The Tennessee Titans' Week 7 game versus the New England Patriots was highlighted by Mike Vrabel's return to Nashville. Never mind that the Titans fired his successor Brian Callahan earlier in the week and replaced him with interim Mike McCoy. No, it was still Vrabel who dominated headlines.
Vrabel coached the Titans from 2018 to 2023. They made an unlikely AFC Championship Game appearance under his leadership and followed that with consecutive division titles. Vrabel himself captured Coach of the Year honors in 2021.
Despite all the success, Vrabel was fired after a second straight losing season in 2023. His relationship with owner Amy Adams Strunk deteriorated and played a critical role in his dismissal. On Sunday, Vrabel showed the Titans what they lost in him as his Patriots embarrassed the Titans 31-13 in Week 7.
Ex Titans HC Mike Vrabel embarrasses his former employer in Week 7
Vrabel was abrupt and brash throughout his tenure in Tennessee. He also overachieved and won football games. The Titans haven't done enough of that since their controversial parting of ways with him.
The national media took notice of his firing, and the organization's successive struggles in Nashville. A Sunday morning tweet from ESPN insider Adam Schefter mentioned that Vrabel entered Week 7 with four wins with the Patriots, the same number of victories the Titans have totaled since firing him at the end of the 2023 campaign. The now 5-2 Patriots are sporting a considerably better record than their 3-14 finish in 2024. Meanwhile, the Titans keep trending backwards.
Owner Adams Strunk was on the field pregame chatting with former Titans cornerback and current analyst Jason McCourty. For several hours, she then watched the best coach she ever hired embarrass her franchise with a proper beatdown in her own stadium. There's no telling how Adams Strunk feels about her decision to dismiss Vrabel, as she's essentially refused to make a public appearance since. But the on-field result spoke loudly.