2023 NFL Coaching Carousel: The Night of Short Drives

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Football Funhouse > 2023 NFL Coaching Carousel: The Night of Short Drives

«‹›224 »

Woozie66: Sep 8, 2009; I'll wait for the next era

MJeff posted:

This makes a ton of sense to me if Vrabel wanted out and very little if the Titans wanted him gone so it's weird that it appears to be the latter.

https://twitter.com/DMRussini/status/1744780106021716335?t=1yQ8mgbNhBoMOZC5W7nq9w&s=19

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:16

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 23, 2024 17:51

really queer Christmas: Apr 22, 2014

My God lmao

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:22

xbilkis: Apr 11, 2005; god qb
me
jay hova

Woozie66 posted:

https://twitter.com/DMRussini/status/1744780106021716335?t=1yQ8mgbNhBoMOZC5W7nq9w&s=19

This is incredible. How could you let this leak if you were the Titans

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:23

mcmagic: Jul 1, 2004; If you see this avatar while scrolling the succ zone, you have been visited by the mcmagic of shitty lib takes! Good luck and prosperity will come to you, but only if you reply "shut the fuck up mcmagic" to this post!

Woozie66 posted:

https://twitter.com/DMRussini/status/1744780106021716335?t=1yQ8mgbNhBoMOZC5W7nq9w&s=19

Love to spew value

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:23

MJeff: Jun 2, 2011; THE LIAR

Woozie66 posted:

https://twitter.com/DMRussini/status/1744780106021716335?t=1yQ8mgbNhBoMOZC5W7nq9w&s=19

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXm6F-K6Ffo

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:24

fartknocker: Oct 28, 2012; Damn it, this always happens. I think I'm gonna score, and then I never score. It's not fair.; Wedge Regret

Tits gonna be hosed

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:24

Kirios: Jan 26, 2010

Yeah no offense Tits fans but I forsee a 2-3 year major tank job in your future.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:25

MJeff: Jun 2, 2011; THE LIAR

Jags no longer the most embarrassing AFC South team, whew.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:27

Simplex: Jun 29, 2003

There's something pretty amusing about Patriots fans getting all hot and bothered about wanting to replace their coach who's gone 12-22 the past two seasons with a coach who's gone 13-21 in the same span

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:28

Impossibly Perfect Sphere: Nov 6, 2002; They wasted Luanne on Lucky!

She could of have been so much more but the writers just didn't care!

Simplex posted:

There's something pretty amusing about Patriots fans getting all hot and bothered about wanting to replace their coach who's gone 12-22 the past two seasons with a coach who's gone 13-21 in the same span

One made his own bed and had to lie, the other didn't.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:30

Kirios: Jan 26, 2010

Reality still hasn't set into Pats fans - they think they are destined by God himself to be an elite team in no time. It's clearly Belichick's fault!

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:30

Impossibly Perfect Sphere: Nov 6, 2002; They wasted Luanne on Lucky!

She could of have been so much more but the writers just didn't care!

Can't believe Pats fans wanna get rid of guy who has blown like six drafts in a row and signed a bunch of crap free agents.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:32

Woozie66: Sep 8, 2009; I'll wait for the next era

MJeff posted:

Jags no longer the most embarrassing AFC South team, whew.

Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:35

Simplex: Jun 29, 2003

Impossibly Perfect Sphere posted:

Can't believe Pats fans wanna get rid of guy who has blown like six drafts in a row and signed a bunch of crap free agents.

Surely this guy who feuded with his GM at his last job won't demand significant roster control at his next job.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:39

kalensc: Sep 10, 2003; Only Trust Your Respirator, kupo!
Art/Quote by: Rubby

xbilkis posted:

This is incredible. How could you let this leak if you were the Titans

"I'm surrounded by assholes! Hello Diana, you won't believe this..."

Prior to this I thought Vrabel was entering a lame duck year, but turns out he had two more plus an option.

Interesting, possibly, that the article I read mentions Carthon was selected over Vrabel's preferred guy for GM. It went on to say no known conflicts occurred between the two during Carthon's tenure, but perhaps Vrabel is good at keeping poo poo close to his vest.

Oh, I forgot that the Titans had confirmed Mularkey would be back after his playoff win, only to about-face a few days later. There's chatter that Adams Strunk is rather aimless, initially indicating confidence in going one way before changing plans without an obvious impetus.

https://theathletic.com/5186917/2024/01/09/mike-vrabel-fired-titans/

quote:

Titans give Mike Vrabel the pink slip, but Amy Adams Strunk created the problem

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans have an ownership problem.

That word can mean a range of things, so to be clear, Amy Adams Strunk isn’t a problem in the same realm as, say, a Daniel Snyder or even a David Tepper. There’s no terrible human behavior here. She’s not an embarrassment to the NFL.

She’s not throwing drinks on anyone as far as we know — and I’m sure some of the Philadelphia Eagles fans who mockingly thanked her for trading them A.J. Brown last season were just begging for a mojito shower.

It’s just a little football problem, for Titans fans who want their team to play it well. Strunk just fired Mike Vrabel. That alone isn’t the issue. It’s the accumulation of decisions — massive decisions, some of them contradicting previous massive decisions in short order — that speak to an aimless approach to leading this franchise.

Some Titans fans will rejoice in the termination of Vrabel, and though I don’t agree with them or with the decision, I get why. No coach can or should avoid all blame when a team loses like this team has been losing.

Sunday’s 28-20 upset of the Jaguars left Vrabel’s sixth Titans team 6-11 and left him with 18 losses in his past 24 games. His Titans tenure ends up 56-48 overall, including 2-3 in the postseason. The offense has dried up, he’s made some poor staff hires, injury issues have been consistently excessive for three seasons, and he doesn’t get a complete pass on personnel gaffes of recent years. Also, he projects smartest-guy-in-the-room syndrome in public at times, and some people don’t like that.

But firing him means Strunk has now gone back on both sides of the powerful declaration of direction she made about her franchise in February 2022. She gave Vrabel and then-GM Jon Robinson extensions with what I’m told was top-shelf NFL money at the time. That’s no small thing for a small-market team owned by someone whose reported net worth ($1.6 billion) pales in comparison to the Teppers and Paul Allens and Rob Waltons of the world.

Less than two years later, they’re both out — with Robinson fired in the middle of last season, a ridiculous move on its own, a move that I believe helped a first-place team lose seven straight to end the season and miss the playoffs. A move that came two days after Eagles fans reveled, at Strunk’s expense, in the worst move of Robinson’s tenure.

I get that the extensions came after the Titans had just earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC in a 2021 season that also marked two straight AFC South titles and three straight playoff appearances under the GM/coach partnership formerly known as Vra-Rob. And that worse results preceded the firings.

But is that all Strunk is doing? Reacting to results? How much feel does she have for what her well-paid employees are doing? If the decision to give those extensions was rooted in a thorough understanding of her organization and the people leading it, then the decisions to sack those people don’t make much sense.

That’s especially true of the most recent one because at least in the case of firing Robinson, it could be sold as such: Vrabel had been doing his job better than Robinson had been doing his job, so Strunk chose to stick with Vrabel and give him more power (though that has never been clearly defined).

If moving on from Vrabel has been sparked by Vrabel frustration with the setup at hand — and there’s been tons of noise to that effect — I want to know about the communication from Strunk in creating it. Vrabel reportedly preferred Robinson’s No. 2, Ryan Cowden, who is now with the New York Giants and declined to comment. Strunk obviously doesn’t have to hire the GM her coach wants, but he should have had significant involvement with the hire of first-time GM Ran Carthon.

Monday was locker cleanout day for the Titans, and players were made available before the Vrabel news was available. No coincidence. All expressed support for him, rookie quarterback Will Levis saying: “I hope Vrabel stays. I know he wants to be here.”

“I’ve been with him my whole career,” said Harold Landry, a rookie in Vrabel’s debut season of 2018. “I feel like the time I’ve spent with him and this defensive staff, I feel I can kind of speak on them. With Vrabes, my entire career here, situationally I’ve been prepared as I could possibly be for every single game. If you just look at this past game, guys were playing hard for him. Guys want to win for him. Yeah, I really can’t imagine him not here.”

One endless day later, it was reality. Now this is all left to Carthon, who was hired last January after serving as San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel — No. 3 under GM John Lynch and Adam Peters. Carthon may end up being the best GM in the history of the NFL, but his first offseason was not the stuff of legends. The draft class will be all about the outcome for Levis, there were a few decent signings and the choice of Andre Dillard to play left tackle turned out as poorly as imaginable.

Carthon gets to hire the next coach, presumably, and have the same GM/coach situation with that coach that Robinson had with Vrabel. This comes after Strunk brought Carthon in and everyone in the building said the word “collaboration” a thousand times and no one would give a straight answer on who had final say. There’s another in the accumulation of poor Strunk decisions, the way that whole thing was sold.

Speaking of Strunk and selling things and indecision and poor leadership, let’s go back a few weeks to Nov. 23 and a story written by my colleague Dianna Russini. She addressed Vrabel’s status with the Titans sitting at 3-7, writing: “Based on multiple conversations with high-ranking Titans officials, the franchise strongly and collectively believes it has the right coach for long-term success.”

Let me decipher that for you a bit. The Titans actively wanted it out there that Vrabel was in no jeopardy. And when I say “the Titans,” and when Russini writes “high-ranking officials,” we aren’t talking about Bob the avocado guy.

Less than two months ago, Vrabel was safe and secure, to the point that the Titans as an entire organization, from the top, wanted to proclaim it. Three wins and four losses later, he’s out. No trade, just a termination. Tell me how that’s sound leadership. Tell me, barring some behind-the-scenes situation that has not yet seen the light of day, how that makes sense.

If this is about Vrabel being disillusioned with the way things have gone, well, the best type of leadership in that situation is to look within and ask why. Of course, Vrabel and the Titans did get thumped 26-3 at Houston on Dec. 31, helping the Texans go on to the AFC South title and the unofficial but clear claim as the team with the best future in this division. The Adams family, as anyone who knows the Adams family can tell you, does not take kindly to embarrassment in their hometown.

Just ask Bobby April, the Titans’ special teams coach in 2016, who was fired a day after a Texans punt return beat the Titans in Houston. Head coach Mike Mularkey, one of April’s best friends, officially fired him and answered for it at his news conference.

A little more than a year later, Strunk fired Mularkey, after he won the franchise’s first playoff game in 14 years — a few days after putting out a statement that he would be returning as coach.

Strunk has done good things since taking over as the controlling owner in 2015. She has given Titans ownership a personality, which it lacked for a few years after her father and the franchise founder, Bud Adams, passed away. She invested in improved team facilities.

She hired Robinson and Vrabel.

She’s been accessible to Titans fans at games and during preseason camp days, too, but she owes them more than that now. At least $1.26 billion in public money – an NFL record – is going to the new stadium the Titans are building in Nashville. The selfies are great and all, but those fans deserve to hear specifically from Strunk on her plan and why her recent ones have been scrapped so quickly.

The Titans released an extensive statement from her on the move, thanking Vrabel, talking about championship aspirations, all the stuff you’d expect. This was the most interesting line: “As the NFL continues to innovate and evolve, I believe the teams best positioned for sustained success will be those who empower an aligned and collaborative team across all football functions. Last year, we began a shift in our approach to football leadership and made several changes to our personnel to advance that plan. As I continued to assess the state of our team, I arrived at the conclusion that the team would also benefit from the fresh approach and perspective of a new coaching staff.”

I said it was interesting, not that it made sense. Maybe there’s a vision and this will work out for Strunk. But of the three primary players in this drama, Vrabel is the only one who has actually done anything great in the National Football League. He’ll be someone else’s now, for free.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:40

Elephanthead: Sep 11, 2008; Toilet Rascal

Wow, Nice work Titans you are now the Jags. Jags you are the Texans, Colts you are the Jags, Texans you are now the Manning Colts.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:44

solarjetman: Jan 27, 2001; Fun Shoe

Nothing like firing a guy and watching him rocket to the top of the list of candidates. The Texans are going to own that division for a decade.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:45

YOLOsubmarine: Oct 19, 2004; When asked which Pokemon he evolved into, Kamara pauses.

"Motherfucking, what's that big dragon shit? That orange motherfucker. Charizard."

Simplex posted:

Surely this guy who feuded with his GM at his last job won't demand significant roster control at his next job.

Maybe he feuded with that guy because he was a loving idiot who traded away the best WR in the league to draft a guy with asthma.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:45

Benne: Sep 2, 2011; STOP DOING HEROIN

I can't wait until the Pats go back to the 80s/early 90s when they were the biggest laughingstock in the league. They deserve nothing less.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:49

Bismack Billabongo: Oct 9, 2012; New Love Glow

I said this over in the AFCS thread but Russini has been a direct line to vrabel so take what she reports with that particular grain of salt. Not saying it isn�t true but it�s definitely going to be what one specific person wants out there.

Anyway this move is stupid but if it means bringing in an offensive minded coach I�m fine with it. The draft capital and available money for free agency are a big incentive and levis showed enough to be encouraging and to not require a qb move for next season. So I�m not gonna lose any sleep over it

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:49

Relentlessboredomm: Oct 15, 2006; It's Sic Semper Tyrannis. You said, "Ever faithful terrible lizard."

ok bucs please punt Bowles into the sun and if you must go defensive coach go get Vrabel

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:50

solarjetman: Jan 27, 2001; Fun Shoe

Meanwhile, the Broncos appear to be trusting the guy who made the worst QB trade in the history of the franchise, to pick the team's next quarterback.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:51

Simplex: Jun 29, 2003

YOLOsubmarine posted:

Maybe he feuded with that guy because he was a loving idiot who traded away the best WR in the league to draft a guy with asthma.

That's a different GM he feuded with!

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:53

MJeff: Jun 2, 2011; THE LIAR

That article seems to consider firing the GM overly reactionary to the Brown trade but uh. I dunno. Seems like a pretty appropriate reaction to that to me?

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:55

Relentlessboredomm: Oct 15, 2006; It's Sic Semper Tyrannis. You said, "Ever faithful terrible lizard."

solarjetman posted:

Meanwhile, the Broncos appear to be trusting the guy who made the worst QB trade in the history of the franchise, to pick the team's next quarterback.

pretty sure Payton's running everything now and Paton's just his patsy. altho yea, should probably still shoot Paton into the sun and get a less idiotic patsy

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:56

Benne: Sep 2, 2011; STOP DOING HEROIN

Bismack Billabongo posted:

I said this over in the AFCS thread but Russini has been a direct line to vrabel so take what she reports with that particular grain of salt. Not saying it isn�t true but it�s definitely going to be what one specific person wants out there.

Anyway this move is stupid but if it means bringing in an offensive minded coach I�m fine with it. The draft capital and available money for free agency are a big incentive and levis showed enough to be encouraging and to not require a qb move for next season. So I�m not gonna lose any sleep over it

Jettisoning a successful and well-respected coach to bring in an "offensive minded coach" (Which one? Is he good? Doesn't matter, get me offensive minds damnit!) is probably not the golden ticket you're hoping for.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:56

MJeff: Jun 2, 2011; THE LIAR

Yeah you might think you're getting McVay or McDaniel and end up with Getsy or Hackett instead.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:57

YOLOsubmarine: Oct 19, 2004; When asked which Pokemon he evolved into, Kamara pauses.

"Motherfucking, what's that big dragon shit? That orange motherfucker. Charizard."

Simplex posted:

That's a different GM he feuded with!

Yeah and a new GM coming in and wanting to get �his guy� in the coaches seat isn�t uncommon at all, whether it makes any sense or not.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:57

Benne: Sep 2, 2011; STOP DOING HEROIN

A bunch of teams are going to chase The Next Mike McDaniel and end up with The Next Arthur Smith instead

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:57

Bismack Billabongo: Oct 9, 2012; New Love Glow

I mean I said it�s a stupid move lol. No sense in being a doom and gloom �I hate my team� guy about it. If it means no more caveman ground and pound ball that will be nice

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:58

Incitatus: Dec 16, 2005; The Meat Man was out of wings, Mr. William Ash More!

i would become a HC/GM and openly feud with myself in the media.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:59

solarjetman: Jan 27, 2001; Fun Shoe

Relentlessboredomm posted:

pretty sure Payton's running everything now and Paton's just his patsy. altho yea, should probably still shoot Paton into the sun and get a less idiotic patsy

It's still unknown whether Paton, Payton or Penner was the one who threatened to bench Russ midseason. So who knows who is doing what. Not great!

# ? Jan 9, 2024 19:59

Probably Magic: Oct 9, 2012; Looking cute, feeling cute.

kalensc posted:

Oh, I forgot that the Titans had confirmed Mularkey would be back after his playoff win, only to about-face a few days later. There's chatter that Adams Strunk is rather aimless, initially indicating confidence in going one way before changing plans without an obvious impetus.

https://theathletic.com/5186917/2024/01/09/mike-vrabel-fired-titans/

Article lost me hard when it criticized the Robinson firing as nonsensical. Yeah, it's weird how getting dominated by AJ Brown in a game after trading him will make you question a GM's ability! I don't think Adams Strunk has been the most stable owner, but losing confidence in Robinson is not the most absurd choice in the world.

If these leaks are anything to go by, I'm wondering if Bill not being totally ready to "part ways" with New England is just throwing a wrench in everyone's plans, which is what the "doing a trade would take too long" means, because by the time Bill makes a decision one way or another, the coaching roulette is exhausted and you're hosed (and the Titans probably don't get Belichick in the meantime). So better off jumping in, especially if someone has your interest, and whatever goodwill is there isn't because Vrebel clearly wanted to move on, preferably to New England. It's... not aimless, but it is a maelstrom of circumstances that could potentially gently caress the Titans, but I'd like to think if there's this much urgency to get in on the coaching search that there's already a coaching target. I'm going to reserve judgement until I see who the Titans hire. I don't think this is the end of the world, but it could be. Too soon to tell.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 20:00

Simplex: Jun 29, 2003

Benne posted:

A bunch of teams are going to chase The Next Mike McDaniel and end up with The Next Arthur Smith instead

I can't believe you missed the easy teams want to hire McDaniel, end up hiring McDaniels joke.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 20:01

wandler20: Nov 13, 2002; How many Championships?

Relentlessboredomm posted:

ok bucs please punt Bowles into the sun and if you must go defensive coach go get Vrabel

But we keep our handsome OC.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 20:01

pasaluki: Feb 27, 2008; THIS WHAGON HAS NO BREAKS! I HAVE THE HEART OF THE BUUFALO the strength OF THE MOUNTAIN, THE FURY OF THE THUNDER AND MY WILL IS UNBREAKABLE! I will not surrender to KNOW ONE

Antonio Pierce deserves a shot but Maxx Crosby smoking cigars with Vrabel in Vegasl would be quite the sight. Honestly he's an upgrade for alot of teams

# ? Jan 9, 2024 20:02

sharknado slashfic: Jun 24, 2011

Incitatus posted:

i would become a HC/GM and openly feud with myself in the media.

Bill having a meeting with Kraft and blaming the GM for everything

# ? Jan 9, 2024 20:04

Bismack Billabongo: Oct 9, 2012; New Love Glow

Probably Magic posted:

Article lost me hard when it criticized the Robinson firing as nonsensical. Yeah, it's weird how getting dominated by AJ Brown in a game after trading him will make you question a GM's ability! I don't think Adams Strunk has been the most stable owner, but losing confidence in Robinson is not the most absurd choice in the world.

If these leaks are anything to go by, I'm wondering if Bill not being totally ready to "part ways" with New England is just throwing a wrench in everyone's plans, which is what the "doing a trade would take too long" means, because by the time Bill makes a decision one way or another, the coaching roulette is exhausted and you're hosed (and the Titans probably don't get Belichick in the meantime). So better off jumping in, especially if someone has your interest, and whatever goodwill is there isn't because Vrebel clearly wanted to move on, preferably to New England. It's... not aimless, but it is a maelstrom of circumstances that could potentially gently caress the Titans, but I'd like to think if there's this much urgency to get in on the coaching search that there's already a coaching target. I'm going to reserve judgement until I see who the Titans hire. I don't think this is the end of the world, but it could be. Too soon to tell.

Yeah, nothing against rexrode generally but how anybody could defend Jon Robinson after seeing the state of this team last season and this season is beyond me.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 20:05

syzpid: Aug 9, 2014

Was Strunk the same owner of the Titans that talked with Josh McDaniels, while Mike Murlakey was still under contract and Murlakey had won a playoff game? Then had to fire Murlakey when it leaked she talked to McDaniels? Or am I thinking of someone else?

# ? Jan 9, 2024 20:06

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 23, 2024 17:51

Probably Magic: Oct 9, 2012; Looking cute, feeling cute.

Bismack Billabongo posted:

Yeah, nothing against rexrode generally but how anybody could defend Jon Robinson after seeing the state of this team last season and this season is beyond me.

I even wrote a post-mortem on Twitter talking about how a lot of teams could probably do worse than having Jon Robinson as their GM, but yeah, You gently caress Around And Trade Half Your Team's Offensive Identity Away, You Find Out.

# ? Jan 9, 2024 20:06

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Football Funhouse > 2023 NFL Coaching Carousel: The Night of Short Drives

«‹›224 »