'Fight this internal struggle:' Why Mike Vrabel is our Nashville Sportsperson of the Year
Greatness isn't immunity to failure. If anything, the greatest figures in sports history are defined by how they respond after they come up short.
On his path to greatness, Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel finds himself in this phase.
Vrabel, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, is on the doorstep of leading the Titans to their third straight AFC South title. The Titans have been beset by injuries, controversially traded away top receiver A.J. Brown, surprisingly fired general manager Jon Robinson midseason and are reeling on a six-game losing streak that turned a 7-3 Super Bowl contender into a 7-9 team needing to win its season finale against Jacksonville just to reach the postseason.
Through it all, Vrabel's leadership has been the only steadying presence keeping the Titans in the playoff hunt. He was the only Titans official to speak publicly about Robinson's firing. And through it all, he has evolved - had to evolve - from the coach who became the face of the franchise in 2018. That's part of why he's The Tennessean's Sportsperson of the Year for 2022.
But these aren't the moments that define Vrabel.
When The Tennessean asked Vrabel what memories stand out from 2022, the way last season ended came first. The 2021 Titans earned the AFC's lone first-round bye and held home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But on Jan. 22, none of that mattered. The No. 1 seed Titans fell 19-16 at home to the Cincinnati Bengals, ending one of the best seasons in franchise history.
And kickstarting Vrabel's path to redefinition.
"It sucks to be defined by a playoff loss," Vrabel told The Tennessean in early December. "We beat so many good teams. And that’s how the game goes."
Mike Vrabel's journey back to the top
Coaching is adjusting. Vrabel knows that better than anyone. The 2021 Titans set an NFL record by using 91 players. The 2022 squad isn't far behind with 86. Safety Kevin Byard and long snapper Morgan Cox are the only Titans who have played in every game the last two years. Thanks to trades (Brown), injuries (QB Ryan Tannehill) and free agency, 19 of the 46 players used in the playoff loss haven't suited up for the Titans this season at one time or another.
In coaching, as in life, there are three responses to adversity. You can give up. You can do nothing. And you can do something. Vrabel always chooses the latter, whether that means keeping a "poach list" of players at every position he'd be willing to sign off opposing practice squads or letting his players sleep a little more by moving team meetings back an hour from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The way he sees it, coaching isn't only adjusting. It's self-awareness.
"We have to choose our responses," Vrabel said. "There’s clearly a time where you have the ability to choose, you have the power to choose how you’re going to act. Sometimes I want to act like a complete asshole, and I know that that’s not right, but I wage this battle in this office and then when I leave I have to lead."
At times that leadership works wonders, like when the Titans rebounded from an 0-2 start to win seven of their next eight games. Other times, adversity wins and the Titans lose six straight, testing Vrabel in new ways. Through the ebbs and flows of a long season, Titans players never seem to waver, in part due to Vrabel's steady, composed attitude.
"I think first and foremost it's a clear plan and a clear foundation for the program," Tannehill said when asked what has made Vrabel ascend. "Everyone who comes into the program knows what we're about, knows what we believe in. We hold each other accountable. He starts that."
From NFL coach to NFL dad
One of the most important lessons Vrabel had to learn in 2022 was how to be less of a coach.
In the offseason, Vrabel became an NFL dad when his son Tyler signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Tyler, an offensive lineman, was cut toward the end of training camp but has remained with the Falcons on their practice squad and injured reserve throughout the season.
Tyler was finishing high school when Vrabel took over the Titans in 2018. Vrabel admits he wasn't very good at separating coach duties from father and husband duties back then. He could leave work, but he couldn't leave work behind.
He's since gotten better at balancing his work and home life. But balance isn't the easiest thing to keep when your livelihood becomes your son's livelihood. Especially not when your son's coach is Arthur Smith, your former offensive coordinator. Or when you have to experience cut day as the deliverer of bad news and the father of a bad-news recipient.
Vrabel shared a little wisdom about the process, warning Tyler about the uncertainties of cut day and how to keep confident about landing back on the practice squad. But beyond offering advice here and there, Vrabel has tried to avoid meddling in Tyler's business.
"I’ve tried to do a better job of just being a dad and not being a coach," Vrabel said. "When he made the decision to go to Atlanta, I tried to support him and listen to him and not get in the way. As much as I have a relationship with Arthur, I don’t or I hadn’t or I didn’t ask. I was like ‘Tyler will keep me updated and let me know if he needs anything.’
"I think it’s been good. I know how difficult it is. I think it puts things into perspective here, what some of our young players go through."
Keeping the faith
As a player, Vrabel won three Super Bowls. As a coach, Vrabel made the playoffs three of his first four years and has never ended a season with a losing record. If the Titans win the AFC South again, it'll mark the first time the organization won three straight division titles since the Houston Oilers' first three years of existence.
With all that success comes a heightened degree of what qualifies as failure. The list of coaches who've lost divisional round playoff games as No. 1 seeds includes Super Bowl champions Tony Dungy, Tom Coughlin, Bill Belichick, Mike McCarthy and John Harbaugh. None of those coaches are defined by great seasons that ended too soon, and Vrabel has spent the year working to ensure he isn't either.
There are days where Vrabel wants to give in to the frustration, let his anger show and throw a temper tantrum about the toughest parts of the job. But if what he wants in the long-term is to win, he knows he can't succumb to what he wants in the short-term.
"There’s times where I feel like that may make me feel better, leaving here and being a complete asshole," Vrabel said. "But that’s not what’s right. That’s not what’s best for the team. We all have our moments. Trust me. But I try to fight this internal struggle. And then you just move on. Win or lose, you’re moving on to the next week."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Tennessee Titans' Mike Vrabel is 2022 Sportsperson of the Year
