The Tennessee Titans have had plenty of 9-7 finishes to a season in recent history — make that four consecutive — but something feels different this time around.
The Titans are the most put together we’ve seen them in a very long time, seeming to need to make just a few small tweaks to become a team we regularly see compete in the postseason.
There are several things that factor into Tennessee’s newfound sense of success, but one of them is head coach Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel ranked at No. 17 overall in Rotoworld’s head coach rankings last year, and made a bit of a jump ahead of the 2020 season, now sitting at No. 12 on the list.
That’s behind Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, and just ahead of the Indianapolis Colts’ Frank Reich.
“Progress? It certainly feels like it,” the network’s Patrick Daugherty wrote. Ryan Tannehill, of all people, sparked the 7-3 finish, complementing Vrabel’s preferred rushing attack with deadly play-action passing. Vrabel allowed his quarterback to play to his strengths, and the result was one of the NFL’s most dangerous teams in the second half of the season. Rushing volume/passing opportunism can leave little margin for error, but Vrabel has done his part by quickly whipping the Titans’ defense into a top-10 unit. There is still a chance this proves to be a mirage. Vrabel has nevertheless done most of the things good coaches do through his first two years on the job.”
Will this be the mirage Daugherty thinks it could be?
Only time will tell as the Titans prepare to kick off the regular season on the road against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14.
[lawrence-related id=33837,33856,33818]