Mike Vrabel won’t say it, but the Patriots’ revenge game vs. Titans is real
The New England Patriots have generated palpable buzz for their surprisingly fast start to the 2025 NFL campaign. They're firing on all cylinders entering a clash with the Tennessee Titans, who are trending in the polar opposite direction.
But this isn't just a matchup with the down-bad Titans, as much as Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wants it to be. He's trying to minimize the underlying storyline of his highly anticipated return to Tennessee for the first time since they fired him in January 2024.
However, it’s a massive elephant in the room that’s too big to ignore – one that could galvanize New England’s locker room.
When addressing the media earlier in the week, Vrabel described his not-so-welcome homecoming as “interesting” but “not very important” in the grand scheme of things. A reporter asked him about the “revenge game” narrative again during a press conference on Wednesday, but this time, the focus was on the players’ feelings.
The 2021 Coach of the Year de-emphasized the topic, yet the question and response indicate that the Patriots are motivated on behalf of their leader.
Mike Vrabel continues taking high road, but Patriots players eyeing revenge vs. Titans
"Yeah, we're not trying to win one for the Gipper here," Vrabel stated regarding the Pats’ motivation against the Titans. "We're just trying to make sure that these guys are focused on improving, and I think that they are."
Moreover, Vrabel noted that New England is "locked in" at the moment with sights on winning its fourth straight contest. While that's true and fair, his showdown with the club that dismissed him is at the front of everyone's minds. He can sense it, and so can Patriots beat writers, which is why they keep bringing up the saga.
If people on the outside looking in are thinking this much about Vrabel facing his former employer, just imagine how members of the Pats feel. He can run from the subject, but the 53-man group behind won’t hide as they look to avenge their sideline general.
Expect the Patriots to rally around Vrabel against a hapless Titans squad that notably relieved head coach Brian Callahan of his duties recently. Regardless of what the former says, he was once between the lines and knows his squad will be running high with emotions.
As a competitor who won at the highest level during his 14-year linebacker career, Vrabel knows the players want to destroy the Titans for him. Heck, not so deep down, he probably realizes how badly he wants to pulverize Tennessee.
Bulls trade for former 1st-round pick from Warriors in G League swap
The Chicago Bulls' G League team, the Windy City Bulls, just got a massive talent upgrade.
On Monday, the Bulls swung a trade with the Golden State
The deal, according to Evan Sidery, sends a 2026 G League first-rounder to Santa Cruz for the rights of Knox to come to Windy City.
This move was a bit a matter of procedure. The Chicago Bulls had already signed Knox to an NBA training camp contract, then waived him to align him to end up with Windy City. But since Santa Cruz had most recently owned his G League rights, the Windy City Bulls needed to compensate the Santa Cruz Warriors in a trade to get Knox officially onto their roster.
Knox was the No. 9 overall pick by the Knicks in the 2018 NBA Draft.
From there, he played for the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers
In 320 career NBA games, Knox has averaged 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Last season, Knox spent part of his time in the G League and part of it in the NBA.
He appeared in 14 games for limited minutes with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA.
In the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Knox averaged 25.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
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Knox is still just 26 years old. There's always a chance he can work his way back into an NBA rotation.
For now, though, he's just going to spend more time in the G League, where he should be able to get ample buckets.
