Titans’ Mike Vrabel named AP NFL Coach of the Year

Mike Vrabel is the first coach in Titans history to win the award.

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was awarded the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year for the 2021 season at the NFL Honors show on Thursday night.

Vrabel is the first coach in franchise history to take home the honor. He was previously voted the NFL Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America and the 101 Awards, but the AP award is the big one.

The voting wasn’t close, as Vrabel received 36 out of a possible 50 votes. Former Titans offensive coordinator and current Green Bay Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur, received the second-most votes with eight.

“What it is, is a reflection of our players and our coaching staff,” Vrabel said of the award. “Yeah, there’s a head coach, and when they give out the award, the head coach gets it. But you know how I feel about when you win, it’s because the players went out and made plays.

“So that’s who this is a reflection of, it’s the performance of our team, and our coaching staff.”

For Vrabel, the honor is well-deserved after he led the Titans to a 12-5 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC — and he did so in spite of the team dealing with a ton of injuries that led to Tennessee fielding 91 players during the season, a new NFL record.

For his efforts, Vrabel was awarded with a contract extension that will keep him in the two-tone blue for the long haul. General manager Jon Robinson was also given a contract extension.

During the Robinson-Vrabel era, the Titans have posted four consecutive winning seasons, which has included two straight division titles and three trips to the playoffs, one of which ended in the AFC Championship Game.

Now, the pairing will turn their attention to the 2022 offseason in the hopes of making the right moves to put the Titans over the top to win a Super Bowl.

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