Former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel had kind words for Tennessee Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel, including calling him a “great coach, leader and peoples person.”
Samuel and Vrabel were teammates with the New England Patriots from 2003 through 2007, and according to Samuel, Vrabel has remained true to who he is from his playing days into his head coaching career.
Samuel hit the nail on the head with his assessment of Vrabel.
After just missing the playoffs with a 9-7 season in his first as head coach, Vrabel led the Titans to another 9-7 season in 2019, but this time around the Titans were able to make a deep playoff run.
In order to get to that point, Vrabel and general manager Jon Robinson had to pull the trigger on inserting Ryan Tannehill in place of Marcus Mariota after a 2-4 start. The result was a marked improvement in play under center and a Titans offense that hit new heights of production.
It’s also very apparent that Titans players love Vrabel, who regularly takes part in team drills as if he’s one of them. It isn’t everyday you see a head coach taking such a hands-on approach.
Vrabel could see his duties expand in 2020. The team didn’t name a new defensive coordinator after Dean Pees retired, which should lead to Vrabel being more involved in the defense and quite possibly calling plays.
Regardless of what Vrabel ultimately decides to do there, there’s no question he has done a stellar all-around job in his first two seasons with the Titans, minus a few hiccups here and there.
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