Tom Brady and Mike Vrabel may no longer be teammates but they certainly aren't afraid to tease one another and have a good time from opposite sides of the field.
On Wednesday, the Patriots and Titans kicked off a couple days of joint practices ahead of their preseason game on Saturday, and it reunited Brady with Vrabel, a former New England linebacker who now serves as head coach of the Titans. The pair won three Super Bowls together with the Patriots, with Vrabel catching a touchdown from Brady in New England's win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
That didn't stop a little trash talk from taking place as Brady took the field on Wednesday. As the 42-year-old Patriots quarterback arrived on scene with his pads in-hand, Vrabel gave him a hard time for a lack of urgency as he walked onto the field.
Tom Brady walks onto the field and Mike Vrabel was already talking that talk. #Titans #Patriots pic.twitter.com/5RkkcJbFWM
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 14, 2019
You can hear the exchange a bit more clearly from another angle and it includes some NSFW language. As Vrabel chirps Brady for his casual stroll, the veteran QB smiles before returning fire with a "why don't you pay attention to your own s**t?"
If eyes were closed, and just listening at Patriots-Titans practice, would have thought we traveled back in time to 2001-2008 with the entertaining Tom Brady/Mike Vrabel banter. The two have a special history together. Also competitors to the end.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 14, 2019
That's certainly a fun little way to kick off a handful of days in Nashville, and it sounds like it wasn't the end of the fun between the two former teammates. After practice, Vrabel spoke to the media and revealed that Brady was quite talkative during the session, with the QB not shy to point out some areas of the Titans' game that need improvement.
Tom Brady did some trash talking to @Titans coach Mike Vrabel, his former @Patriots teammate, today. Vrabel gave it right back. pic.twitter.com/8b9moqxuzp
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 14, 2019
Vrabel just so happened to turn 45 years old on Wednesday, and the coaching advice from Brady probably wasn't what he had in mind for a birthday gift. That being said, Bill Belichick made sure that this year's crop of Patriots rookies celebrated with the opposing coach.
.@Patriots players wish @Titans coach Mike Vrabel “Happy Birthday.” 🎉 pic.twitter.com/JVv0yHXN3L
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 14, 2019
The Patriots and Titans still have one more joint practice in store before they hit the field for their game this weekend, so there's still time for both sides to come out on top in the war of chirps.