Mike Vrabel Names New Titans Coordinators - Really, Mike, Really?

I thought the 2020 Tennessee Titans defense was a fluke. I thought 2021 could be way better with a new coordinator. WELL MIKE VRABEL THOUGHT THE DEFENSE WAS FINE, AND OFFICIALLY MADE SHANE BOWN THE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR!!! If you are unfamiliar with who Shane Bowen is, he was the Titans outside linebackers coach, who was the de-facto DC, even though he didn’t have the title. He was the play-caller, on an awful defense last year. But why keep him as the DC, Mike, why? Bowen was with Vrabel in Houston in 2017, and followed him to Tennessee, where he will now try to not blow up our open title window.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Humphery / Associated Press

Offensive Coordinator

The new offensive coordinator, is Todd Downing, who was formerly the tight ends coach for Tennessee. He replaces the man who he actually replaced as tight ends coach, Arthur Smith. Downing was last an OC with the Las Vegas Raiders (then called the Oakland Raiders), in 2017, where the offense took a step back from the breakout 2016 campaign. On the offensive side of the ball don’t expect much to change from the dominant play action, and power running of Derrick Henry. Downing just has to make good play-calls, good in-game adjustments, keep running the same concept, and not do what happened in Oakland, and Tennessee should be fine on this side of the ball.

Grading the Promotion: C

PHOTO CREDIT: George Walker IV / Associated Press

Defensive Coordinator

As I stated earlier, the defense in 2020 was atrocious, and the man calling the plays will continue. There were sub-par play-calls, awful communication, horrible adjustments in-game, all season long, and that defense was what almost cost Tennessee the division crown, and Ryan Tannehill, AJ Brown, and Sam Sloman, were able to bailout Bowen. I am aware that there was no pass rush, but Bowen was the OLB’s coach. He should be able to fix that. Right?

Vrabel has to stop making excuses for Shane, and Shane has to turn the defense around in the next two years, or the Super Bowl may never come to Nashville.

Grade of Promotion: D- (This is a really bad D-, and almost an F. If he can’t return the defense to what it was in 2019 and years prior, it will be a big fat F).