Multiple NFL analysts are foolishly disrespecting Mike Vrabel
Since hiring Mike Vrabel in January of 2018 as the 19th head coach in franchise history, the Tennessee Titans have become one of the more consistent organizations in the National Football League. Tennessee was a laughing stock under Ken Whisenhhunt. Under Mike Mularkey, the Titans became relevant. But under Mike Vrabel, the Titans became contenders, […]
Since hiring Mike Vrabel in January of 2018 as the 19th head coach in franchise history, the Tennessee Titans have become one of the more consistent organizations in the National Football League.
Tennessee was a laughing stock under Ken Whisenhhunt. Under Mike Mularkey, the Titans became relevant. But under Mike Vrabel, the Titans became contenders, totaling 48 wins over five seasons, appearing in an AFC Championship Game, and making the playoffs in three consecutive seasons from 2019-2021.
Only seven NFL franchises have more regular season wins than the Titans (48) since Vrabel was hired, and one losing season in five years on the job is even more impressive when you consider that Vrabel has never had an elite quarterback and the talent in Music City has not always been the cream of the crop.
But even with his impressive resume, Vrabel is still being completely disrespected by NFL analysts. Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus recently released his list of the top ten coaches in the NFL, and Vrabel was nowhere to be found on the list. Cody Benjamin of CBS also ranked every head coach earlier this week and had Vrabel all the way down at 13th in the league – behind Matt LaFleur and Doug Pederson among others.
"His commitment to a retro, bruising, run-first approach is both his blessing and curse," Benjamin wrote. "The man's reliance on vets like Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry hasn't really yielded more than early-round playoff bids, and yet year in and year out, he gets more out of his physical teams than you'd expect, always good for at least wild-card contention in the AFC South."
While I can understand criticisms of Vrabel's run-first approach in today's NFL, it's important to consider the personnel he has been dealt in his tenure as head coach. Any coach with prime Derrick Henry on his roster would be accused of malpractice if they weren't feeding him the ball 25 times per game.
When Vrabel also had A.J. Brown at his disposal and weapons to stretch the field to pair with Henry (like in 2020), Tennessee easily had a top five offense in the sport.
Jon Robinson mismanaging the roster and leaving his head coach with a bare cupboard in 2022 should not fall on Vrabel's shoulders. But if the Titans fail to convert on signing DeAndre Hopkins this offseason and continue to be one dimensional offensively, I'll hear that argument out.
As of now, it's not a stretch to say that Mike Vrabel is the best thing the Titans have going for them. He gets the most out of his players, and as dark as things may seem following an underwhelming conclusion to 2022, there is hope for the Titans moving forward solely because of Vrabel's winning track record.
The consistency Vrabel brings as a head coach is rare in today's game, and he absolutely belongs on any list of the top ten head coaches. If I was starting a franchise from scratch, there are not many people I'd want as my head coach over Mike Vrabel.
Mike Vrabel asked about Titans’ potential interest in DeAndre Hopkins
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel responds when asked about the team’s interest in pursuing free agent WR DeAndre Hopkins.
