Before he made his way into being an NFL coach, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was on the staff of then-head coach Urban Meyer at Ohio State, serving as the linebackers coach and then the defensive line coach.
And apparently things got so heated at one point in 2013 between he and then-offensive coordinator Tom Herman that they almost got into a fight.
The interesting tidbit comes from the “Glory Days: Dreams and Nightmares” podcast, which is hosted by former Buckeyes players Joshua Perry and Evan Spencer (H/T NBC Sports’ Peter King).
“Do you remember when [offensive coordinator] Tom Herman tried to fight [defensive line coach] Mike Vrabel? Mike Vrabel, a literal pitbull and Tom Herman, a Yorkshire terrier, ‘Hold me back. Hold me back.’ And Mike’s like, ‘No. If he wants to fight, don’t hold him back.’ Coaches get heated like players, too . . . Urban wanted to challenge the coaches as much as he wanted to challenge the players. He wanted them to feel backed into a corner, for them to be combative, for them to hash things out the way they needed to. Because ultimately that was going to make them a better staff.”
No offense to Herman, but we’re taking our man Vrabel in that matchup 10 times out of 10 — and that’s especially true with Vrabel having been just a few years removed from playing in the NFL when the spat occurred.
