Sportsnaut
Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots are preparing to travel to Tennessee to take on the Titans in NFL Week 7. This date was already interesting considering it’s Vrabel’s return to the city he spent six years in, but it got even more interesting when the Titans fired Vrabel’s replacement, Brian Callahan, earlier this week.
It wasn’t a surprise to see Callahan get fired- after all, the coach compiled a 4-19 record over his first 23 games with the team, and the Titans have barely looked competitive in recent weeks. However, the timing is interesting, as many expected Callahan to be fired AFTER Vrabel’s return.
Speaking with Nashville media ahead of the Week 7 game, Vrabel commented on Callahan’s firing.
“I interviewed Brian or had conversations with him a while ago,” Vrabel said, according to Paul Kuharsky. “When he got the job, I texted him and congratulated him. And when I heard of the news (this week), I texted him and told him I apologize. And then I, you know, this is the side of the business that nobody really likes. And that was my conversation with him…
“I try to reach out to guys. I try, you know, I mean, there’s only 32 head coaches in this league and 16 of them are happy every week, and 16 of them aren’t very happy, so that’s kind of how it goes.”
It was classy of Vrabel to reach out to the coach who replaced him. As Vrabel mentioned, there are only 32 head coaches in the league at a given time, so there tends to be a tight bond between the men.
With Callahan no longer in charge, the Titans are turning to Mike McCoy. McCoy was on staff as a senior offensive assistant before being named the interim coach. McCoy does have head coaching experience, however, leading the Chargers from 2013-16.
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