Titans running back Dion Lewis on beating the Patriots, his former team: 'When you go cheap, you get your ass kicked'

James Kenney/AP

• The Tennessee Titans beat the New England Patriots, 34-10, on Sunday.
• After the game Titans running back Dion Lewis, a former Patriots player, said the team got their "ass kicked" because they went "cheap."
• Lewis was one of several players who were let go by the Patriots in the offseason who were critical of the team's culture.

The Tennessee Titans had one of the surprising wins of Week 10 of the NFL season, beating the New England Patriots, 34-10.

The Titans relied on a steady, offensive approach while they brought continual pressure on Tom Brady and the Patriots, throwing off the normally lethal Patriots offense.

After the game, Titans running back Dion Lewis, who spent the last three years with the Patriots, called the win personal and said it's what the Patriots get for being "cheap."

"Hell yeah it's personal," Lewis said. "When you go cheap, you get your ass kicked."

Lewis signed a four-year, $28 million deal with the Titans in the offseason. On Sunday, he tallied 68 total yards and told reporters that he stressed to his team that playing physically against the Patriots would cause them to "fold."

"I just had to let our team know that these guys are beatable ... I know those guys. I know that you be physical with them and let 'em have it and they'll fold."

Lewis isn't the first former Patriot to be critical of the team this year. In an interview over the offseason, wide receiver Danny Amendola, who signed with the Miami Dolphins after five years with the Patriots, called Bill Belichick an "a--hole" and said that he didn't always enjoy the atmosphere. Former Patriots offensive lineman Nate Solder also criticized the "cold" atmosphere within the Patriots, saying that it sometimes felt like players lacked job security.

Amendola and Lewis both said in different interviews over the offseason that the Patriots did not make them feel wanted with their contract offers.

Of course, as ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted, what the Patriots did with Lewis is simply what they did when they brought him onto the team.

Ultimately, Bill Belichick and company have a pretty effective method for sustaining their winning ways. Unfortunately, not every player appreciates those methods.