This former Tennessee Titans head coach has been in the news quite a bit since landing his newest gig. The New England Patriots recently suffered a key injury to their receiving staff, one their coach was less than pleased with.
The shoulder injury is one thing, but the way the media handled his injury was another. As it stands, the Patriots HC is less than pleased with the media in New England.
Mike Vrabel Calls Reporters “Rats” After Ja’Lynn Polk Injury
Season ending shoulder surgery is the likely destination for Ja’Lynn Polk. ESPN lists Chad Graff of The Athletic to have reported the injury. It’s an injury that made waves on social media on Thursday, August 21. ESPN’s Mike Reiss broke it all down in his story.
Now, Mike Vrabel is expressing his displeasure. The former Titans HC is in his first year with the Patriots. Clearly, he has a lot to say. After breaking up numerous fights on the field already this training camp, Vrabel has been through it all in his short stint with the team.
Polk, the team’s No. 37 overall draft pick in 2024, finished his rookie season with just 87 yards. The arrival of Stefon Diggs certainly altered his course of involvement, though at 23-years-old he still had plenty to give.
some Patriots staffer will be waking up to a horse head in their bed tomorrow pic.twitter.com/HJDdtWMBsa
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) August 22, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Vrabel took to the podium on Friday, August 22 when a reporter asked if he could add anything about Polk’s injury, “No. I don’t know, other than I’d like to know where some of these come from. You know, some of these rats around here. We’ll figure that out.”
After immediately responding “no”, Vrabel took a second to get his thoughts together. A different reporter began to ask a new question, but instead he needed to finish his thoughts which included the “rats” comment.
Mike Vrabel and Brian Callahan Both Have Quite the Attention on Them
Vrabel’s tenure in Tennessee came to an end with a combined 56-48 record in six seasons. He was 54-45 in the regular season, a rare sight to see a coach with a winning record be relieved of his duties.
The Titans downfall is unlike anything else in the National Football League. A team that was once the No. 1 seed just made the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Even though they’re in the Brian Callahan era, it’s one that may not last too long.
Reports surfaced that Callahan was nearly fired after winning just three games in his first season. Instead, the team is opting to give him a second chance with Cam Ward leading the team. Should they have similar results as last year, he will be out of a head coaching job.
Ward will suit up for the team’s final preseason game on August 22. The Titans play host to the Minnesota Vikings as they look to win back-to-back games. Ward will once again be without Calvin Ridley, his star receiver who stole the show in Tampa Bay.
Vrabel’s Patriots wrapped up their preseason with a 2-1 record. After winning their first two games, they suffered an embarrassing 42-10 defeat to the New York Giants. Regardless, all eyes point to Week 7 where Vrabel returns home as New England plays in Tennessee.
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