TENNESSEE TITANS
Head Coach: Mike Vrabel, DC, Houston Texans
His resume
Mike Vrabel was named the Titans new head coach
A heady linebacker capable of rushing from the edge, Mike Vrabel enjoyed a long 13-year career in the NFL, highlighted with his stint in New England. Perhaps his biggest claim to fame from a national perspective was his use as a goal-line tight end, where he caught 10 touchdown passes.
After his retirement, Vrabel’s made a quick rise through the coaching ranks. After three years at his alma mater Ohio State, he joined Bill O’Brien‘s Houston Texans staff as a LB coach. Immediately, Vrabel became a “rising star,” thanks largely to his appearance on Hard Knocks at the time.
Now a high-profile DC candidate, Vrabel turned down some defensive coordinator jobs, staying with Houston instead. However, O’Brien and the staff couldn’t delay the inevitable forever, so they shifted DC Romeo Crennel’s role in order to accommodate Vrabel’s promotion. Vrabel only lasted one year in the position (with middling results) before landing his head coaching opportunity this year.
His strengths
People who criticize Vrabel based on the defensive stats of the Texans this season may miss the point: being a head coach is a different job than being a coordinator. It’s fair to presume Vrabel’s personality type is more suited to be a “head coach” than a play-caller anyway.
As a former player, Vrabel’s always been able to relate to his team. He projects strong leadership while maintaining a likable energy; that’s not an easy combination.
From a franchise’s perspective, Vrabel also brings the “Patriots way” with him in terms of organizational philosophies. While Vrabel never officially coached under Bill Belichick, he played for him for 8 seasons; that’s a longer run than Bill O’Brien had with the organization as an assistant (5 years for BOB).
His flaws
The upside may be there with Vrabel, but there’s clearly a risk here as well. For one, he’s an inexperienced coach all told. He’s only been on the sidelines for 7 seasons and only been a coordinator for 1. That’s about as “thin” of a resume as you’ll find for a head coaching candidate.
The most natural comp in that regard would be Vance Joseph, who parlayed one mediocre season as a DC in Miami into a head coaching job with Denver. The fact that Joseph struggled is part of the reason people are critical of this Vrabel hire as well.
It’s not unfair, either. Vrabel is green, and aside from those goal-line touchdowns, he doesn’t have experience on the offensive side of the ball at all.
Overall
NFL teams almost always go for the “opposite” of their previous coach with their new head coaching hire. Given that, it’s no surprise that the Titans went from the aged staff of Mike Mularkey to the possibly too-green Mike Vrabel instead.
Clearly, Vrabel represents a risky hit or miss hire for Tennessee in that regard. He’s going to have to be a CEO/overseer type coach, relying heavily on his coordinators. But you know what? That’s okay. There are a lot of successful head coaches who do that. Overall, I’ll give this grade: B –. Vrabel was bound to be a head coach eventually, but your concern here is whether or not it’s too soon.
Offensive Coordinator: Matt LaFleur, OC, L.A. Rams
The recent news that Tennessee snagged Matt LaFleur as their offensive coordinator (after Ryan Day turned them down) was surprising — in a great way for Titans fans.
Like Vrabel, Matt LaFleur was a rising star himself and a darkhorse head coaching candidate. Recently the QB coach in Atlanta, he landed as the “OC” on Sean McVay’s staff in L.A. And while McVay did the playcalling, the Rams were such a feel-good story that his assistants were going to get some residual shine as a result. Everyone wanted the next McVay, so why not target his # 2?
As a head coach, LaFleur would have been a “reach.” He’s a 38-year-old who’s never been the true OC before. However, as an OC hire, he’s a home run. This is a win-win for both the Titans and LaFleur. With the Titans, LaFleur will have much more autonomy, and an ability to prove his worth with a talented roster. He’s out of McVay’s shadow and ready to become a star on his own terms.
I’m going to grade this an A -/B+, which sounds a bit harsh given all the praise I heaped on it. But here’s why: LaFleur was already a rising star in the coaching ranks. While it’d be hard to imagine him getting a head coaching job in 2018, he would have been firmly on the radar in 2019. If he coaxes a big year out of Marcus Mariota, then he’ll definitely be a huge candidate for 2019. That’s great for LaFleur, but perhaps not the Titans in terms of continuity. If LaFleur is the “next big thing,” then Tennessee may struggle to keep him, or may have to consider promoting him to head coach. It’s a struggle that’s happened quite a bit recently: Chicago let OC Adam Gase leave, while New York promoted OC Ben McAdoo, and Tampa promoted OC Dirk Koetter.
Defensive Coordinator: Dean Pees, DC, Baltimore Ravens
Just when you thought the Titans hadn’t surprised you enough, they go and hire a “retired” Dean Pees.
Again, this feels like a home run hire for Tennessee. With Baltimore, Pees established himself as a top 5 coordinator. He should be able to handle the playcalling (not Vrabel’s strength) and allow his head coach to focus on the entire locker room.
It’s funny to think that Dean Pees (at age 68) is actually “young blood” for this defense, but he’s a decade younger than former DC Dick LeBeau, 80. There’s an argument to make LaBeau was doing a fine job with Tennessee, but I understand the need for a change. Vrabel doesn’t want to join a team and have his players show a lingering loyalty to LeBeau instead. While Pees will probably take charge of the day-to-day, there’s no power struggle here. Better still, there’s no risk of him leaving next year like LaFleur. At his age, Pees isn’t going to be a head coaching candidate. As a result, we’ll grade this even higher: A.
Overall Grade
As mentioned, Mike Vrabel represents a risky hire on Tennessee’s part. That said, he clearly understands his own limitations and recruited two awesome coordinators to help him out. That combination should be a boon to the Titans’ future. One lingering fear is that LaFleur may leave in 2019, but until then, this staff feels well balanced and exciting. I’ll give it an overall grade: B+.
