Tag: Craig Aukerman

Ex-Titans ST coordinator Craig Aukerman interviews for Bucs job

Former Titans ST coordinator Craig Aukerman is a candidate for the same role with the Buccaneers.

Former Tennessee Titans special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman is drawing interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the same role.

According to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, Aukerman interviewed for the Buccaneers’ vacancy, along with former New York Giants special teams coach, Thomas McGaughey, who is also a candidate for the Titans’ job.

As far as we can tell, the Bucs are the first team to show interest in Aukerman since he was fired in December.

Aukerman was hired in 2017 as an assistant special teams coordinator and survived a head-coaching change before he was promoted to the head special teams role in 2018, a job he held until late in the 2023 campaign.

During his time in Nashville, Tennessee’s special teams were routinely lackluster, at best.

The final straw for Aukerman was when the Titans had back-to-back punts blocked in Week 13, with the second leading to a season-ending injury for star punter, Ryan Stonehouse.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel: Firing Craig Aukerman ‘was the best thing for the team’

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the team’s decision to fire special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman.

The Tennessee Titans have made a change on special teams, with head coach Mike Vrabel announcing on Monday that special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman has been fired after five-plus seasons with the team.

Aukerman’s firing comes on the heels of the Titans having a disastrous showing from their special teams unit in Week 13, which also resulted in punter Ryan Stonehouse being lost for the season due to injury.

When asked about the decision, Vrabel said it “was the best thing for the team,” while also revealing special teams assistant Tom Quinn would take over for the rest of the year.

“I had a conversation with Craig, and (we’re) going to move on and make a change there on our leadership on the special teams unit,” Vrabel said, per Jim Wyatt. “I am excited about the possibility of Tom Quinn leading that group. Tom is going to take over those duties. He brings a lot of experience and knowledge, he’s a great teacher. So, hopefully we’ll be able to continue the stuff that we’ve done well, which there have been plenty of things that we’ve done well, and hopefully eliminate those mistakes that cost you.

“I want to thank Craig for what he has done for us, certainly in the time that I’ve been here, but felt like this was the best thing for the team and for the players moving forward.”

Now, the Titans will look to fill the unfillable shoes of Stonehouse ahead of their Week 14 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

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Titans fans, media react to Craig Aukerman firing

As you’d expect, the reaction to the Titans firing Craig Aukerman was overwhelmingly positive.

Following yet another comedy of errors on special teams in the Tennessee Titans’ 31-28 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts, fans and media alike were calling for the head of special teams coordinator, Craig Aukerman.

And they got their wish, as head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Monday that Aukerman has been relieved of his duties, a move that was long overdue. For now, the Titans will replace Aukerman with special teams assistant Tom Quinn, who has 32 years of coaching experience.

The Titans had one punt blocked, saw a fumble on another, and in the process of the second play, punter Ryan Stonehouse suffered a season-ending injury.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Tennessee missed a crucial extra point and allowed a long kickoff return that paved the way for a Colts touchdown drive.

As you’d expect, Titans fans on social media approved of the Titans finally making a change. Here’s the reaction:

Titans fire special teams coach Craig Aukerman

The Tennessee Titans have fired special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Monday.

The Tennessee Titans have finally made the move fans have been yearning for: Special teams coach Craig Aukerman has been fired.

While meeting with the media on Monday, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that Aukerman has been relieved of his duties one day after the Titans had several blunders on special teams.

Taking Aukerman’s place for the time being is special teams assistant Tom Quinn, who is in his first season with the team. Quinn has 32 years of coaching experience, with 16 of them in the NFL.

Aukerman’s firing has been long overdue, as the Titans’ special teams miscues in Week 13 were the latest in a long line of them since he took over in 2018.

The Titans had one punt blocked and then saw a fumble on the next attempt, a play in which star punter Ryan Stonehouse suffered a season-ending injury. The Indianapolis Colts scored 10 points off those two plays alone.

Adding to those issues, kicker Nick Folk missed an extra point after quarterback Ryan Tannehill assumed holder duties, which cost Tennessee an opportunity to close out the game in regulation.

Earlier in the contest, the Titans gave up a 36-yard kickoff return, which paved the way for the Colts’ first touchdown drive of the contest.

While it might be too little too late, it’s nice to see Vrabel finally coming to his senses. Quinn will get a look the rest of the way before the Titans have to make a decision on Aukerman’s long-term replacement in 2024.

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Biggest takeaways from Titans’ Week 13 loss to Colts

The biggest takeaways from the Titans’ Week 13 loss to the Colts.

Much like they have been for the entire season, the Tennessee Titans were a comedy of errors during the Week 13 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Despite several blunders in all three phases, the Titans actually had a chance to win the game and even took a lead in overtime. However, the secondary struck again and allowed Alec Pierce to get free for a 55-yard reception, which set up the Colts’ game-winning score.

The loss was just the latest gut-wrenching defeat in a long line of them this season. And, as tired and defeated as fans feel right now, there’s still five contests to go before we can mercifully put this season to bed and start looking forward to free agency and the 2024 NFL draft.

Hell, some people began doing that weeks ago, and I can’t say I blame them for it. Now, the biggest takeaways from the Week 13 loss to the Colts.

Mike Vrabel blames himself, not Craig Aukerman, for Titans’ special teams blunders

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel put the blame squarely on himself for the team’s special teams blunders in Week 13.

Following another game in which the Tennessee Titans had multiple special teams blunders that aided in a loss, fans and media alike were once again calling for the team to fire special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman.

Tennessee had two failed punts, both of which led to points, and the second resulted in an injury to punter Ryan Stonehouse, who looks likely to miss significant time.

Tennessee also gave up a 36-yard kickoff return that aided in the Colts’ first touchdown drive in the first quarter, and the Titans missed a crucial extra point when Ryan Tannehill replaced Stonehouse as the holder.

Despite how bad things have been on special teams for years now, head coach Mike Vrabel has been irrationally loyal to Aukerman — and that continued after Sunday’s loss.

“We have to be better; it starts with me,” Vrabel said, per Paul Kuharsky. “Making sure that everything we do is sound. There’s a level of execution, and then, obviously, being able to identify whether we’ve got scheme issues or we have to move some guys around or make some minor adjustments. That’s the case in all three phases.”

“It all is on me,” Vrabel added when asked how much blame Aukerman should get. “It starts with me and, again, when we lose, put it on me. Obviously, that’s not good enough. We know we have to be able to protect our punters, our kickers, quarterbacks. You lose games by having those things happen.”

If there’s one thing we can blame on Vrabel in terms of the special teams woes, it’s the fact that he’s kept Aukerman this long.

Of course, Vrabel is never going to throw any of his coaches under the bus, but he literally listed everything Aukerman should be responsible for.

It remains to be seen if Vrabel will make a move that is years overdue, but don’t hold your breath for it.

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Titans fans, media rightly calling for Craig Aukerman to be fired

Titans fans have been done with Craig Aukerman for years now and that feeling only grew stronger in Week 13.

Year in and year out, the Tennessee Titans are lackluster on special teams, to say the least, and it has become a common occurrence for fans and media alike to call for special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman to be fired.

And those calls only grew stronger in Week 13, as the Titans’ special teams unit was an absolute disaster in the 31-28 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

The Titans had one punt blocked, which was returned for what turned out to be a crucial touchdown for the Colts. Then, Indy forced a fumble on the very next punt attempt after a hit on punter Ryan Stonehouse that caused what appeared to be a serious injury and eventually led to more points for Indy.

As if all that wasn’t enough, the Titans surrendered a 36-yard kickoff return in the first quarter, which helped setup Indy’s first touchdown drive of the game, and they missed an extra point that would’ve made the game 26-25.

The truth of the matter is, Aukerman should’ve been fired years ago but head coach Mike Vrabel continues to be irrationally loyal to him, and I have no doubt that will continue, even after what we saw in Week 13.

As has become the norm in recent years, Titans fans rightly wanted blood in the form of Aukerman getting the boot. Here’s what social media was saying about the embattled special teams coach.

Titans’ Craig Aukerman confirms returners, talks Nick Folk kicking off

Titans special teams coach Craig Aukerman discussed who the returners will be for Week 1 and the team’s confidence in Nick Folk on kickoffs.

While the Tennessee Titans confirmed who their punt returner would be for the start of the season on their latest unofficial depth chart, the choice for kick returns remained up in the air.

Wide receiver Kearis Jackson was listed as the starter at punt returner, but the Titans had a slash between Jackson and running backs Tyjae Spears and Julius Chestnut at kick returner, signifying a decision had not been made.

However, when speaking to the media on Thursday, special teams coach Craig Aukerman said Jackson will handle both punt and kick returns, but Spears is also in the mix to bring back kickoffs for the season opener.

One of the topics of conversation when it comes to new Titans kicker Nick Folk was his low touchback percentage last season (9.1 percent), which led many to worry about how effective he’ll be in that area in Tennessee.

But that is not currently a concern for the Titans, as Aukerman revealed Folk will indeed handle kickoff duties in Week 1. He did, however, suggest that Tennessee will evaluate the situation from week to week.

Aukerman also touched on who may serves as gunners, listing wide receivers Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Chris Moore, cornerback Anthony Kendall and safety Matthew Jackson as the top candidates.

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Where Titans’ special teams ranked after 2022 season

The Titans actually received a better ranking than expected.

The Tennessee Titans did not have a good showing on special teams overall in 2022, something that has become common over the last few years.

Punter Ryan Stonehouse was a rock star and the brightest spot on Tennessee’s units last season, and the Titans were actually good defending kick returns, ranking fourth in the NFL.

But they ranked 19th in punt return average, 22nd in kick return average, and they gave up the the fifth-most yards per punt return.

Punt returns were an adventure each and every time, with multiple players botching them throughout the year. The offense would rarely get close enough to even attempt field goals, partly because of the limitations with Randy Bullock’s leg, and mostly because the offense stunk.

Despite the myriad of issues, the Titans actually ended up with a better-than-expected mark via NFL writer Rick Gosselin, who does yearly rankings of every team’s special teams based on their showings in 22 different categories.

Those categories range from from returns, to coverage, to starting field position, to punter and kicker stats, and many more. Here’s more on Gosselin’s formula:

The league’s 32 teams are ranked in 22 kicking-game categories and assigned points according to their standing – one for best, 32 for worst. The Texans compiled 255 points to finish 14 1/2 better than the runner-up Seattle Seahawks at 269.5. The top 12 finishers included two division champions – Buffalo and Jacksonville – and four wild-card playoff teams: Seattle, Baltimore, the Chargers and Dallas.

In those rankings, the Titans landed at No. 14 in the NFL, even though what we saw with our own eyes did not scream even a top-half-of-the-league group.

Of those aforementioned 22 categories, the Titans finished first in at least one of them (punt average; thank you, Ryan Stonehouse) and last in at least one of them (field goals made).

We say at least because there are multiple categories that saw ties between multiple teams, but those teams were not listed.

Thanks to the Titans’ issues on special teams, fans have been calling for Craig Aukerman’s job for a few years now, but it doesn’t sound like head coach Mike Vrabel is making a change anytime soon.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel vehemently defends ST coach Craig Aukerman

If you were hoping the Titans would fire Craig Aukerman, don’t hold your breath.

If you were hoping the Tennessee Titans would part ways with embattled special teams coordinator, Craig Aukerman, you can put that hope to bed right now.

While at Ran Carthon’s press conference on Friday, ESPN’s Jared Stillman waded the waters of pissing off head coach Mike Vrabel with a question about Aukerman still having a job.

Unsurprisingly not thrilled by the question, Vrabel went on to defend his special teams coach, saying he isn’t going to blame muffed punts on Aukerman.

He also asked Carthon to “go find us some returners” after the team was especially bad in that department this past season.

Tennessee’s issues on special teams were more than just about punt returns.

Tennessee finished 22nd in kick return average, 19th in punt return average and 28th in yards allowed per punt return. The only area the Titans were good was in defending kick returns, where they ranked fourth.

While we understand Aukerman can’t catch punts for players, the special teams units have been bad for years now, and in more ways than one — and that’s with Tennessee regularly investing in the groups.

That has to fall at least somewhat on the coach, but clearly Vrabel doesn’t subscribe to that. Thus, Aukerman will get another season.

And therein lies one of the bigger issues with Vrabel. He’s a loyal guy and that’s a good quality to have for sure, but within reason. Vrabel’s loyalty is not always within reason, with Aukerman and Todd Downing being two examples of that.

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