The Moving Finger Writes And Having Written Moves On

The NFL coaching carousel took another spin around the NFL world when the lead owner of the Tennessee Titans announced that Mike Vrabel would no longer be the Titans’ head coach.  Granted, the Titans have not been particularly good for the last two years, but Vrabel’s complete record there was 54-45 with three playoff appearances over a 6-year tenure plus one trophy as the NFL Coach of the Year.  To be clear, those are not “Hall of Fame numbers” just as they are not “Get This Bum Outta Here numbers” either.  There had been reports that Vrabel “wanted out” from the Titans because of an internal power struggle there.  This part of the official statement released by Amy Adams Strunk – – controlling owner of the team – – says to me that there was some sort of internal turmoil in effect:

“As the NFL continues to innovate and evolve, I believe the teams best positioned for sustained success will be those who empower an aligned and collaborative team across all football functions.  Last year we began a shift in our approach to football leadership and made several changes to our personnel to advance that plan.  As I continued to assess the state of our team, I arrived at the conclusion that the team would also benefit from a fresh approach and perspective of a new coaching staff.”

Sounds to me like “office politics” was in play in Tennessee …

Looking at Vrabel’s résumé, I believe the other teams already out there looking for a new coach need to think about a reset in which they add Mike Vrabel to their interview list.  In addition, Vrabel’s ties to the Patriots from his playing days could be a factor in the decision making for Robert Kraft in New England as he ponders the future potential of the Patriots with or without Bill Belichick in charge.  In fact, I will go even further out on the speculation limb here and say that there are some rabid Ohio St. fans out there who are unhappy to see Michigan’s recent success at the expense of Ohio St. who might want to start a drumbeat to get Mike Vrabel to take over the job in Columbus OH.  [Aside:  In case you have forgotten, Vrabel was a star at Ohio St. and is already in the Ohio St. Athletic Hall of Fame.]

Now, if you REALLY want to get funky with speculation consider this:

• There is a “report” out this morning that Steelers’ coach, Mike Tomlin might be considering stepping aside as coach of the Steelers and taking a break from the NFL entirely.  I will believe that when I see that … but …
• Mike Vrabel was drafted originally by the Steelers – – not the Patriots – – and spent the first several years of his career in Pittsburgh.

The Titans are in the AFC South Division which is in an interesting situation.  Each team in that division used last year’s NFL Draft to select someone who they believe can be their QB of the Future:

• Colts – – Anthony Richardson
• Panthers – – Bryce Young
• Texans – – CJ Stroud
• Titans – – Will Levis

It is too early to make pronouncements on the value of those selections, but this is a comparison that cannot be ignored after the next year or two.

And speaking of the AFC South Division, the turnaround of the Houston Texans must be acknowledged and praised.  In the three seasons between 2020 and 2022, the Texans’ combined record was a miserable 11-38-1.  This year, with a rookie QB and a first-time head coach in DeMeco Ryans, the Texans’ record was 10-7 making them the Division Champions allowing them to host a playoff game this weekend.  In that three-year span of futility, the Texans had three different head coaches plus an interim head coach for three-quarters of the 2020 season.  I suspect the franchise will have a bit more stability as it transits this off-season than it has had in recent years.

There is another interesting outcome from the 2023 NFL season that has not gotten the proper level of attention.  The four teams in the AFC North Division all finished with records above .500 for the regular season; the Bengals finished last in the division with a 9-8 record.  Such a result – – all teams in a division finishing over .500 in a season – – has not happened in the NFL at any time since the merger with the AFL in the 1970s.  According to a posting by Dan Daly on Twitter – or whatever it is being called these days – such a circumstance did happen in 1935 when the Western Division of the NFL saw the following results at the end of the regular season:

• Packers   8-4-0
• Lions       7-3-2
• Bears      6-4-2
• Cards      6-4-2

One last NFL item today …  In an interview after the regular season, Aaron Rodgers told reporters that what the Jets needed to do in 2024 was to “flush the bullsh*t” from the building.  Just a thoughtlet here:

• Aaron Rodgers has been the source of lots of bullsh*t with the Packers and then with the Jets in 2023.  However, I doubt he is suggesting that the Jets flush him out of the building.

Finally, much of today has dealt with change and evolution and speculation about the future, so let me close with this observation by George Santayana:

“Why shouldn’t things be largely absurd, futile and transitory?  They are so, and we are so, and they and we go very well together.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………