NGT - Is Mike Vrabel overrated as a head coach?

[DaveBrown74]

First off, let me be very clear: I am not asking if Vrabel is a good head coach or not. I think it's pretty obvious that he is at least a solid NFL head coach, if not better than that. In no way am I saying he's less than that.

My question is more around whether or not people overrate him or not. In my experience, when people I know and in the media talk about Vrabel, they make it sound like he's an elite coach. Like a top 5 coach in the league perhaps. I am curious why he is rated that high. I'm not saying he should be considered not good, but what has he done in Tennessee that was so great? No question for the most part the Titans were consistently a competitive team that had some playoff appearances and (I think) had one year where they may have made it to the AFC championship game, but they have never once been a team that legitimately scared anyone, and in the last couple of years they have been really bad. I think I read they were 1-9 in AFC South games in the last two years, which is pretty putrid considering how bad that division is.

His career winning percentage as head coach (.545) is worse than Jason Garrett's (.559), and both men are 2-3 in postseason play. One of these guys is considered an outstanding coach, and the other was run out of the profession pretty unceremoniously. I'm not saying their situations were identical, but my point is just I'm not seeing what about Vrabel's accomplishments make him this elite or even significantly above average coach that people view him as.

Any thoughts?

[spiderblue43]

Solid if unspectacular. Hardly an innovator. Nuts and bolts type. I believe he has a ceiling..not elite. In the Titans case..the roster fell apart as a organizational fail. Vrabel couldn't fix it. He wanted more control. He was offered less. See ya.

But..I have no faith in them finding a better option that will work with that brass in place.

[Fletch]

I have seen him and his team kick Tom Brady's and Bellicheks butt in , and make the Patriots look like a JV squad in a playoff game.. And that was when they were good. All with Ryan Tannehill as his QB.

[katkavage]

I have seen him and his team kick Tom Brady's and Bellicheks butt in , and make the Patriots look like a JV squad in a playoff game.. And that was when they were good. All with Ryan Tannehill as his QB.

Can't really win without a top QB. They never had one.

[DaveBrown74]

Can't really win without a top QB. They never had one.

Neither did Jason Garrett.

[MightyGiants]

First off, let me be very clear: I am not asking if Vrabel is a good head coach or not. I think it's pretty obvious that he is at least a solid NFL head coach, if not better than that. In no way am I saying he's less than that.

My question is more around whether or not people overrate him or not. In my experience, when people I know and in the media talk about Vrabel, they make it sound like he's an elite coach. Like a top 5 coach in the league perhaps. I am curious why he is rated that high. I'm not saying he should be considered not good, but what has he done in Tennessee that was so great? No question for the most part the Titans were consistently a competitive team that had some playoff appearances and (I think) had one year where they may have made it to the AFC championship game, but they have never once been a team that legitimately scared anyone, and in the last couple of years they have been really bad. I think I read they were 1-9 in AFC South games in the last two years, which is pretty putrid considering how bad that division is.

His career winning percentage as head coach (.545) is worse than Jason Garrett's (.559), and both men are 2-3 in postseason play. One of these guys is considered an outstanding coach, and the other was run out of the profession pretty unceremoniously. I'm not saying their situations were identical, but my point is just I'm not seeing what about Vrabel's accomplishments make him this elite or even significantly above average coach that people view him as.

Any thoughts?

To answer your question in broader terms, I think evaluating coaches (and others) often involve two aspects

Process- how they do stuff

Outcome- their record

Sometimes, a coach can have a good process, but things occur outside his control that will negate what otherwise had the potential to be a good outcome.  I think people who think highly of Vrabel like his process and how he does his job.   At least to this point, I don't think the less-than-optimal outcome is being held against him.   I suspect if he gets another job and the losses keep piling up, people will reconsider.