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[Teach]

I recently saw where former New England Patriots’ linebacker Mike Vrabel was appointed head coach of the Tennessee Titans. When Vrabel came out of Ohio State as a consensus All-American, he was drafted in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played for Pittsburgh for four years. In 2001, Vrabel, then a free agent, joined the New England Patriots. He played for the Patriots between the years 2001 and 2008. He might have ended his career in New England save for an incident that occurred during one of the Patriots games.

I can’t recall whom the Patriots were playing that Sunday, but they had just scored a touchdown. They were assembling players for the kickoff team when it was discovered that they were one player short. Bill Belichick apparently called out the name of a Patriots rookie -- now a TV sports personality, along with Tom E. Curran, on NBC sports Boston’s “Quick Slants” – named Jerod Mayo.

It was then that Vrabel, a senior member of the Patriots defensive unit, intervened. Vrabel sensed that his teammate, Mayo, was pretty well “winded”. In so many words Vrabel said, Mayo’s not going in. And, he didn’t. He remained on the sideline when the ensuing kickoff occurred. Apparently, not much was said at the time.

However, in late February, 2009, it was learned that Mike Vrabel and quarterback Matt Cassel had been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. In exchange, the Patriots received the Kansas Chiefs’ 2nd round (34th overall) pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

As a postscript, Vrabel would play two seasons for The Chiefs before becoming a linebackers’ coach at his alma mater, Ohio State.

Do the Patriots play the Titans in 2018?