FOXBORO, Mass — Although rumors are swirling that Mike Vrabel may be the future head coach in New England, there is no official vacancy and no formal trip to his old employer planned at this point. But the reason the former NFL Coach of the Year is on the market is reportedly linked to a prior trip to New England.
The former Tennesee head coach reportedly rubbed Titans Amy Adams Strunk the wrong way when he spoke glowingly about the Patriots during his Hall of Fame induction weekend in October.
“This was Amy Adams Strunk making the decision based on a lot of things,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport said Wednesday. “Including what happened when he went to New England for the Hall of Fame thing. Including not dispelling rumors in-house that he was going to be the Patriots coach.”
In an attempt to quiet the raucous cheers from the Foxboro faithful when he took the field for the halftime ceremony, Vrabel shouted “Come on We’ve got a game to win! I can’t be up here that long! ”
Vrabel also sat with owner Robert Kraft for the entirety of the game.
“I want you not to take this organization for granted,” Vrabel said in his speech. “I’ve been a lot of places. This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, great coaching. Enjoy it. It’s not like this everywhere.”
Although Vrabel landed in New England in relative obscurity as a free agent in 2001, the swiss-army-knife linebacker’s tenure in New England was defined by his ability to make plays when the lights were brightest.
During his eight seasons in New England, Vrabel tallied 48 sacks in the regular season and a further seven in 17 playoff games. Although not a sack, former teammate Ty Law credited Vrabel’s bone-crushing hit on St Louis Rams QB Kurt Warner in Super Bowl XXXVI as the root cause of the iconic and championship-defining pick-six.
The Patriots are still reportedly weighing whether to part ways with long-time head coach Bill Belichick.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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