From Amy (@Amy11074):
Amy, yes. One million percent yes. I’d put Mike Vrabel, as far as desirability, up there with Jim Harbaugh and Bill Belichick—the difference being that the latter two are in their 60s and 70s, while the former Titans coach is still in his 40s.
I do think Vrabel would be wise to (and I think he will) prioritize structure wherever he goes next, after what he just went through. Every indication I’ve gotten is that he really likes, and is good at, the team-building part of the job, and so Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk changing the rules of engagement is a big part of why this all came to a head.
For what it’s worth, I’d also say that the dismissal of then interim GM Ryan Cowden, who was Robinson’s No. 2, was an early sign that I didn’t see at the time that we would eventually get to where we are now. Cowden, now working for New York Giants GM Joe Schoen (they’d worked together in Carolina), was eye-to-eye with Vrabel on a lot of things, to the point where I think he could wind up being the GM in Vrabel’s next landing spot.
As for the second question, I covered a lot of that Tuesday. I just think Strunk kept moving the goalposts on what she was looking for, and eventually got herself to a place where a top-quarter-of-the-league football coach no longer fit into her long-term vision. The team’s 2023 record, injury issues over the last three years and staff turnover simply gave her the opening to do it.
We’ll see how that works out for her.
