One day after it was learned that Tennessee Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk had parted ways with head coach Mike Vrabel.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport explained across multiple on-air segments how Vrabel being inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame this past fall played a role in his dismissal from Tennessee.
“I would say maybe the last several months ever since Mike Vrabel went to New England, took part in the Hall of Fame day, and all of the rumors started floating about whether or not Mike Vrabel would be the Patriots coach next year [or] whether he’d be the Titans coach,” Rapoport said, as shared by Hayden Bird of Boston.com and Dakota Randall of NESN. “He never really addressed that internally. I know that didn’t sit great with the people there.”
Vrabel spoke to the Gillette Stadium crowd during a halftime ceremony in Week 7 of the 2023-24 NFL regular season and urged individuals associated with the Patriots to “not to take this organization for granted.”
“I’ve been a lot of places,” Vrabel added at that time. “This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, great coaching. Enjoy it. It’s not like this everywhere.”
Vrabel later was repeatedly mentioned as a possible replacement for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, in part because of alleged “friction” between Vrabel and Titans general manager Ran Carthon. Carthon insisted on Tuesday he and Vrabel “never had any issue regarding whether it’s personal or professional” and Rapoport suggested Tuesday’s firing wasn’t related to problems between Vrabel and Carthon.
“This was Amy Adams Strunk making the decision based on a lot of things – including what happened when he went to New England for the Hall of Fame thing, including not dispelling rumors in-house that he was going to go be the Patriots coach – there was a lot there,” Rapoport said about Vrabel. “She clearly made the decision that she wanted to move on in the best interest of the organization.”
Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings playing for New England from 2001 through the 2008 season and is now free to accept any job he wants. While at least one in-the-know individual continues to report Patriots owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft will part ways with Belichick this winter, the Krafts may not confirm any Belichick decision before February.
The Jaguars made numerous coaching staff changes on Monday, and one departing coach isn’t staying silent. Head coach Doug Pederson announced the day after his team was eliminated from playoff contention that defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, defensive line coach Brentson Buckner, passing game coordinator/cornerbacks coach Deshea Townsend, inside linebackers coach Tony Gilbert, safeties coach Cody Grimm, senior defensive assistant Bob Sutton and defensive quality control coaches Tee Mitchell and Sean Cullina were all fired. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported on social media that one coach leaving Jacksonville told her, “The solutions are leaving, and the problems are staying.” The coach’s assertion implies the Jaguars’ biggest problems are on offense, but the truth is everyone’s hands are dirty in the team’s collapse. The Jaguars flamed out after an 8-3 start, going 1-5 during the season’s final six weeks, including a loss to the Titans (6-11) in Week 18, missing out on the playoffs after being a heavy favorite to win the AFC South entering the season. As Anderson noted, the defense wasn’t blameless, dropping from 12th in points allowed per game from Weeks 1-12 to 26th from Weeks 13-18. Meanwhile, the offense was mediocre, too. They averaged 21.2 points per game during their first 11 games and 20.5 games in their six-game slide to end the season. Coaches on the hot seat will often use their coordinators as the scapegoat. Just this year, Bills head coach Sean McDermott fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey after Week 10, and while the move worked out with the team winning the AFC East, Buffalo’s improvement was mostly due to an improved defense. From Weeks 1-10, the Bills defense ranked 19th in expected points added per play and 23rd in success rate; during Weeks 11-18, they ranked fourth in EPA and 11th in success rate. A similar story will likely unfold in Jacksonville if Pederson rights the ship. For the Jaguars to take the next step, the offense must reach another level. Quarterback Trevor Lawerence, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, declined after a promising first year under Pederson. His passer rating, completion percentage and touchdown rate all dropped, while his interception rate increased by 1.1 percentage points. After Anderson’s post, the Jaguars released a statement by Pederson that noted the firings were “on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.” NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that running backs coach Bernie Parmelee and assistant offensive line coach Todd Washington were also fired. The offensive line was the Jags’ biggest weakness, finishing the season 29th in ESPN’s pass-block win-rate rankings and 27th in run-blocking. Jacksonville also ranked 30th in rush yards per carry. Pederson must hope his changes are enough to return the Jaguars to the postseason next season. Otherwise, he’ll be the problem that needs fixing.
