New England Patriots
“We’ve got a lot of Tennessee people in this building, so it will be a little extra for them,” Garrett Bradbury said. “But players, we just have to show up and execute.”
FOXBOROUGH — It’s Titans week. On Sunday, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel will return to Tennessee to face the franchise that fired him almost two years ago.
He’ll bring a rejuvenated Patriots squad that already has matched last year’s win total through just six games. New England is on a three-game winning streak. Tennessee dropped to 1-5 with Sunday’s loss to the Raiders, and on Monday fired coach Brian Callahan.
While Vrabel’s return is likely to be an intriguing story line this week, his focus is on getting his team prepared.
“There is going to be, probably, a lot to be said about this,” Vrabel said on Monday. “I think it would be filed under the category of, is it interesting or important? I would probably say this would be very interesting, but in the end not very important to our preparation or what we need to continue to try to do to improve as a team.”
“But, having spent six years there or seven years there, I think it will be nice to see some people that I haven’t seen in a few years that helped us win, players and staff. We’ve got a huge job we’ve got to do here as we try to prepare for them.”
The Titans, led by 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, rank last in total yards per game (232.3) and second-to-last in scoring (13.8 points per game). They have nine sacks on the season, half of which have come from defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Calvin Ridley has caught fewer than half (16 of 35) of his targets. The Titans are tied for second in the league in turnovers with 10.
Ridley and Simmons were bright spots during the Titans’ lone win, against the Cardinals. Three of Tennessee’s five losses have been by 14 points or more.
But Vrabel isn’t taking his former team lightly.
“There’s probably a little bit about Coach Vrabel that’s fired up for it,” center Garrett Bradbury said. “But he’s such a football coach through and through that it’s just — we need to have a good Tuesday, we need to have a good Wednesday, we need to have a good Thursday, we need to execute on Sunday. So, we’ll worry about that later.
“When we start making things bigger than what they are or focusing down the road, it’s just — we’ve got to win in the moment. No matter what you did yesterday or tomorrow, you just have to have a good today. That’s kind of the message that Coach Vrabel shares.”
The Patriots have several former Titans on the roster, including linebackers Harold Landry, Robert Spillane, and Jack Gibbens, as well as backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs.
“We’ve got a lot of Tennessee people in this building, so it will be a little extra for them,” Bradbury said. “But players, we just have to show up and execute.”
Chism’s chance
Rookie wide receiver Efton Chism beamed with enthusiasm as he spoke about making his NFL in Sunday’s win over the Saints. He returned five kickoffs for 129 yards. Chism played just two offensive snaps, but the experience was memorable.
“When we walked in, seeing the whole environment and everything was pretty surreal,” Chism said. “I feel like the preseason was awesome, just to get those reps and to get my mind right that way. But then, just to go out there and get the opportunity to help the team any way I can was pretty special.”
Chism said he is improving every day as he works on his route running and blocking, while soaking up knowledge from the team’s veteran receivers.
Chism hasn’t gotten any offensive touches yet, but he’s not letting that affect his preparation. He called his weekly practice reps “invaluable,” including the ones when he’s on scout team helping the defense prepare.
“I think every rookie is kind of navigating that, but I think for me, it’s whatever I can do to help the team,” Chism said. “I know that sometimes that’s during the week, maybe it’s not on Sundays but I’m helping the team any way that I can and definitely just trying to learn the ways of the guys who have done it before and their process. It’s not going to all happen overnight, so I just continue to stick with the process.”
Persevering through penalties
Vrabel was asked which of the two offensive pass interference penalties called on Stefon Diggs frustrated him more, the one that erased a 61-yard touchdown catch from DeMario Douglas or the one that nullified a 52-yard catch from Diggs.
Vrabel, who had said the officiating on Sunday sometimes reached a “comical” point during his morning radio interview with WEEI, did not pick between the two.
“Oh, no, those don’t drive me crazy,” he said. “We just have to be able to deal with whatever situation is presented to us, whether we agree with it or disagree with it, learn that it’s not going to change.
“So, frustrated and disappointed for the players there that had some really explosive gains taken away by judgment — probably poor judgment, but it’s all part of it. So, I like the resolve for us, the ability for us to play through some of those, however difficult that it may be.”
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