Tom Brady has zingers for Tennessee Titans' Mike Vrabel, once 'a typical diva receiver'
Of all the receivers Tom Brady has thrown to in his career, Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel certainly was one of them.
An intense receiver, apparently.
"(Vrabel is) not as rambunctious as he used to be," Brady said of his former teammate, now the Titans coach, following the Bucs' joint practice with Tennessee on Wednesday. "He was much more chattery as a player. He complained a lot when I didn't throw him the ball, like a typical diva receiver. He's mellowed out as a coach a little bit."
Vrabel, of course, played as a defensive end and linebacker in 14 NFL seasons, including eight with the New England Patriots where he won three Super Bowl titles with Brady. But he also caught eight passes (all touchdowns, and all from Brady) while at New England in goal-line situations, inserted as an eligible receiver.
The two are on opposite sidelines for a pair of joint practices this week leading into Saturday's preseason game in Tampa.
Vrabel is two years older than Brady; the Titans coach was in his first season at New England in 2001, the year that Brady took over for Drew Bledsoe and led the Patriots to their first Super Bowl title. Vrabel was 26; Brady was 24.
Fast forward to today, where Brady is in his second year in Tampa as the Bucs' quarterback; his final game as a Patriot was a loss to Vrabel and the Titans in the 2019 AFC Wild Card round.
Vrabel is now the longest tenured coach in the AFC South, by a couple weeks ahead of Colts coach Frank Reich, and Brady is still slinging the football around and answering questions about how to defend a Super Bowl title.
The former Patriots serve as a low-hanging fruit for one another, and one can only imagine how a Super Bowl Media Days session with the two on either side would unwind.