NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Vrabel is typically very level at his press sessions. You can read his mood pretty quickly. He’ll occasionally get exasperated.
But the consistency he seeks from his team and has rarely gotten this year is a press-conference guarantee.
Tuesday, however, he had a moment.
Mike Vrabel: not huge on the whole “losing” thing pic.twitter.com/3cJtsLlaoP
— Easton Freeze (@eastonfreeze) January 2, 2024
The season’s been a disaster, the major problems unfixable without an infusion of new talent that won’t come until free agency and the draft.
Still, he will try to get his team ready for its finale Sunday at Nissan Stadium looking for a first win in the AFC South and a result that can keep the Jaguars from winning the division.
"It sucks to lose,” Vrabel said. He turned to another question but returned to the previous one about why it was important to win, and asked if there was more to it. Then he continued before he got a reply, his voice raised.
“It fucking sucks. Losing is awful. That’s why I want to win. Because you don’t sleep. You want to win for the players that bust their tail. That’s it. It’s not about, ‘Hey, we’ll go into the offseason with a good note.’ Nobody knows what you did on Jan. 7 or (Jan.) 8 or (Jan.) 6 in April when you come back. But you want to see just it all come together and just put four quarters together.”
A section of the fan base has wanted such a fiery answer from Vrabel and responded that way: “Finally.”
But that’s incredibly simplistic.
To think a guy with Vrabel’s winning pedigree as a player and who started his coaching career with a 48-27 record before things went south midway through 2022 isn’t upset over losing just because he doesn’t raise his voice or throw a tantrum is silly.
You’re caught up in optics and you want him to be an actor rather than being authentic. Why presume his public and private personas are one and the same? I think it’s pretty safe to assume he’s had some heated moments behind the scenes.
Did you prefer Jon Robinson’s mustering up a good cry at the combine six weeks after the Titans' 2020 divisional round disaster at Nissan Stadium against the Bengals?
I also think Vrabel had to come to terms with some things as the season unfolded.
Financially limited and without a fourth-round pick they couldn’t come close to solving all their problems.
They gambled and lost big on Andre Dillard. And when his options are left tackle dwindled with another mediocre one in Nicholas Petit-Frere available for only three games because of an idiotic gambling suspension and a shoulder injury, when Vrabel wants to move away from Dillard he’s going to a not-ready rookie in Jaelyn Duncan. When he wants to move away from Duncan he’s left with Dillard.
He knows that’s brutal.
Time and time again people have complained to me about Vrabel’s sideline demeanor and expressions.
And I am certain that if he did more jumping around and was more animated many of the same people would say, “Doesn’t he realize how bad his team is, he needs to settle down.” Also, it's not like he's stoic down there.
The most important thing is that he’s engaged and on top of things, not his outward expression.
If he’s looked exasperated, well his team’s given him plenty to be exasperated about.
Why you’d have an issue with authentic confuses me.
I wish he’d say more at the press conferences, and on the days it's clear he doesn’t want to be there, I’m chief among the suffering.
But that he raised his voice to say losing fucking sucks didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know about him, and it shouldn’t have done so for you either.
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