Mike Vrabel

[TitanSS]

You all act like Mariota didn't need to be benched. He did.

OL and OC suck too, but QB had it coming for awhile.

[titans0021]

Just now, titans0021 said:

In the end, it’s far easier for an offensive coordinator who recently got his dream job to replace the QB he inherited than truly look in the mirror and realize he’s failing in every way.

It is far easier for a head coach to bench the QB he inherited than it is to face the fact that you hired a clown that is totally in over his head.

And God knows it is easier for a general manager that has invested high draft picks and huge money into a broken offenseive line, that has drafted the WRs and everyone involved in the run game, that had his choice of head coach after firing someone that won a playoff game, to simply change the QB that he didn’t draft than to contemplate the fundamental problems with the team he has built.

And I should note that this post isn’t me saying Mariota is some innocent victim. It’s me saying that I don’t think the switch fixes anything and feels like an attempt by the staff to make it look like they’re doing something when the fundamental problems aren’t actually addressed.

[TitanSS]

Rick said it best, what else do you do bench the whole OL? The OC is probably next on the replacement list, but you start from the bottom up.

[deeluxx3]

1 minute ago, TitanSS said:

Disliking Vrabel is 100% understandable. We're 2-4 with one of the worst offenses I've ever seen and he had 3 poor situational decisions in games.

It's just hammering on every little thing he says that comes off bad. Like we could finish the season 12-4 and you still wouldn't like him because you just want to hate him.

Vrabel made a huge decision on making a QB switch and he can’t stand there confidently and say that RT is the guy moving forward. There is no “winning the job back”. That’s what I have a problem with. 

I don’t want to hate Vrabel, I just want to win football games. I don’t care if I’m the coach, you’re the coach, or my mom is the coach. But part of being a HC is sticking to your guns and answering the tough questions. Vrabel saying Monday that he doesn’t want a QB carousel and then saying today that MM can win his job back doesn’t sit well with me. It doesn’t impact what happens on Sundays,  but it’s a weak response from a guy who hasn’t had answers to the tough questions this season. 

It’s really that simple and that’s all I’m commenting on. You can have your own opinion and not be bothered by it because, rightfully so, it doesn’t impact gameday, but I’m personally tired of Vrabel’s BS both on and off the field. Doesn’t mean I hate him. Just means I’m frustrated with him. 

[-Hope-]

5 minutes ago, titans0021 said:

And I should note that this post isn’t me saying Mariota is some innocent victim. It’s me saying that I don’t think the switch fixes anything and feels like an attempt by the staff to make it look like they’re doing something when the fundamental problems aren’t actually addressed.

i mean, firing art smith right now doesn’t really address anything either imo. he needs to be gone at the end of the season but it’s not like there’s anyone on staff who would do it better (which is an indictment of the whole staff)

[TitanSS]

I think a lot of people have an understandable emotional attachment to Mariota and Vrabel being the one to finally bench him hurts. 

It sucks. I felt terrible for him as a man when he was benched and hearing the AJ Brown story just about will bring tears to your eyes, but his play hadn't warranted him to be the unquestionable starter when the offense is this bad. By all accounts Mariota is an outstanding worker and I wish him nothing but success elsewhere (in the NFC), but he has a lot of the same flaws that he did coming out. Looking at Lance Zierlien's scouting report of him in college sounded like someone criticizing him this year.

There are absolutely other offenders, but mid-season changes to the others are more difficult. It shouldn't have been that hard of a decision from a coaching standpoint to see if Tannehill performs any better.

They need to figure out what they can change up on the OL, but the players behind the ones on the OL don't offer much. I don't know if Conklin/Kelly can play OG having only practiced at OT in the NFL, but if it continues they're going to have to switch up something. I saw a stat saying the average sack time was 3.9 seconds last week, which is pretty long meaning both QBs need to get rid of the ball and the OC needs to implement more of a short passing game to get the ball out. OL still isn't great, but QBs and OC need to help them out while they figure out things.

 

[titans0021]

5 minutes ago, TitanSS said:

Rick said it best, what else do you do bench the whole OL? The OC is probably next on the replacement list, but you start from the bottom up.

You do something else too. If you’ve watched this team and came away thinking Mariota is the biggest problem, we just aren’t seeing the same things. Like, we sit here and complain about a QB taking sacks on third down and not throwing the ball away. As though that’s the problem. Not that the plays are so fundamentally bad that our receivers can’t get open. Not that the line can’t block 5 or 6 on 4. But that the drive ended on a sack instead of an incomplete pass. 

We (not FF, but the staff and the media) spend a couple hours talking about a miss on a screen pass that would’ve been a four-yard loss rather than talking about the fact that our very first play of a game is designed to be thrown to a fundamentally terrible pass catcher.

We talk about the QB not converting third downs, but don’t focus on the fact that we’re facing defenses that want to stack the box and proceeding to place all of our offensive personnel in a 15 square yard box that guarantees nine in the box and are then stunned when our back runs into a brick wall for two yards on first and second down.

. I’m going to laugh so hard when Nate Davis is back out there on Sunday. When MyCole Pruitt is still in our base offense. When we plow Henry into a 10-man box. In six games, we made no effort to adjust to what was going wrong offensively. The idea that replacing one average quarterback with another average QB solves anything when every single thing the offense does is fundamentally broken is a waste of time. It’s just the easy move to look like you’re trying to do something while actually doing nothing.

If we had tried something, anything new. If we had adjusted the offense in any way. Changed the playcalling. Changed the scheme. Done anything, and Mariota had still struggled. Sure, pull him. But instead, we are spending our time trying to fix a symptom while we allow the disease to fester and grow.

[deeluxx3]

5 minutes ago, titans0021 said:

You do something else too. If you’ve watched this team and came away thinking Mariota is the biggest problem, we just aren’t seeing the same things. Like, we sit here and complain about a QB taking sacks on third down and not throwing the ball away. As though that’s the problem. Not that the plays are so fundamentally bad that our receivers can’t get open. Not that the line can’t block 5 or 6 on 4. But that the drive ended on a sack instead of an incomplete pass. 

We (not FF, but the staff and the media) spend a couple hours talking about a miss on a screen pass that would’ve been a four-yard loss rather than talking about the fact that our very first play of a game is designed to be thrown to a fundamentally terrible pass catcher.

We talk about the QB not converting third downs, but don’t focus on the fact that we’re facing defenses that want to stack the box and proceeding to place all of our offensive personnel in a 15 square yard box that guarantees nine in the box and are then stunned when our back runs into a brick wall for two yards on first and second down.

. I’m going to laugh so hard when Nate Davis is back out there on Sunday. When MyCole Pruitt is still in our base offense. When we plow Henry into a 10-man box. In six games, we made no effort to adjust to what was going wrong offensively. The idea that replacing one average quarterback with another average QB solves anything when every single thing the offense does is fundamentally broken is a waste of time. It’s just the easy move to look like you’re trying to do something while actually doing nothing.

If we had tried something, anything new. If we had adjusted the offense in any way. Changed the playcalling. Changed the scheme. Done anything, and Mariota had still struggled. Sure, pull him. But instead, we are spending our time trying to fix a symptom while we allow the disease to fester and grow.

Bingo. Forest through the trees right there.

[titans0021]

I’ll say this, if we come out on Sunday and Davis is out and the offense looks fundamentally different (not in terms of results, but in terms of concept and design), I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong. But if the only real change to the gameplan is to switch QBs, this is all just a giant waste of time.

[deeluxx3]

2 minutes ago, titans0021 said:

I’ll say this, if we come out on Sunday and Davis is out and the offense looks fundamentally different (not in terms of results, but in terms of concept and design), I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong. But if the only real change to the gameplan is to switch QBs, this is all just a giant waste of time.

I hear that, and I hope it does. But why would concept/design change so drastically? Hell, why didn't we learn from the Atlanta first half on "what works"? 

 

[Kookie23]

1 hour ago, TitanSS said:

You guys finding something negative about literally everything he says is becoming humorous.

Vrabel in 2 weeks: "Happy Halloween"

Fans: "This guy is a joke why can't he say what he means"

But-bu-but complimentary football!!! 

Have to do betterrrrrrrrr!!!!!

[dtait93]

30 minutes ago, KingTitan said:

How?

It could have literally been, hey Amy we are going to make a change. Wanted you to know.

This isn't Bud. I seriously doubt, he asked her permission and she said "hmm, let's pull up week 2's 3rd and long cut up package so I can see the reads he missed."

There is a business side to it and PR side too. Why not let your owner know that hey this is whats going on. Here is likely what is going to be said. Here is our plan going forward. (We want to see what Tannehill has and plan to evaluate heavily the QBs in the draft, or we plan to attack the trade market.etc).

There’s a difference between Mike informing her, and her giving her input to Mike on what she wants to happen.

Look, she’s done a lot of good, but she already meddled during the Mularkey hire. It’s not unrealistic to think she will do it again. She may not be Bud, but the apple could have fallen a little closer to the tree than we think.

[dtait93]

1 hour ago, TitanSS said:

You all act like Mariota didn't need to be benched. He did.

OL and OC suck too, but QB had it coming for awhile.

Which is exactly why it will be ridiculous to only bench Marcus and not try to shuffle the o-line, or make a change in o-line coaches, or bring in someone to help Arthur/give some more responsibility to Downing who has playcalling experience....he has to do SOMETHING besides bench Mariota. There’s so many other problems.

[ragevsuall17]

4 hours ago, TitanSS said:

It's just hammering on every little thing he says that comes off bad. Like we could finish the season 12-4 and you still wouldn't like him because you just want to hate him.

 

That's almost word for word what some of us were saying in the GameDay and Mariota threads... Just substitute "things he says" with "snap". You're on that side of the argument now... So maybe you now get a taste of how frustrating it can be... Analyzing every word and every snap gets tired really fast. 

I hope that somehow we turn it around and that RT shows us something we haven't had or seen in Nashville for a few years... And that Vrabel's decisions start going the other way soon. If ever we needed a win, it's right now. 

Nobody hates Vrabel... Like Dee said, it's frustration... Especially since some of us were so excited at the hire. 

I think the lack of a plan on the offensive side of the ball is the biggest issue I have. He's a defensive coach and needs all the help he can get on that (offensive) side... And yet he's got Smith who's as inexperienced as him at building an offensive play book and game plan (Lafleur was also somewhat green with running the show within the game) . He needs an experienced OC above all else. Someone who he can all but leave alone to build a game plan and manage the offense snap to snap, drive to drive, week to week... and let him to focus on the things he needs to focus on during the game. 

 

4 hours ago, -Hope- said:

i mean, firing art smith right now doesn’t really address anything either imo. he needs to be gone at the end of the season but it’s not like there’s anyone on staff who would do it better (which is an indictment of the whole staff)

 

I brought this point up when we hired Lafleur. I think we all knew when signing him that being one and done was a legit possibility.

We needed to hire a qb coach who could take over. That was my biggest issue with hiring that Hollywood coach... We didn't have any position coaches who had the feel of the guy waiting in the wings... So the qb coach hire was crucial... And we failed there too. 

I thought the promotion of Smith was good to give the team some continuity... But that's blown up in our face... And we still don't have anyone even close to being ready to step up... 

I think bringing Gruden in right now to help as an in season consultant is definitely an option... With the opportunity of letting him take over at the end of the season at OC... 

Edited October 16, 2019 by ragevsuall17

[TitanLegend]

I forget who said it or where I saw it this morning, but someone pointed out that if Santos hits the FGs against the Colts and the Bills and we're 4-2 instead, how different are things right now?