The case for Titans HC Mike Vrabel to repeat as Coach of the Year
It's hard to say enough good things about Mike Vrabel. The fifth-year Tennessee Titans head coach truly is one of a kind. Year-after-year, the Titans are overlooked by the football world. The small market, "less talented" Titans regularly get dismissed before every season and before every big game, and yet everyone seems to forget about […]
It's hard to say enough good things about Mike Vrabel.
The fifth-year Tennessee Titans head coach truly is one of a kind. Year-after-year, the Titans are overlooked by the football world. The small market, "less talented" Titans regularly get dismissed before every season and before every big game, and yet everyone seems to forget about the Mike Vrabel effect.
Vrabel has always had a way of getting the most out of his roster. Whether a player is one of the best in the game, a practice squad elevation, or sometimes even fresh off the street, Vrabel finds a way to plug him into his system and get productive snaps.
He has built a culture within the Tennessee Titans organization that he believes operates as a "family." Information remains in-house with no time for drama. There is an emphasis on personal relationships with an understanding of the sacrifices that come with a football lifestyle. The players are relied upon to be the leaders.
Tough, smart, and prepared. That's Titans football, and that's Mike Vrabel.
Coach of the Year
Vrabel won the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2021 when he led the Titans to a 12-5 record and the top seed in the AFC playoff picture, but just because Vrabel had success in 2021, does not mean we can overlook his 2022 season.
There is a legitimate argument for Vrabel, with his Titans at 7-3, to be the NFL's coach of the year in back-to-back seasons.
For starters, the Titans are the only team in the NFL to start each of the last three seasons with a 7-3 record or better through 10 games. Tennessee is a model of consistency because they understand their identity.
After setting an NFL record by using 91 players during the 2021 NFL season, the Titans have once again had to overcome a series of major injuries. They lost starting LT Taylor Lewan and star pass rusher Harold Landry for the season with ACL tears. OLB Bud Dupree, first-round WR Treylon Burks, and starting ILB Zach Cunningham have all landed on Injured Reserve, as well.
There have been times throughout this season where the Titans' defense, a top 10 unit in the NFL, has been without eight of the 11 projected starters from the beginning of the year. None of that has mattered.
Vrabel always knows what it will take to win, and know how to prepare his team accordingly. Currently, only three NFL teams have a better record than Vrabel's Titans, and only two qualified active head coaches have a higher career winning percentage.
Ironically, those two are Bill Belichick (who Vrabel used to play for and work under), and Matt LaFleur (who used to work under Vrabel).
The Coach of the Year competition is loaded this season, with many surprise teams around the NFL getting some early recognition in the betting odds. According to BetMGM, Vrabel is currently the seventh betting favorite with his odds at +2200 to win the award.
Should he win it, he'd join Allie Sherman, Joe Gibbs, and the great Don Shula as the only coaches to receive the honor in back-to-back seasons.
The man just does more with less, and I'm not sure there's anyone else around the league you'd rather have coaching your team right now. If Tennessee continues their upward trajectory, I don't see how he isn't given the award once again.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
