Titans fans, how are you feeling about Mike Vrabel?
In perusing comments and the like on social media, there are plenty of Titans fans who are happy that Vrabel guided the New England Patriots to Super Bowl XL and are hoping he will bring home the prize he never quite got to in Tennessee.
Their argument, and it is a strong one with plenty of merit, is that Vrabel never was the problem. He was the victim of an impulsive owner and a front office that allowed the roster to deteriorate to the point where the Titans were no longer contenders in his last season here.
To that end, Vrabel wasn’t perfect in his time in Tennessee, but he also wasn’t the reason the Titans were headed down the road to disaster.
In fairness, he probably picked the wrong time to make a power play and get sideways with ownership, as he did in 2023 when the Titans finished 6-11. But that was his solution to try to fix things that had started to slide the year before.
The front office didn’t do him any favors, either. When Ryan Tannehill was injured, for example, they had no backup quarterback option on the roster in 2022 and were forced to hand the reins to rookie Malik Willis, who was far from ready.
By the time they landed Josh Dobbs, it was too late and the organizational slide was already at full throttle.
It was interesting to note, too, that somewhere along the way in Tennessee, Vrabel’s feelings about ownership seemed to shift. When the Titans were winning during his early years, Vrabel was quick to praise, thank and include Amy Adams Strunk, going out of the way at times to talk about “Miss Amy” and her support.
Toward the end, the “Miss Amy” references went away, and Vrabel seemed to intentionally/unintentionally stir the pot when he was inducted into the Patriots Ring of Honor and boldly pointed out that the way things are done in New England are not always done that way in other organizations. That didn’t win him any brownie points with “Miss Amy.”
Nonetheless, two years after she showed Vrabel the door, it is apparent the exiled coach has emerged the clear winner in this divorce.