Is Mayo the Right Guy to be leading this team?

[Pape]

I gaurantee you if they went for it and didn't convert the narrative would be that Mayo got cute and did something unorthdox when his QB just barely got a TD a play before and blew the game. And people would go back to calling for his head.

There was a 50/50 chance the Pats win the coin toss and the Titans never touch the ball. Hell they could have had a decent drive that ended in a field goal and at least given their defense more of a rest. Even with what happened they had a chance to win and lost because their offense gave the ball away. It's dumb as **** to risk the game on one play when you barely converted in nearly the same circumstance a play earlier when there's that many variables

it is about opportunity.

we needed to take the opportunity to steal a win. at times that means making a decision that contravenes conventional wisdom or analytics.

its a dumbass decision to force this obviously tired team into overtime.

 

[archstanton543]

I gaurantee you if they went for it and didn't convert the narrative would be that Mayo got cute and did something unorthdox when his QB just barely got a TD a play before and blew the game. And people would go back to calling for his head.

There was a 50/50 chance the Pats win the coin toss and the Titans never touch the ball. Hell they could have had a decent drive that ended in a field goal and at least given their defense more of a rest. Even with what happened they had a chance to win and lost because their offense gave the ball away. It's dumb as **** to risk the game on one play when you barely converted in nearly the same circumstance a play earlier when there's that many variables

Not to mention, they were out of TO's so even if they wanted to go for two, they couldn't take a TO to dial up the right play (I'm not sure AVP could do that even with extra time but, in theory, he could have).

 

[Tunescribe]

I might be in the minority, but I would be both extremely disappointed and annoyed if they picked Vrabel. He isn't a good HC.

Vrabel only won NFL Coach of the Year three short years ago. Then went on to field competitive teams with subpar rosters/nobodies playing quarterback. His record: 56-48 over six seasons including playoffs. Yes, you are in the minority.

 

[lancerman]

it is about opportunity.

we needed to take the opportunity to steal a win. at times that means making a decision that contravenes conventional wisdom or analytics.

its a dumbass decision to force this obviously tired team into overtime.

You're not being honest with yourself if you think that a failed 2pt conversion wouldn't have been the biggest discussion in the NFL this week and have people calling for Mayo's head. There's a reason it almost never happens. There was no guarantee the tired defense would even go out there. And even with them going out there, they still had a chance to win.

There was only one call to make. You don't hang your QB who was running for his life a play earlier and found an open RB last second as he was getting drilled to be put in that same position again and hope you get lucky again when you can have a full overtime period.

Even with everything you are complaining about happening, they still were in a prime position to tie or win the game. That alone tells you it was the better bet. With everything going wrong. The coin toss, the defense being tired, Pollard being a stud. They still got the ball back and had a shot with plenty of time.

 

[lancerman]

Not to mention, they were out of TO's so even if they wanted to go for two, they couldn't take a TO to dial up the right play (I'm not sure AVP could do that even with extra time but, in theory, he could have).

Exactly. The same WR's that couldn't get open and the QB that was scrambling for his life that just got leveled less than a minute earlier were going to be out in the same situation that they barely just converted and told "hey go do it again". It would be nuts and if it failed, Mayo would be rightfully obliterated for hanging them out to dry like that instead of doing the conventional thing.

 

[Pape]

you saw what we did with plenty of time. nothing. maye had one scramble on a broken play

and you think im not being honest with myself?

you got to learn how to read the team. there was no way they were going to be competitive in ot,

 

[lancerman]

Vrabel only won NFL Coach of the Year three short years ago. Then went on to field competitive teams with subpar rosters/spotty quarterback play. He went 56-48 over six seasons including playoffs. Yes, you are in the minority.

Vrabel was overrated. He had pretty stacked rosters for the most part. He had an average Dalton esque QB, a premier WR, the best RB in the league. Once they got rid of AJ Brown, that team started going to ****. Also Vrabel wasn't well liked. His schtick isn't going to work on a team that isn't loaded and isn't winning a lot.

 

[lancerman]

you saw what we did with plenty of time. nothing.

and you think im not being honest with myself?

you got to learn how to read the team. there was no way they were going to be competitive in ot,

They were at near mid field before the 2 minute warning. They did "nothing" because a rookie QB (the same rookie QB you wanted to bet on in an all or nothing situation he just barely got out of) made a rookie mistake and threw a dumb ball into coverage when he didn't need to on a first down.

You're just upset because it didn't work out. I have no doubt in my mind that if they went for it and missed you would be crushing Mayo for it and talking about how it was better to take your chances with the coin toss and a defense that only gave up 17 points holding off a TD if they needed to.

This is hindsight leading you. It would have been an absolutely dumb move to watch that final play and say "hey let's make them go and do it again".

 

[Pape]

They were at near mid field before the 2 minute warning. They did "nothing" because a rookie QB (the same rookie QB you wanted to bet on in an all or nothing situation he just barely got out of) made a rookie mistake and threw a dumb ball into coverage when he didn't need to on a first down.

You're just upset because it didn't work out. I have no doubt in my mind that if they went for it and missed you would be crushing Mayo for it and talking about how it was better to take your chances with the coin toss and a defense that only gave up 17 points holding off a TD if they needed to.

This is hindsight leading you. It would have been an absolutely dumb move to watch that final play and say "hey let's make them go and do it again".

upset? where do people come up with this stuff?

don't do that. don't go there. this was an entertaining back and forth.

i have no desire to trade potshots with you. which is the road you are now walking down. want to argue football, fine. but the rest? just stuff it in your sock.

i have stated my position. they should have gone for it. period. there is no other decision they should have made. they didn't do so. why because they were not properly prepared? we'll never know. the fact they were embarrassed in ot bears this out.

/end

 

[Wozzy]

Vrabel was overrated. He had pretty stacked rosters for the most part. He had an average Dalton esque QB, a premier WR, the best RB in the league. Once they got rid of AJ Brown, that team started going to ****. Also Vrabel wasn't well liked. His schtick isn't going to work on a team that isn't loaded and isn't winning a lot.

Vrabel didn't get rid of AJ Brown, in fact he embarrassed the GM on national TV when it happened.

 

[Wozzy]

I might be in the minority, but I would be both extremely disappointed and annoyed if they picked Vrabel. He isn't a good HC.

Mayo inherited a team where 2 out of 3 phases were great. They had one phase to fix, could easily have done so, and improved/deepened the entire roster while they were at it.

They had all of their draft picks at the top of each round. They had the most cap space in the entire NFL after they signed all their own best free agents, and 3rd most to start the offseason.

I was a Mayo and Wolf guy this offseason, I was willing to give them and the new collaboration a chance. I even tried to talk posters off the cliff at the decision when these hirings happened.

I would have preferred they interview some more people... Vrabel and Flores specifically, but I wanted Mayo to do well and I thought he was a smart player. Hell, I was substantially more positive than most here with their 2-3 year rebuild conversations.

Then the offseason started, they signed a bunch of terrible linemen, decided Lowe was a starter. They focused on a bunch of overpriced diva WR's who were never coming here due to an uncertain QB situation, instead of real fundamental positions of need. Then they took the same loser route in the draft, once they had Maye they were looking at WR's and WR's alone even though the last stud WR athlete left on the board was a headcase. You can't do that, you play the board as it lays.

And before you say it, they shouldn't have solely relied on a rookie 2nd round OT to be good enough. They should have signed a value vet "bridge" OT the same way they signed Brissett for Maye and drafted a stud tackle in the 2nd. Then taken another tackle or two later in the draft or as UDFA's... throw the kitchen sink at it.

This ^ is how it was done for two decades, it's how it's done on the smartest and best teams in history... this has nothing to do with Bill. Give yourself multiple bites at the apple.. the machine gun approach. Wolf signed bad free agents, failures on prior teams with no athleticsm, and drafted some late round "try hard" lineman later in the draft. Now the line sucks... simple.

Winning teams build from the inside out... the Eagles, Chiefs, Lions. The Patriots back during the dynasty when they had money to spend or draft picks available built the fronts and paid Brady. Find the QB, build both lines on offense and defense. Team building is easy when you stick to fundamentals. Brady hated not having superweapons but he's got rings.

As far as Mayo and crew, their game management is largely nonexistent. They seem to forget that at halftime you go inside the locker room, and whoever lost the coin toss gets the ball coming out. They screwed up the two minutes drill at halftime two weeks in a row now... didn't even get a field goal?!

They took an entire week to realize teams were running right up the gut of their defense and they should put another DT on the field. When that worked and the subsequent team adjusted to what they saw, the defense didn't change anything the next week. They're reactionary, not proactive.

The team is undisciplined with penalties, missed blocks/tackles/coverages and off the field fckery.

The has nothing to do with BB, this has to do with the current collaboration.

It doesn't take 2-3 years to fix 2/3rds of a great team, with a stud QB at #3 overall and all the money in the world to spend. That's excuse making.

 

[Tunescribe]

Vrabel was overrated. He had pretty stacked rosters for the most part. He had an average Dalton esque QB, a premier WR, the best RB in the league. Once they got rid of AJ Brown, that team started going to ****. Also Vrabel wasn't well liked. His schtick isn't going to work on a team that isn't loaded and isn't winning a lot.

Nonsense. His rosters were far from loaded and his players loved playing for him. In six years as head coach, Vrabel led the Titans to four straight winning seasons since his arrival in 2018, which included division titles in 2020 and 2021, the latter of which earned him NFL Coach of the Year.

He's no offensive innovator, that's for sure. But he knows how to run a solid program and given a good OC he'd be light years better than Mayo in Foxboro.

How Tennessee Titans players are reacting to uncertainty of Mike Vrabel's job status

As speculation about Mike Vrabel's job status with the Tennessee Titans swirls, players ranging from Will Levis to Jeffery Simmons voiced opinions.

www.tennessean.com

What Tennessee Titans players said about Mike Vrabel's job status​

Ask any player in the locker room for Monday's cleanout and they'd give an answer similar to Simmons'. The players don't know what's going to happen, but they want Vrabel to stick around.

"I love Vrabes. He's an awesome guy," guard Daniel Brunskill said. "I would love to have him as our coach going forward because he's a great locker room guy being a former player and understanding everything we've gone through as players. I couldn't tell you much more than that." -- Jan 8, 2024

Good local piece from Jan. 11:

4 reasons why Mike Vrabel would be perfect next head coach of Patriots

Former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel was fired by the Tennessee Titans this week. He’s the perfect candidate to replace Bill Belichick in New England.

www.audacy.com

 

[ScottishPatriots]

Mayo is awful but Kraft will let him scapegoat the coordinators and do his low budget Raidersesque reboot so Drake will have 3 OCs by the time he gets to his 3rd year and Mayo is fired.

The writing is on the wall.

 

[lancerman]

i have stated my position. they should have gone for it. period. there is no other decision they should have made. they didn't do so. why because they were not properly prepared? we'll never know. the fact they were embarrassed in ot bears this out.

/end

I don't know how you can pretend you are taking the high road when you are saying your point of view is the only acceptable one. The only accurate thing you said is we don't know. The reality is the thing you call an embarrassment and the reason they shouldn't have done it.... still resulted in their offense getting the ball and having plenty of time to win it.

This is a silly back and forth.

 

[Vindicate]

Vrabel only won NFL Coach of the Year three short years ago. Then went on to field competitive teams with subpar rosters/nobodies playing quarterback. His record: 56-48 over six seasons including playoffs. Yes, you are in the minority.

Well aware.

At one point he was 48-27, then went on a downturn with that team. The narrative of Vrabel in Tennessee is one we've heard here already and know its consequences. He was pretty bad with staff, very stubborn and stuck in his ways, and his incredibly loud personality was a double-edged sword that could rally the troops but also cause communication issues, and he's a defensive minded coach that was handed Derrick Henry and a good OL.

He knows the game, he is deeply in tune with the intricacies of it. However, as we know, that isn't enough if conditions aren't right and you're an otherwise stubborn *******.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

I was 50-50 on whether to go for it or not but after they held them to a FG I thought Maye would at least tie the game, they were running out of time, if not for Boutte falling down that pass might have been complete, I think he read the defense right but didn't account for his receiver falling down and the guy on defense peeling off.

 

[Tunescribe]

Well aware.

At one point he was 48-27, then went on a downturn with that team. The narrative of Vrabel in Tennessee is one we've heard here already and know its consequences. He was pretty bad with staff, very stubborn and stuck in his ways, and his incredibly loud personality was a double-edged sword that could rally the troops but also cause communication issues, and he's a defensive minded coach that was handed Derrick Henry and a good OL.

He knows the game, he is deeply in tune with the intricacies of it. However, as we know, that isn't enough if conditions aren't right and you're an otherwise stubborn *******.

The bolded above is what's sorely missing from our current HC. Apart from that, the players loved playing for him. So he apparently bumped heads with the front office. There is no telling for sure whose fault that might be, but I'll side with the coach considering the power players in Tennessee.

 

[pats99]

Mayo is awful but Kraft will let him scapegoat the coordinators and do his low budget Raidersesque reboot so Drake will have 3 OCs by the time he gets to his 3rd year and Mayo is fired.

The writing is on the wall.

Sadly this may very well be how it plays out.

 

[Brotherblues]

Mayo is awful but Kraft will let him scapegoat the coordinators and do his low budget Raidersesque reboot so Drake will have 3 OCs by the time he gets to his 3rd year and Mayo is fired.

The writing is on the wall.

That would at least lead us to an honest search for a HC in a year or 2.

If he remains terrible the Krafts have no choice but to fire him. The nightmare scenario is that he learns enough to become moderately mediocre then rides Maye to the playoffs year after year. Mayo will be getting his lunch taken by the other playoff coaches every single time and will keep his job because "he makes the playoffs every year."

 

[Ring 6]

you saw what we did with plenty of time. nothing. maye had one scramble on a broken play

and you think im not being honest with myself?

you got to learn how to read the team. there was no way they were going to be competitive in ot,

Going for 2 and putting the game in Mayes hands (your best player) on a make or break play is by far the best chance to win.
I would have spread the field and run a qb draw if I got the D I could run it against. Thats a very effective 2 point play with a guy who runs like Maye.

The added benefit is you QB plays hero and you have 2 consecutive last second wins to build morale. M
This way we are back to being soft and get the ball run down our throats at will.