Mike Vrabel had players ready to be “mentally and physically exhausted”

[T-Rac]

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The Tennessee Titans knew that they’d have their hands full against the Patriots in New England. Coach Mike Vrabel, who played 17 playoff games with the Patriots from 2001 through 2007, specifically knew what they’d be facing in a place he called a “viper’s den” earlier this week.

“I think our players were just, they were ready to go,” Vrabel told reporters after the 20-13 win over the Patriots. “Our coaching staff did a great job, to have them prepared. You know, I told them, ‘To win the game, you’re going to have to be mentally and physically exhausted, to win this football game.’ Anytime you’re in man coverage, they are going to try to pick and rub you. There’s going to be gadgets, or throwbacks, or whatever there may be. Defensively, they are going to do things that force you to think, Ben [Jones] and Ryan [Tannehill], and make calls. We didn’t hand them anything. And that’s the one thing, they feast on bad football and we didn’t hand them anything.”

As to the mystique that comes with playing in New England, Vrabel said, “I don’t think our guys spent too much time staring up at those banners.”

The challenge won’t be any easier next Saturday, when the Titans try to return a favor, 11 years after the Ravens came to Nashville and bear the top-seeded Titans.

“We’ll have to try to find a way to slow them down,” Vrabel said of the Ravens. “But for the next 30 minutes or 40 minutes, I’m going to be appreciative of our football team and our players. For playing as well as they did tonight, as hard as they did. And believing in each other, the effort to finish, the foundation of our program in Tennessee.”

The finish by the Titans has been remarkable. A 34-14 win at Cleveland to start the season quickly fell into the “fluke” category, as the Titans lost four of the next five. But 2-4 became 9-7 and now, most importantly, 1-0 in the postseason.