Okay, let’s just go ahead and state two things that are obvious. One, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is one of only 32 men that can say that they are currently wearing the distinction of being called a head coach in the NFL. Second, he’s also one of the better guys that are doing that job.
Vrabel boasts a winning record in each of his first three seasons and a 29-19 win-loss tally overall. His last two campaigns have each led to a playoff appearance, and though he boasts a .500 record there (2-2), he also has an AFC Championship Game appearance on his resume.
Ask Zac Taylor or Kliff Kingsbury if they’d like to be in that position. Here’s the thing though. It’s starting to feel like this guy’s going to have to win a Super Bowl or something before he gets his just due because he isn’t getting the credit he deserves on a consistent basis. Wait until you see what’s happened now.
The Tennessee Titans’ Mike Vrabel slighted in a recent ranking of head coaches.
If you’re like the Tennessee Titans staff, you just can’t get enough of power rankings. You’ve probably told yourself that you’re never going to look at another one, but as soon as another one drops, you can’t help but take a peek.
Connor Orr of SI.com recently dropped his ranking of the NFL’s head coaches. He split the list between both veteran and first-year guys who are graded on a slightly different scale which is interesting, but as you might expect, Tennessee’s head man gets a slight here.
Vrabel lands outside of yet another top ten at number 13. Here’s some of Orr’s take on the subject.
"Vrabel has consistently gotten the most out of a roster that, while talented, certainly has its limits. The Titans routinely outperform their Pythagorean win-loss expectations and have caught the league on its heels with their downhill running game and complementary suite of bootleg passing plays. Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown are legitimate, top-of-the-class offensive stars and their offensive line is consistently one of the strongest in the NFL. Where Vrabel shines is in the locker room. It’s clear that, as a recently retired former player, he can acclimate better than coaches who haven’t spent enough time on the other side of the fence. For now, his window of relevance has shown that good coaching can transform a dated operation quickly. In order to climb further up the list, Vrabel’s defense, which has floundered of late, needs to recover."
Okay, maybe that isn’t unfair, but as Orr states here, you have to coach the guys that you’ve been given, and at times, Vrabel’s been asked to make lemonade out of lemons on the defensive side of the ball.
Orr also states that the list is based on what the veterans have accomplished so far and what they have the possibility of accomplishing in the future, so while it’s difficult to place him ahead of the likes of Bill Belichick (1), Andy Reid (2), Mike Tomlin (3), John Harbaugh (4), Sean Payton (5), Bruce Arians (6), and Pete Carroll (7), all of which have won Super Bowls, placing him behind Sean (11) McDermott and Kevin Stefanski (12) is arguable right?
Rounding out the rest of the top 13 are Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, both of whom have led their teams to Super Bowl appearances, but even though both are superior offensive minds, the argument can be made that they aren’t the same level of coach. Regardless, here’s what can’t be denied. Some of these NFL writers are going to have to write retractions about the Tennessee Titans’ head coach pretty soon.