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.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans were highly motivated, focused and looked determined to not only spoil the Jaguars playoff bid, but get right on offense and send Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill off to free agency with excellent last games in front of the home crowd.

The Titans once again played the bully. It was a long time coming but they finally found an identity they have been searching for the past two seasons. 

The Titans leaned heavy on their best players on offense. Henry, short passes to DeAndre Hopkins from veteran Tannehill, quick screen games to Tyjae Spears and Chig Okonkwo -- utilizing their most explosive offensive threats and keeping the Jaguars’ defense off-balance with a combination of runs, quick passes and allowing the beleaguered Titans’ offensive line to have success without long developing pass plays and protections.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Are the Titans working on a trade of Mike Vrabel right now?

We don’t know.

We don’t know a lot of things, which we have to accept and which could change in moments.

But a deal for a coach isn’t a sprint, and if that’s what is happening it’s likely to take at least a bit of time. I wouldn't dismiss the idea he still could stay, either.

In the history of the Titans in Nashville, the coach has always spoken to the press on clean-out day. But on Monday, when a huge share of the roster talked to the media while cleaning out lockers and saying goodbye, Vrabel did not talk. The current play is that he will talk later this week.

Another notable piece of information that could be an indicator about him: