Tom Brady and Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, Brady’s former New England Patriots teammate, showed on Wednesday they can still take friendly verbal jabs at each other despite no longer playing for the same team.
The Titans and Patriots held a joint practice in Nashville on Wednesday in preparation for their preseason Week 3 game in Tennessee on Saturday. Vrabel, a former Patriots linebacker who played alongside 42-year-old Brady from 2001 to 2008 and helped the team win three Super Bowls, caught the winning touchdown pass from the veteran quarterback in the Super Bowl XXXIX victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Vrabel, who turned 44 on Wednesday, is now entering his second season as Titans coach.
As Brady walked onto the practice field on Wednesday, Vrabel teased the six-time Super Bowl champion for his casual and slow pace.
“So you’re walking on the field, huh?” Vrabel is heard yelling sardonically at Brady. “No walking!”
Brady then responded sharply by saying, “Why don’t you pay attention to your own s—t?”
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After the joint practice, Vrabel addressed the friendly exchange with Brady in a press conference.
“It brought back a lot of memories. To (be) out there, and they make a play, and to have him turn around and say, ‘Hey Mike, you know you better cover that,” Vrabel told reporters. “But it was a lot of fun. We have a lot of respect for those guys. We learn a lot from the way they practice, the way they operate.”
“Tom’s very committed to football and winning and being competitive and taking care of his body and continuing to find new ways to train,” Vrabel also told WEEI of Brady. “It’s fun for us. It’s good for us to be able to come out here and compete against him.”
Some Patriots players also took the time to wish Vrabel a happy birthday:
