passer rating of 107.8. He’s also added 138 rushing yards on 36 carries.
His ability to work in the pocket and knowing when to take off and run or to slide to the side has been excellent. He’s also developing a deep passing game with getting Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, and Pop Douglas involved.
Look for the Patriots to try to continue this trend this week. Maye is completing more than 76 percent of his deep throws and has a near-perfect passer rating (157.9) when throwing the ball 20 yards or more downfield.
Look for rookie Kyle Williams to factor in the deep passing game this week.
Protecting Maye From Simmons:
The Titans’ Jeffrey Simmons is arguably the best interior DL in the NFL right now, and despite the Titans’ start of the season, he’s been playing lights out. He has 4.5 sacks and 23 pressures.
He can disrupt everything at the point of attack, and the the coaching staff has no doubt made him the focal point in trying to neutralize him the best way they can.
Simmons will be a handful going against rookie Jared Wilson and/or Garrett Bradbury this week. This will be a tough matchup.
Interim Coach Bump?
We know that teams that change coaches during the season typically receive a jolt of energy in Week 1, leading many to success. Part of that is because their opponent is seeing different looks than what’s on tape.
Mike McCoy has been a head coach before with the Chargers so, he may add some wrinkles this week, and don’t be surprised to see the Titans throw the kitchen sink at the Patriots this week.
However, the Patriots have their own “coach bump” this week as Mike Vrabel and much of his staff return to Tennessee this week for the first time since he was fired. They should be plenty prepared to deal with Tennessee. But that’s why they play the games.
NFL Week 7 Predictions:
The craziness continues in the NFL, but on Thursday night, even though Joe Flacco had only about 10 days in a Bengals uniform, the result was not a surprise.
Flacco was outstanding as the Steelers lined up and tried to bludgeon him into turning the ball over. It failed, and Ja’Marr Chase had an incredible night. The Steelers record under Mike Tomlin in Thursday games has been dismal. So, the Bengals, have climbed back into contention in their division.
Now we’ll see how the rest of the schedule goes.
Thursday Night Football:
Cincinnati over Pittsburgh 1-0
Sunday Day Games:
LA Rams over Jacksonville (London 9:30 am start)Chicago over New OrleansCleveland over MiamiNew England over TennesseeKansas City over Las VegasPhiladelphia over MinnesotaCarolina over NYJ
Denver over NYGLA Chargers over IndianapolisWashington over DallasGreen Bay over Arizona
Sunday Night Football:
San Francisco over Atlanta
**Monday Night Football:**Detroit over Tampa BaySeattle over Houston
BYE WEEK:
Buffalo, Baltimore
Last Week 10—5
2025 Season 60—32—1
2024 Season 204—68
2023 Season 178—94
2022 Season: 178—92—2
2021 Season: 183—88—1
2020 Season: 169—86—1
2019 Season: 162—93—1
“ I’ve watched him have kids, I’ve watched his kids grow up, I’ve watched them play baseball and then they’ve got football now. He’s got a great family, there’s a good balance to what he does, and his family is important to him, which I appreciate.
“When he’s here, he works, he comes in early, he’s diligent, and he works. When he goes home, he appreciates his family. He’s a professional; you don’t have to track him down. You don’t have to worry that he’s going to be in the weight room or in treatment.
“He’s versatile, he’s done a lot for us in Tennessee, and now doing that here. So again, he’s been a good addition to this football team.“
Mike Vrabel on Harold Landry.
“Well, obviously, there’s a small list of the international players that you can work with during the season to be able to practice, understand, and again, the development of that.
“Thomas has been with us when we were in Tennessee. He’s continued to improve, great teammate, practices extremely hard. He’s improved – was a very good blocker – but has improved just his overall body control and ability to run routes for a wide tight end.
“It’s not like some receiving tight end, but he knows what his role is. He contributes on special teams, and he’s gotten better. We just weren’t able to get him before. He would go back there, and that was his prerogative.
“Hopefully he can continue to improve, be a valuable member here with the international program and be ready, like everybody else on this practice squad, to prepare as a starter.”
Vrable on the Patriots adding Tight End Thomas Odukoya a player in the International Player Pathway.
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“Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, ‘Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we’re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we’re making.’” — Mike Vrabel
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Tags: Calvin Ridley Cam Ward Christian Barmore Christian Gonzalez Drake Maye Harold Landry Jeffrey Simmons Kayshon Boutte Kyle Williams Marcus Jones Mike McCoy Mike Vrabel Milton Williams New England Patriots Patriots edge rushers Pop Douglas Rhamondre Stevenson Stefon Diggs Tennessee Titans Tony Pollard