When the Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Vrabel, it was thought he would be unemployed for a very brief amount of time. In fact, some (myself included, admittedly) thought the Titans could get something for him in a trade.
Instead, Vrabel didn’t land any of the other seven head-coaching gigs, which led many to wonder why after he was so highly touted in the media.
Well, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini shed some light on why in a recent spot on The Athletic Football Show (H/T James Foster of No Flags Film).
Russini said she thinks there simply wasn’t a fit for him because of his style, while also adding that, believe it or not, his physical size may have played a role in his inability to get another job.
“I don’t think there was a fit for him,” Russini said. “I don’t think he sat in front of any owner who thought that his style was going to work for what they were looking for…”
“I had a GM at the Senior Bowl who mentioned to me Vrabel’s physical build,” she added. “That he’s a very large human being. And can be very intimidating to people in an organization that are going to be part of these decisions. And that is a factor.”
You can check out the entire clip of Russini’s comments below.
Full quote for context pic.twitter.com/ZsFNaVwIPK
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) February 5, 2024
Now I’ve really heard it all.
I would venture to guess that the biggest problem Vrabel faced was the fact that he’s more of an old-school coach when it comes to his philosophy on offense.
But he can also be very abrasive and stingy, two qualities that don’t make for the best head coach in this day and age when collaboration is becoming more and more important to teams.
Vrabel garnered interviews with three teams during this most recent cycle, with the list including the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers.
