First-year head coach Mike Vrabel will spearhead a new regime for the Tennessee Titans in 2018. With a loaded roster filled with players who have not met expectations, will Vrabel’s coaching staff lead the Titans to the promised land? Will Marcus Mariota and Corey Davis breakout into superstars? What can we expect from the Titans in 2018?
It was time for a change in Tennessee as the Titans offense, defense and special teams unit appeared flat. Despite winning their first playoff game since Steve McNair was the franchise’s quarterback, the Titans seemed wholly outclassed by the top-tier teams in the AFC last year:
- Week 4 they lost to the Houston Texans (with Deshaun Watson) 57-14
- Week 11 they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 40-17
- AFC Divisional round they lost to the New England Patriots 35-14
Losing embarrassingly to teams the Titans have to beat if they want to be the best team in the AFC can mean only one thing: lack of preparation or lack of talent. If you asked general manager Jon Robinson who is to blame, it was head coach Mike Mularkey, hence why he was fired and replaced by Mike Vrabel in January of 2018.
But why? Vrabel became the interim coach of the Houston Texans after all hope was lost in 2017, and the Texans finished last in defense.
The reasoning must have something to do with Robinson being a scout for the New England Patriots, Vrabel’s former team during his playing days.
“I saw him up close as a player for the Patriots and saw how he prepared himself to be successful on a daily basis,” Robinson mentioned in the team’s release following the announcement of Vrabel being hired, via CBS Sports. “He was the ultimate team-first player, and he embodies that same mindset as a coach. He is intelligent, energetic, detailed and a leader whose deep passion for this game will resonate with our players. As a coach, I have seen him develop talent at both the college and NFL level, and put players in position for them to be successful. I am excited to get him in front of our team and watch us grow together as a team.”
Robinson is undoubtedly confident in Vrabel’s abilities, but does he have what it takes to make the Titans roster rebound after a so-so season? If he’s going to find success in 2018, he will need his new coaching staff to be very efficient at communication of the new philosophies that are expected to be implemented.
I’ve written an article on what we should expect from the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans in 2018. Now it’s time to reveal what I expect from the Titans in 2018 as I continue to analyze the AFC South entering the 2018 NFL season.
