Mike Vrabel an early Coach of the Year candidate for national media

By Matias Wodner
October 8, 2018

Turning water into wine and getting his team to 3-1 at the quarter mark of the year has earned Mike Vrabel praise from the media.

When the Tennessee Titans fired Mike Mularkey after a divisional round loss to the New England Patriots, fans and media were split on the decision. On one hand, the Titans were parting ways with a coach who rattled off a pair of 9-7 seasons in his two full years with the team and won a playoff game for the first time since January of 2004. On the other hand, the Titans should’ve won more games than they did and shouldn’t have struggled against inferior teams, and the insistence on an offensive scheme that was clearly outdated and was hurting the team’s franchise quarterback was an indictment on Mularkey.

When the Titans hired Mike Vrabel to replace Mularkey, fans and media were split on the decision. On one hand, Vrabel left a lasting impression on nearly every player and coach he played and coached with or for, while he also had a strong pedigree as a position coach for Ohio State and the Houston Texans. On the other hand, Vrabel was among the least-qualified of all of the candidates for the Titans’ head coach position, as he only had one year of experience as a coordinator and his defense was underwhelming during that year.

Four games into his head coaching career, Vrabel looks like a home run hire, and all of the talk about his inexperience and qualifications has been thrown out the window.

Vrabel has had to deal with a truly astounding amount of adversity during his short time with the team. His All-Pro right tackle missed the first three games of the season. His Pro Bowl left tackle missed a game and a half with a concussion. His franchise quarterback missed about two full games and still isn’t 100-percent healthy. His Pro Bowl tight end got injured in the first game of the season and is out for the year. His most accomplished wide receiver quit on the team and was subsequently released. There was also the marathon Week 1 game that was delayed several times and featured the left tackle, tight end and quarterback being unable to finish the game.

Despite all of the aforementioned and several other bumps in the road, Vrabel has rallied his team and rattled off three-straight victories. Two of those came in division games and the other was a signature, come-from-behind win against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Within all of that, Vrabel has shown a propensity for gambling in high-leverage situations and trusting his players to make the game-changing plays when put in good positions. The Titans have gone for it on fourth down seven times so far this season and have converted five times, which is first in the NFL by a comfortable margin.

With his team sitting at 3-1 after an improbable first month of the season, Vrabel has gotten recognition from the national media, which rarely gives the Titans the light of day. His performance to this point with a team that’s gone through a lot has earned him praise, and many are calling him the Coach of the Year at the quarter mark of the season.

The 1st place @Titans are 3-1 with an injured franchise QB, and @CharlesRobinson argues Mike Vrabel has earned early "Coach of the Year" honors 🏆 #TitanUp
— Yahoo Sports NFL (@YahooSportsNFL) October 3, 2018

"Mike Vrabel might be Coach of the Year a quarter into the season." – @PSchrags after the @Titans' OT win over the Eagles. Thoughts?
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 1, 2018

#Titans HC Mike Vrabel has @mlombardiNFL’s attention after 1 month.
— Travis Haney (@travhaney) October 2, 2018

Mike Vrabel coach of the year
— Jamey Eisenberg (@JameyEisenberg) September 30, 2018

I had my doubts about Vrabel when he was hired, but those doubts have been effectively crushed after just four games. Yes, it’s early for anything to be decided. No, it isn’t too early to realize the Titans nailed their head coaching hire. Vrabel has infected the team and organization with energy and hope, and it has already translated to wins on the field. Everyone is starting to take notice.

The Award Section: Coaches of the Week

October 1, 2018



Coaches of the Week

Mike Vrabel, coach, Tennessee. The Titans have gone bold this season because Vrabel likes to play that way. From the cool fake-punt touchdown throw by safety Kevin Byard in Week 2 to the gut-feeling go-for-it on fourth-and-two in overtime against the Super Bowl champs Sunday, he’s fine with putting his developing rep on the line—and he told me it’s largely because his players love it, and he thinks it makes for a tighter team, all pulling together. Whatever it is, the Titans have beaten two of the NFL’s final four teams from 2017—Jacksonville and Philadelphia—in the last eight days, and they’re 3-1 with the tiebreaker edge in the AFC South after a quarter of the season.

Sean McVay, coach, Los Angeles Rams. When McVay got to southern California 20 months ago, job one was fixing quarterback Jared Goff, who had a lousy rookie year that left his confidence shaken. Since then, Goff has rebuilt his mechanics and footwork and confidence, and he has been one of the game’s most efficient, explosive quarterbacks. The five-TD master-show by Goff in the win over the Vikings reinforced all the work McVay has done with him. Wrote Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times post-game: “[McVay] is the quintessential Goffensive coordinator, drawing up plays that allow his third-year quarterback to pick apart opponents with surgical precision.” True.

Trey Flowers Return, John Simon Arrival Key to New England Patriots Defensive Improvements

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Trey Flowers #98 of the New England Patriots looks on in the first half of Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

By David Latham, Associate Editor
October 1, 2018

Well, that’s more like it. After two straight weeks of horrible defense, the New England Patriots bounced back with a dominant performance against the Miami Dolphins. New England’s defense held Miami to just 175 yards and seven points on the day, with most of that production coming long after the game’s outcome was decided. While several players were responsible for this dominant showing, none were more important than the edge duo of Trey Flowers and John Simon.

Trey Flowers, John Simon Key to New England Patriots Defensive Dominance

There’s no overstating just how much the Patriots defense missed Trey Flowers. Flowers suffered a concussion early in Week Two against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the defensive play dipped dramatically.

The Patriots defense sans Flowers allowed a combined 57 points during Weeks Two and Three. During Weeks One and Four, the Patriots defense allowed a combined 27 points, with most of those points coming in garbage time. Obviously, Flowers’ presence can’t be credited for all of that, but this data is indicative of just how important he is to the defense.

According to Pro Football Focus, Flowers has a 90.9 grade on the season. While he hasn’t played enough to qualify for PFF’s leaderboards, his 90.9 grade would place him among the league’s elite edge defenders. He’s a monster against both the run and the pass and is capable of singlehandedly blowing up plays every single time he steps on the field.

His impact is evident when looking at sack totals and run totals with and without him on the field. The Patriots recorded five sacks during the two games he played compared to just one in two games without him. Flowers is directly responsible for 1.5 of those sacks, and has brought the pressure which cause a few other sacks.

Additionally, Flowers’ work in the run game is unparalleled among his teammates. Flowers typically lines up across from the left tackle and the Patriots defense just couldn’t replace him. In two games without Flowers, the Patriots defense allowed an average of 7.3 yards per carry on runs off left tackle. In Week Four, Miami didn’t attempt a single run off left tackle, and only averaged 0.5 yards running behind left tackle.

John Simon

While Simon didn’t have the same impact as Flowers, the newest Patriot looks to be an incredible fit for this defense. It’s only a one-game sample, but Simon’s early returns are promising.

For one, Simon saw 20 snaps against Miami, second among the Patriots defensive ends. In those 20 snaps, Simon graded out well against the run and recorded a sack. The fact that he’s able to see that much action and make plays despite joining the team just under a week ago speaks to just how good he can be for New England.

The Patriots needed a player capable of setting the edge opposite Flowers throughout the entire 2017 season. Deatrich Wise is a fantastic young player, but his work against the run is a little too inconsistent. He has improved in Year Two, but right now he’s best used as the third edge defender.

Simon has a history of being successful against the run and the pass. While his ceiling isn’t as high, he’s a player made in a similar mold to that of Rob Ninkovich. Fortunately, New England won’t need Simon to be as good as Ninkovich was. They’ll just need him to do his job opposite Flowers.

The Improved Grouping

Having both Flowers and Simon on the field made all the difference for the Patriots. So long as Flowers is the on the field, the Patriots don’t have to worry about having an active liability on the edge. Adrian Clayborn is a good enough pass rusher, but he lacks gap integrity and constantly gave up the edge against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions. Likewise, Keionta Davis didn’t have the size to hold up against the run.

With Flowers on the field, opposing offenses don’t have a weak side to attack. Additionally, Simon manning one edge allows the Patriots to shift one of Flowers or Wise inside on passing downs without worrying about the quarterback escaping the pocket.

As of now, Flowers and Simon are the only linemen capable of consistently playing both the run and the pass off the edge. Deatrich Wise can grow into the role, but he’s not quite ready for that yet. He is getting there though and has notably improved against the run this season.

The Patriots defense can be even more impressive if Flowers, Wise, and Simon can all rotate off the edge. For now, Wise should serve as the third member of the edge rotation, with Simon and Flowers serving as the top two options.

For the first time since 2016, Trey Flowers has a competent starter opposite him. Flowers and Simon have the potential to keep any play between tackles, and Deatrich Wise is good enough to rotate in without a notable drop off. Edge defense has been the Patriots biggest problem for some time now. If Flowers and Simon can stay healthy, this defense has the potential to be a top-10 unit in the league.