Logan Ryan will be everywhere for the Titans. That’s bad news for Tom Brady.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cornerback Logan Ryan recently stood at his Nissan Stadium locker recalling his New England Patriots stretch and savoring his new Tennessee Titans home. The first was his NFL launching pad, the second his picturesque landing.

“I don’t know, wherever I have been, I’ve tried to stay true to the things I believe and to this game and reach for a level of excellence in my play that makes a difference for the team,” Ryan said. “That was cultivated for me with the Patriots, so, I came here prepared. I just wanted to consistently do what I do.”

Be an ultimate, consummate NFL pro.

The word on Ryan’s pass coverage is he’s occasionally spectacular, usually good, seldom abused, and always dependable. But there is something more about his game, his soft-spoken, humble, direct approach in the locker room, on the field, in his community service, and in his communication with teammates and with others that makes him a force. The Titans have experienced this, with a playoff victory at Kansas City behind them and the Patriots up next on Saturday night.

Ryan, 26, returns to the place that drafted him from Rutgers in 2013, back to his four-season Patriots roots of four AFC Championship games and two Super Bowl titles. When push came to shove earlier this year, when the Patriots were forced to decide if they would significantly up his earnings, they instead chose Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore in free agency. They let Ryan walk to Tennessee for a three-year, $30 million contract.

Gilmore was a Pro Bowl player.

Ryan was a cog, the worker bee, the less-swanky option in the Patriots’ eyes. But for the Titans, the investment mirrored their belief that he fit their working-class bunch built on toughness and dependability. Ryan, now in five NFL seasons, has missed only one game. That was Week 16 this year due to an ankle injury. He is still nursing it, but still shows up.

He was a perfect addition, the Titans believed, to influence their young secondary and their hungry team on the traits that make an NFL champion.

Ryan is back in the playoffs for the fifth year of his five-year career. The Titans are back in the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

The playoffs have a knack of taking you back.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan returns near his childhood neighborhood on Saturday when Atlanta plays at Philadelphia. Jacksonville at Pittsburgh and New Orleans at Minnesota on Sunday are repeat clashes from the regular season.

Ryan heading back to New England so fresh from his Patriots exit is a reminder that the NFL experience resets and circles, that old becomes new and new becomes old.

2018 Hall of Fame candidate and former Patriots dynamic cornerback Ty Law surveys the Ryan-Patriots experience. Former four-time pro-bowl safety Blaine Bishop (1993-2002 with the Titans/Eagles) is a 104.5 The Zone sports radio personality in Nashville and analyzes the Ryan Titans experience.

“Logan is a solid defender. There was always the question with the Patriots of if he can be the guy. Is he a No. 1 or a No. 2 or a No. 3? He was sort of all over the place. And part of that was because the Patriots put him all over the place. He covered the slot, he covered outside, they even had him at safety. You never knew where he would line up. He had to know so many things. That’s hard. You’ve got to be a smart player to do that. Sometimes a player in that position can get frustrated and it’s bad because you can’t count on being in one place, say left corner, and lock down on the reps of that job and perfect it.

“He had some tough plays, some tough games. He had some great plays and great games. He sort of became a safety blanket back there for the Patriots. What stood out to me was no matter what play that went wrong for him, he never hung his head, he always kept coming back, competing. It wasn’t like people weren’t throwing at him, yet, he was always up for the challenge. That is the mindset of an All-Pro.

“So, the Patriots had to make a choice, either cough it (money) up to him or let him go. And when they chose Gilmore, they were going for a guy that had already been a Pro Bowl corner. So, here, Logan sort of got caught in the middle, a player who definitely had value but how much was that value worth? I think he’s shown in Tennessee it’s worth a lot, because he’s helping to show those guys the way, showing them something he has in his game and within him that not everyone can easily get or teach and making it clear in this league that his type of experience is not something you can easily go and find. You can actually go in this league from becoming a guy to becoming the guy.

“I’ve played for the Patriots and then played against them, too, and I picked Tom (Brady) off. He asked me after the game what did I see? I knew the characteristics of Tom having practiced against him all of those years. The signals may change, but that did not change. And I’m sure Logan was paying attention and he knows the characteristics of Tom. And that is what can help him and the Titans more than him knowing the offense or any signals. I’m very happy for Logan.”

“In the preseason, we were playing the Jets, and I think it was No. 11 (receiver Robby Anderson), he just flew by Logan and Logan got beat deep and people were looking around at each other thinking, ‘What, we just paid $10 million a year for that?’ But the guy took ownership of it.

“He kept working. He made plays all year. He embodies what you want in a player. A real pro. Solid NFL career. He can play outside, inside, blitz. He is not a top cover, shutdown guy but he can play press coverage, he is strong with good feet and there is value in him being in the right place. He’s brought this team a lot of what it needed, especially with his mental toughness. He is not elite level, yet he has a lot of ability and he’s such a steady guy. This is a player you can trust. You get nothing less than that and sometimes you get a little more. It’s what you want. I’d take 20 of those. If he stays healthy, he can play 12 years in this league. He puts in the work, you can tell. He embodies what you want in a player.

“I could see the Titans putting him on (receiver Danny) Amendola in the slot. And that’s if the Titans match up a lot. That’s what they normally do, but maybe they will play more zone against Brady. I know they are going to have to mix their defense up a lot and that is where Logan Ryan comes in.

“He’s got to make sure he keeps his emotions under control, going back up there, playing in such a big game in that place. I think he will. He’s a very mature guy. I like that about him. Throughout the year he built so much confidence here in himself and in others around him. He has a little swagger and self-confidence about him that can be contagious to the group. That is very valuable.”