Despite having some impressive success over three years as the Tennessee Titans’ head coach, Mike Vrabel is typically ranked outside the top 10 in rankings whenever they are done.
And those of Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr are no different, as he placed Vrabel at No. 13 in his head coach rankings ahead of the 2021 campaign. Here’s what he had to say about Vrabes:
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.
Among AFC South coaches, Vrabel is tops on this list, with Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich coming in one spot behind him.
Since Vrabel took over in 2018, the Titans have posted three straight winning seasons (9-7, 9-7, 11-5), their first double-digit-win season and division title since 2008, and two playoff appearances, one of which ended in the AFC Championship Game.
