Cool Link The Athletic: Inside Mike Vrabel’s year off: His season with the Browns and what he wants next

[Steve102]

Seems like Vrabel really has made sure his next HC opportunity he is even better prepared for. .. really good read especially for us as fans. I have to commend Ownership for understanding they miscalculated with Mayo and realizing that Vrabel is the guy. Bedard mentioned is a 90% chance he ends up in NE.

I definitely feel better about the idea of him being here.

 

[mike_usagisan]

I definitely feel better about the idea of him being here.

I feel good about him having gone through that experience in Tennessee so he can reshape the whole organization here to all be pulling in the same direction. I just hope he isn't hamstrung by Wolf or anything from ownership.

 

[The Trickster]

And for you pirates

Great read.
Thanks

 

[signbabybrady]

 

[RobertWeathers]

I feel good about him having gone through that experience in Tennessee so he can reshape the whole organization here to all be pulling in the same direction. I just hope he isn't hamstrung by Wolf or anything from ownership.

...and it sounds like he learned a few things about personnel and gained some perspective in his time w/ CLE.

 

[Headcase]

It's interesting because the story also talks about how Vrabel helped one player, celebrating his small victories, like losing weight or doing some skill right. I think Vrabel is one of those guys who knows how to toe the line between being tough but that different people are motivated in different ways.

Midway through the season, Vrabel switched from tight ends to the offensive line room after talking with Stefanski, feeling like he could be more useful with a larger group of players. Quickly, he bonded with second-year offensive tackle Dawand Jones. Vrabel was instrumental in building up Jones’s confidence. Jones has struggled with weight at times (he’s listed at 6-foot-8 and 374 pounds) and Vrabel made it a point to get Jones (and his coaches) to celebrate small victories, like when Jones lost 11 pounds one week.
“Nobody’s going to develop in anything they do without some small victories along the way,” Vrabel said.
Vrabel hadn’t been traveling for road games, but Jones asked him if he’d start coming — with Stefanski’s permission, Vrabel agreed. “Dawand was really working hard and trying to change some behaviors and work on himself,” Vrabel said. “I felt like I had made a commitment (to him) and wanted to be involved.” (Jones fractured his ankle in Week 11 but Vrabel kept going to the road games.)

 

[Ross12]

here is a complementary classic from last year:

Mike Vrabel Is Becoming a Coaching Legend—Through His Yells and His Hugs

The Titans head coach is entering his sixth, and perhaps most interesting, season at the helm. But how he got here—and how he’s gained the backing of his players—is just as important.

www.theringer.com

 

[Real fan 02]

I definitely feel better about the idea of him being here.

Yes! Same here. He just feels like the exact type of Coach we need he's his own man and I have 100 confidence that he could get this defense back to a top 10.

 

[Ross12]

It's interesting because the story also talks about how Vrabel helped one player, celebrating his small victories, like losing weight or doing some skill right. I think Vrabel is one of those guys who knows how to toe the line between being tough but that different people are motivated in different ways.

I think the key is how you define "sensitive". Clearly, celebrating a guy hitting his weight targets that he's been struggling with is being sensitive but it's being sensitive in the interest of something that helps them grow as a person and helps them improve as a team. It was also something that was personal between Vrabel and the player.

There is a big contrast between that and sensitivity for sensitivity's sake - such as talking about feelings for no particular reason, putting up pointless murals, inviting players to speak their mind to the media about literally anything even if it's negative. That's not great. Maybe 1 or 2 guys needs that, but doing it for everyone all the time just breeds a very soft team.

 

[yukon cornelius]

the more i think about this, the more i want vrabel

sounds like he's one of those guys with a mixed bag his first run, that has learned and improved, and is ready and prepared for his 2nd go round

he's got a good young QB to build around, still enough guys on D to build some culture around....i'm smelling abdul carter in the 4 spot, and let's go......

 

[PatsFan2]

I've tried to find information on who Vrabel may bring with him as DC? I can't find anything. I wonder how his relationship with Antonio pierce is.. he could be an option at DC or Mike wilks...McDaniels as OC is intriguing.. haven't heard much from McDaniels camp.

Cashing Mark Davis's checks.

 

[Real fan 02]

Cashing Mark Davis's checks.

Cash rules everything around me...

 

[yukon cornelius]

the more i think about this, the more i want vrabel

sounds like he's one of those guys with a mixed bag his first run, that has learned and improved, and is ready and prepared for his 2nd go round

he's got a good young QB to build around, still enough guys on D to build some culture around....i'm smelling abdul carter in the 4 spot, and let's go......

although i gotta say, abdul carter is 100% the BB pick in this draft, so that would be extra great because it would drive some folks wild

 

[mike_usagisan]

I think the key is how you define "sensitive". Clearly, celebrating a guy hitting his weight targets that he's been struggling with is being sensitive but it's being sensitive in the interest of something that helps them grow as a person and helps them improve as a team. It was also something that was personal between Vrabel and the player.

There is a big contrast between that and sensitivity for sensitivity's sake - such as talking about feelings for no particular reason, putting up pointless murals, inviting players to speak their mind to the media about literally anything even if it's negative. That's not great. Maybe 1 or 2 guys needs that, but doing it for everyone all the time just breeds a very soft team.

Right, and I think that’s the point. Vrabel seems like a coach that still embodies the best of a Belichick no-nonsense coach, while also realizing that you need to find these points of connection.

I was already high on Vrabel, but this kind of sold me. The only question is who is the OC?

 

[Ross12]

the more i think about this, the more i want vrabel

sounds like he's one of those guys with a mixed bag his first run, that has learned and improved, and is ready and prepared for his 2nd go round

he's got a good young QB to build around, still enough guys on D to build some culture around....i'm smelling abdul carter in the 4 spot, and let's go......

It's very easy to look at his history and see that he was straight-up screwed over by his owner.

The team was immediately successful under him (winning season and barely missing playoffs in year 1) and then had sustained success (AFC Championship berth in year 2, double digit wins in year 3 and also year 4, and a #1 seed mixed in there as well).

He only hit a speed bump in year 5 for many reasons:
- His owner didn't want to pay AJ Brown, so traded him instead
- His QB, who wasn't a world beater to begin with, got hurt and missed much of the year
- His left tackle missed almost the whole year
- They had a league high 23 players on IR

Despite all of the above, they still finished close to .500 (7-10). However, the GM (Jon Robinson) was fired. Vrabel felt like things were moving OK and wanted the interim GM (Ryan Cowden) to be the new guy to keep things consistent.

Instead for year 6, the owner said she wanted "to move in a new direction" and hired the steaming turd Ran Carthon, who delivered Will Levis. They again dealt with injuries to Tannehill, their left tackle, and their receivers. This caused Vrabel to have to rely on Levis which obviously wasn't great. They still finished 6-11.

For all of this, Vrabel gets fired a year after Carthon arrives so Carthon can hire "his guy" (Brian Callahan). The Titans ended the year with the #1 pick (as we know) and Carthon gets fired the very next year. So, great job there.

I really believe that Vrabel has not had a "bad season", he just had an injury plagued year and an owner who traded away his best player, then fired the GM, and then replaced the GM with an even worse one, who then pushed him out the door for a worse coach and then got fired himself a year later.

 

[signbabybrady]

although i gotta say, abdul carter is 100% the BB pick in this draft, so that would be extra great because it would drive some folks wild

David Terrell/Seymour again

 

[Sect140]

Great article, I wondered what he was doing in Cleveland. Have to give Stefanski credit for reaching out to him and asking what are you going to do this year.

If he gets the job could we see White lining up as an extra TE near the end zone and catching touchdowns.