Mike Vrabel makes it clear Titans new DC will come from within

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel talked about the vacant defensive coordinator position on Thursday, and it sounds like he plans to fill the role from within.

While down at the Super Bowl in Miami, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about the vacant defensive coordinator position the team currently has.

The job opened up when former defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, announced his retirement following the end of the season.

For those of us who were hoping for a sexy hire from outside the organization like Wade Phillips or Kris Richard, it doesn’t look like that will happen based on what Vrabel is saying.

Instead, Vrabel sounds like he wants to leave the job of defensive coordinator to someone who is already within the organization, or at least someone he has worked with before when he was in Houston, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

"“I am going to try and do what is best for the team,” Vrabel said. “I would say to bring in a guy who hasn’t been in our system and done what we have done in Houston or here isn’t what I want to do. So whoever calls the defense, we are going to do pretty much what we have done. We are going to continue to add and enhance things, but to me that is not a big deal. I want guys that are loyal, that are great teachers and good developers.”"

One of the names that has been floated out there is Shane Bowen, the team’s current outside linebackers coach.

There has also been information to suggest that Vrabel himself could take control of the defense instead of naming a defensive coordinator, as both ESPN’s Turron Davenport and Pro Football Network’s Benjamin Allbright have reported.

Whether the Titans officially name a defensive coordinator or not, it appears Vrabel will have his hands in Tennessee’s defense more than he has in the past.

That can be both good and bad. We’ve certainly seen head coaches have success calling plays on either side of the ball, but we’ve also seen it end in disastrous ways.

Vrabel’s increased involvement would keep continuity on that side of the ball for the Titans.

However, calling the plays could also have him staring at a play sheet and taking his attention off the game overall, which could be a bad thing considering Vrabel is already known for making questionable decisions during games.

While we still don’t know what the ultimate decision will be at defensive coordinator, one thing’s for certain: Vrabel and the Titans are keeping it in-house.