Two years after the Titans fired Mike Vrabel, he’s coaching a different team in the Super Bowl.
Few decisions have aged worse in recent NFL history than the Titans’ choice to fire Mike Vrabel two years ago. Vrabel took over the Titans in 2018, leading Tennessee to three playoff appearances, two AFC South titles and an AFC championship game appearance over his six seasons in Nashville.
Though the Titans fell to 13-21 over his final two seasons, it was clear he was still a good coach and not the primary problem with the Titans. Even so, the Titans chose to move on. Since that fateful decision, Vrabel was hired as the Patriots head coach last January. He quickly turned the team around from a 4-13 squad to a 14-3 team that is now headed to the Super Bowl afteron Sunday. Meanwhile, the Titans went 3-14 this year and have gone just 6-28 since Vrabel’s departure. They’ve already fired Brian Callahan, the coach they hired to replace Vrabel, and hired Robert Saleh as their next head coach this week. Though Vrabel is now achieving even greater success with the Patriots, his old Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons remains happy for him. Simmons wrote on X after the Patriots’ win, “Happy as hell for Vrabel and the guys! That’s tough.”, “Props to Vrabel. ... When you're watching them play, you're like, 'That's Vrabel's style of the way he gets his guys to play.' I think that's a testament to him.” While the Titans have to watch Vrabel succeed elsewhere, Simmons is excited to see Saleh as the team’s new head coach.after the hire, “To see his energy on the sideline, that's contagious. And to have that from a head coach now, I want to celebrate with my coach. I want to see that fiery-ness on the sideline. That's what excites me.”Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Steelers planning to hire Mike McCarthy as next head coach to replace Mike TomlinA new era in Pittsburgh is here.
Read more »
Vrabel, Payton meet again, with Super Bowl on the linePayton knows the passion Vrabel brings; Vrabel is keenly aware of Payton the playcaller.
Read more »
Mike Vrabel Makes NFL History In Patriots' AFC Title WinThe New England Patriots' Hall of Fame linebacker just made history as their head coach.
Read more »
Steelers owner sends message to fans after reaction to Mike McCarthy hire: ‘They’ll love Mike’Art Rooney II believes Steelers fans will end up loving Mike McCarthy as head coach.
Read more »
Mike Vrabel Makes NFL History With Super Bowl Trip in First Year As Patriots CoachMike Vrabel led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first season as head coach.
Read more »
Mike Vrabel Was Hugging Everyone After Patriots Made Super Bowl With Win vs. BroncosIt's Vrabel's first Super Bowl appearance as a head coach.
Read more »