As we continue to await official confirmation on who will be calling the plays for the Tennessee Titans’ defense in 2020, head coach Mike Vrabel gave some insight into the pecking order of his defensive coaching staff.
During a Zoom call with the media last week, Vrabel revealed that outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen will be his right-hand man when his attention isn’t on the defense.
#Titans' coach Mike Vrabel, asked about defensive play-calling, said OLB coach Shane Bowen is going to help him out. "He's going to be the voice in there when I'm not there."
— Erik Bacharach (@ErikBacharach) June 11, 2020
Of course, this doesn’t confirm that Vrabel will actually be calling the plays, but it does show that Bowen is going to be taking on a larger role than just coaching the outside linebackers.
At the very least, Vrabel is expected to have a bigger hand in how the defense is run, as the Titans decided not to name a defensive coordinator after Dean Pees retired following the 2019 campaign.
The Titans added Jim Haslett to their coaching staff this offseason. A former head coach, Haslett is someone who Vrabel can lean on as well for not only defense, but for overall decision-making over the course of a game.
If Vrabel isn’t the one calling the plays, the Titans could use a committee approach similar to the one New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has used in the past.
There will undoubtedly be some concerns about Vrabel calling plays and still being able to run the rest of the team, as he’s made some questionable decisions during his tenure when he didn’t have added responsibility.
However, it appears Vrabel has set himself up with a good support system of coaches with experience that he trusts, which should help make things run more smoothly if he’s the one holding the play sheet in 2020.
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