Is Mike vrabel on the Hot Seat??
Mike Vrabel has been the head coach of the Tennessee Titans for six years and has been a major part of the revitalization of the franchise. Under Vrabel, the Titans have won two AFC South Division Titles, been the number one seed in the AFC, and have played in an AFC Championship Game. Vrabel has been an overall great coach for Tennessee, but the last ten games have been an absolute nightmare for the Titans. Tennessee is 1-9 in their last ten games, and Vrabel has had few answers for the team’s struggles. This begs the question, Is Mike Vrabel officially on the Hot Seat?
Let’s take a deeper look into the Titans’ problems over the past ten games. In my opinion, the number one problem has been the offensive line. The unit went under a massive overhaul this offseason, and they have arguably looked worse to start the season. Andre Dillard is a liability, and the line hasn’t been able to consistently create holes for the running game nor protect Tannehill. The unit from last year to this year has changed a lot, but both lines absolutely stink. Though the Titans’ defense has been pretty good to start the season this year and was good last year, the secondary is still a major issue, even with the addition of Sean Murphy-Bunting. Deshaun Watson completely diced up the Titans’ DBs today with ease, and many QBs have been doing that for years. Injuries have been a problem for Ten over the past couple of years, and it got really bad at the end of last year when the Titans went on their seven-game losing streak. Obviously, Vrabel can’t control that aspect of the game, but it’s unfortunate. Those have been the main problems the Titans have faced during this 1-9 stretch. Now, it’s tough to make out other problems since the team has changed drastically in the middle of this stretch, but these problems have been consistent throughout. Now, I will give you some reasons why Vrabel should be on the hot seat and why he should not…
Mike Vrabel has too much trust in his coordinators at times and has lost the Titans a ton of games. His trust in Todd Downing is the one that upsets Titans’ fans the most. Downing was an awful OC for the Titans, and many knew that from day one. Still, Vrabel decided to endorse Downing and keep him on the staff for way too long. This trust in Downing cost the Titans many wins and potential playoff success in the last couple of years. Second, Vrabel doesn’t know what he is doing in end-of-game or half situations, and it was on full display today. The Titans had an easy field goal opportunity at their disposal, but Vrabel decided to be cute and run a drop-back passing play with no timeouts left when he knows his O-Line skills. Now, Tim Kelly was likely the one who called the play, but Vrabel has the authority to shut it down and say no. Instead of cutting the game to a one-possession battle, the Titans squandered a field goal opportunity to end the half. That is just one of the countless times Vrabel has mismanaged the clock in key situations, and that is a skill that a Head Coach can’t have. Finally, Vrabel’s 1-9 record over the past ten games isn’t in his favor either. Though these reasons accurately summarize Vrabel’s deficiencies as a Head Coach, it’s too early to place the former All-Pro Linebacker on the Hot Seat…
Vrabel has shown he can rebound from bad starts and win games with talent-deprived rosters. He won Coach of the Year only two years ago and had the Titans in position to win the AFC South last season before all the injuries. Though we can all overreact sometimes, Vrabel isn’t on the Hot Seat yet. If the Titans can rebound and contend for the AFC South this season, then Vrabel’s job is safe. If they continue to struggle like they have over the past ten games, Mrs. Amy will have a tough decision to make come January…
IMAGE FROM TENNESSEETITANS.COM
