Taylor Lewan Advises Patriots Players To Keep 'Your Butthole Tight' With Mike Vrabel Taking Over As Head Coach

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Taylor Lewan knows all too well what it's like to play for Mike Vrabel, having shared five seasons with him in Nashville with the Tennessee Titans. With Vrabel now headed to Foxborough to take over the New England Patriots, the former offensive lineman took it upon himself to share some insight into what Vrabel is like as a head coach.

While Lewan complimented Vrabel's ability as a head coach, he also took some friendly jabs about his style, and oh-so-poetically told Patriots players to keep their buttholes tight under the new regime.

"You need to understand that sh-t is going to be really hard for a little bit," Lewan explained. "And it’s going to be OK. But just know, you’re about to go into hell for a little bit. You’re going to be sitting there in the locker room, you’re in small groups, ‘Who the f-ck is this guy?’ ‘Why is he talking to us like this?’ ‘Who does he think he is?’"

"Not a bad thing, boys. I’m telling you, it’s going to work out. I was a part of it," Lewan continued. "While I was in those small little groups, and you start to get away from it, and it’s ‘Yeah, this dude knows what the f-ck he’s talking about.  But, keep your butthole tight in those team meeting rooms. You have got to keep your butt hole tight. Because he’s going to have guys stand up, ‘Who’s this guy? Who’s that guy?’"

READ: Tedy Bruschi Takes Dig At Patriots' Front Office After Mike Vrabel Hire In New England

Lewan's insight about Vrabel splitting teams up into small groups and holding every player accountable to not only know their teammates but also the responsibilities of both sides of the ball is interesting stuff. Vrabel comes across as more of a hard-nosed, old-school coach, but it's clear he's also a big relationships guy as well, and sees the significance of the whole room being on the same page.

Vrabel went 54-45 in his six seasons as the head coach of the Titans and led the team to the AFC Championship Game in 2019. He takes over the Patriots, the team he won three Super Bowls with as a player, after spending the 2024 NFL season as a personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.