NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gauging the loud segment of public reaction, coaching fortunes were moving like Wall Street tickers over Super Wild Card Weekend.

The Texans' offense was fantastic, so Bobby Slowik’s candidacy shot up in the public eye. And Houston took apart Cleveland, which Twitter said could explain why there hasn’t been so much as a mention of Jim Schwartz.

Dallas’ defense failed on a large scale in a loss to the Packers, bruising Dan Quinn’s chances

The Lions' rise continued, and so did Ben Johnson’s ascent but Miami’s offense sputtered again and Frank Smith’s name didn’t gain any traction.

Single games shouldn’t sway teams conducting interviews. It's much more about large bodies of work, but even unit production isn't a must-have when it comes to identifying a new coach.

BY MIKE HERNDON, columnist

The Titans coaching search continues this week as they have reportedly requested 10 candidates so far and have already completed virtual interviews with four of those 10. Here is that list:

🚩Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan (virtual interview completed)
🚩Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka (virtual interview completed)
🚩Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce (virtual interview completed)
🚩Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald (virtual interview completed)
🚩Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (virtual interview scheduled for Wednesday)
🚩Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown (virtual interview scheduled for Thursday)
🚩Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
🚩Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
🚩Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik
🚩Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson

I would expect that the Titans will complete their initial round of interviews from this group and then will narrow in on a few to bring back in person for a second interview. It would be surprising if they moved quickly with a hire in the coming days based on how wide of a net they have cast to this point and some of the big fish that are still lingering on the market. The Titans aren’t in on Jim Harbaugh or Bill Belichick themselves, but it does feel to me like those big names may need to come off the board before some of these other pieces fall into place.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Greetings. Hope you're doing OK in the snow and staying warm. I am due for a nap. 

I thought a mailbag would be a good way to check in on multiple things at once.

So let's dive right into an an early-week edition.

Do you get the sense that if a HC candidate is not all in on Levis that it’s a showstopper? Would they be open to hearing a plan that includes drafting another QB early?

— The General (@mac9nj) January 16, 2024

It’s a little tricky. Amy Adams Strunk said in her statement that the Titans have already added “a promising young quarterback.” Ran Carthon said at his press conference that, “We're not going to make our whole search about Will Levis.

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

And just like that, the Mike Vrabel era in Tennessee is over. It was impossible to imagine this day just 14 months ago as Vrabel had his team sitting at 7-3, winners of 31 of their last 44 regular season contests, poised to win the AFC South for the third straight season.

Losing 18 of 24 can change hearts and minds quickly in the NFL. There is no doubt that Vrabel bears some responsibility for this losing stretch. Some of his staff decisions were uninspiring and he was probably guilty of crossing the line from loyal and patient to flat-out stubborn at times. His teams consistently were overly reliant on winning games in one specific way.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – What’s the fate of Mike Vrabel’s coaching staff?

Ran Carthon said he won’t stand in the way of an opportunity for any of them in the coming weeks if they have a job opportunity they want to accept before the Titans’ new coach is in place.

But once that guy is hired, Carthon intends to present whoever remains to him and allow him to interview who he’d like.

Amy Adams Strunk doesn’t seem wild about who Vrabel leaves behind. Each assistant has one year remaining on his contract.

She said in her statement, "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.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans have a clear vision for the future.

They just can't share it.

Ran Carthon twisted himself up on the most fundamental, basic, predictable question during a 30-minute-plus press conference Tuesday afternoon after Amy Adams Strunk fired Mike Vrabel early in the day.

How hard is it to at least use a boilerplate placeholder like, I don't know, "Win a Super Bowl?"

Instead, an anxious audience of fans who seem to have turned to be in favor of retaining Vrabel are left with no vision or direction for the GM who also declined to talk about the qualities the team seeks in Vrabel's replacement. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Mike Vrabel can be too much of an alpha, and being so can come across poorly when you're guiding a losing team.

He had a hand in the Titans' roster, but it was Jon Robinson, fired in early Dec. of 2022, who dug the team's big hole. It takes a good while to come out so much early-round failure and to get level with the cap.

Now he's a victim of wavering ownership that extended him in Feb. 2022 and backed him over Robinson just 13 months ago.

Vrabel deserved a chance to continue to work back from the roster issues. Maybe he didn't even want that.

He will get another job quickly.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Vrabel is out as coach of the Titans after six seasons.

The weak-rostered Titans were 6-18 in their last 24 games and missed the playoffs the last two seasons.

That's the top reason the team will look for a fresh perspective.

Vrabel finishes his Titans tenure with a 54-48 record with three playoff appearances in six seasons. 

Trade possibilities were explored but determined not to be feasible. The timetable and the team's feeling that Vrabel would be willing to participate in a trade were factors. 

Teams cannot talk in person to NFL candidates until after the divisional round of the playoffs which finishes Jan., 21 and have to meet with two external minority candidates to comply with the Rooney Rule.

Now the Titans can start Zoom meetings with some in-house candidates immediately.

Last week, amid rumors of his discontent with things he was asked if he wanted to stay.