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New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel did all he could last week to downplay the storyline related to the club's Week 7 game at the Tennessee Titans, the team that fired him in January 2024. Coming off New England's 31-13 win that improved the Patriots to 5-2, quarterback Drake Maye shared why he and others in the locker room appreciated what Vrabel did and didn't say ahead of the matchup at Tennessee's Nissan Stadium. Mike Vrabel cared more about Patriots players than about getting revenge vs. Titans "It meant a lot to us, him downplaying, not making a big deal…what’s interesting versus what’s important, and he cared about us," Maye said during a Monday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI, per Meghan Ottolini of Audacy. "He cared about his team, and he said that was in the past. Now he’s moved on, and he’s worried about us. Shoot, we love playing for coach." Vrabel went 54-45 across his six seasons with the Titans before he ended his tenure with back-to-back losing campaigns. He guided the franchise to the 2020 AFC Championship Game and later won the Associated Press Coach of the Year Award for the 2021 season. Despite what Vrabel said behind the scenes, Patriots players made it known on Sunday afternoon that they understood earning a win over the Titans meant "a lot" to their coach. Meanwhile, Maye set a franchise record for the highest completion percentage in a single game when he connected on 21-of-23 pass attempts (91.3 percent) for 222 yards and two touchdowns against Tennessee. Inside the visitors' locker room, Maye presented Vrabel with a game ball while celebrating the team's fourth consecutive win. Patriots players knew what Titans game truly meant to Mike Vrabel "I know that it just means more," Maye added about New England's victory in Tennessee. "It means more for [Vrabel], going back to a place where he’s had history and great success. We wanted to win it for him. It was cool to see him care in the locker room and show some emotion." Vrabel and Maye will now work to ensure the Patriots turn the page for their home game against the Cleveland Browns (2-5) this coming Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, ESPN BET had New England as a 7.5-point favorite for that contest.