Yep – I realize it’s Wednesday and we’re already on to the Baltimore Ravens. But, give me a break – my day job responsibilities backed up on me and I’m just now getting this piece wrapped up. I couldn’t move on until my opinion on how well Mike Vrabel out-coached Bill Belichick was archived on this institution of scholarly journalism.
But, boy – did he ever out-coach the legend….a guy some (myself included) consider to be the best of all time….or what? It felt like, at every turn, the Tennessee Titans were ready for this game.
That’s because coach Mike Vrabel had his dudes prepared, and he and his staff were the architects of a game plan that would win. It was simple: get a lead and close it out with Derrick Henry. They weren’t afraid of the Pats offense at all. Sure, they caught a couple of breaks – that deep bomb being called back due to penalty, Julian Edelman dropping that pass – but by and large, the Titans defense was able to stifle the Pats at the line of scrimmage.
The Pats knew the Titans would have two guys on Edelman, so they used that to their advantage early on, using Edelman as a veritable decoy to draw players in one direction only to strike in another direction. I was nervous that this would allow James White to get going, but that offense was never able to get any momentum going because no one would step up and make the play. The Titans flat out out-manned the Pats offense. Rashaan Evans played the game of his life.
On offense, the Titans didn’t have to use anyone other than Henry because that vaunted Pats defense couldn’t stop him. Ryan Tannehill made a couple of critical throws when he had to, but the Titans stellar group of wideouts weren’t called upon. They did an excellent job of finding mismatches when they needed to – Arthur Smith calling the play to Anthony Firkser when he saw Brooks on him that converted a third down, getting Henry on the edge against corners who didn’t want to tackle him, etc.
They were smart enough to allow Brett Kern, the best punter in football, to wedge the dagger in the Patriots’ collective heart. And, of course, there was Mike Vrabel giving Belichick a taste of his own medicine, burning 1:46 off the clock taking delay of game and false start penalties in punt formation. *chef’s kiss*
It was a clear indicator of preparedness and execution. I dare say it was a very Patriot-esque win.
So, what’s it mean? A couple of big takeaways from me…one short-term and one long-term.
Immediately, it means the Titans beat the Pats in a way that didn’t really give anything about their offense away. They just lined up, pounded the ball, and made New England pay when they were in a vulnerable position. Titans receivers registered just two catches against the Pats. The Ravens will learn absolutely nothing new about the Titans passing game when they turn on the Patriots tape. Whether that factored into the minds of the Titans coaching staff when they were game-planning is uncertain. But, at the very least, it was a happy little coincidence.
Long term, this is a nice example of Vrabel’s vision of ‘whatever it takes’ that we all criticized when he first came to Nashville. The identity of the team would be whatever it needed to be to win….that whole mantra. Sounded a whole hell of a lot like a team that didn’t have an identity. Now, light bulbs are going off.
This is a team that scored over 30 points per game with Tannehill at the helm. Yet, they went into Foxborough, ran the ball, and played defense because that’s what they knew would win the game for them. That’s what ‘whatever it takes’ means, folks, and it’s proof that that mindset can work. Vrabel did a tremendous job of coaching that single game based on what the Pats were giving him. He wasn’t beholden to the idea that “we have to run the ball because we’re the Titans and that’s what we do” or anything like that.
That’s encouraging. Mike Vrabel is getting a ton of credit for perhaps ending one of the greatest sports dynasties of all time, as he should. But, let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is just his second season as a head coach. This is the type of win that signifies a lot of promise for this franchise, regardless of what happens in Baltimore.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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