Titans: Reasons for optimism and concern in 2nd half of 2019

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 13: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans looks on during a game between the Denver Broncos and the Tennessee Titans at Empower Field at Mile High on October 13, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 13: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans looks on during a game between the Denver Broncos and the Tennessee Titans at Empower Field at Mile High on October 13, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
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Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – OCTOBER 27: Head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans stands on the field during the 4th quarter of NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Nissan Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bryan Woolston/Getty Images)

Concern: The coaching

This might be the biggest concern for the Titans moving forward. A team can see its players perform great on a weekly basis, only to have an inept coaching staff make decisions that cost the team games.

Head coach Mike Vrabel has been a terrible decision-maker in 2019. His calls on fourth downs late in games have been a train wreck, but thankfully the Titans have been able to overcome most of them en route to victories.

Vrabel has been lucky in that regard, but the Titans can’t continue to keep banking on luck. Vrabel has got to learn from his mistakes in the last eight games of the season, or he could cost his squad a chance at the playoffs.

The same can be said for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. His play-calling has been bad, and the Titans offense is pretty predictable on most series, with Smith falling in love with the old run-run-pass approach that has made Titans fans sick this season.

On top of horrible play-calling, Smith has been running formations out there that don’t include his best playmakers on offense far too much. Smith has got to start making a habit of having guys like Corey Davis and A.J. Brown out on the field more often, as both were almost out-snapped by tight ends MyCole Pruitt and Anthony Firkser in Week 8.

If the terrible decisions by Vrabel and Smith continue and the Titans still find a way to make the playoffs, it’ll be a miracle.

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