Here's What Mike Vrabel Said After Titans' Loss to Saints
NEW ORLEANS, La. — Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel met with the media on Sunday after the Titans lost 16-15 to the New Orleans Saints. Here's the full transcript of his interview.
QUESTION: Comments on the loss, and what the Titans have to do better.
MIKE VRABEL: In all three phases. Figure out what it is that allows our players to play decisive, especially in an environment like this. Ryan (Tannehill) will be better. We will coach better. We will get open quicker and we will block a little longer than we did today going forward because that's what we have to do.
Q: You had that flea-flicker set up perfectly and it looked like it could have been a touchdown. How big of a momentum swing is that when that doesn't hit?
VRABEL: We hit some plays and we don't hit some plays and we didn't hit it. You know, our job as a team, as a coaching staff, as players is to go make a play and get back to center. Positive play, negative play so those things don't add up. I don't know if that was a momentum switch but certainly a play we have to hit and would have liked to hit.
Q: Do you feel like the officials blowing the fumble recovery dead was a bit of a momentum changer, was it not?
Vrabel: Um, I mean, whatever it is. You are going to let it play out. Next week it's going to be a fumble and then the next week it's going to be an incomplete pass and then the next week it will be a fumble. So if you are asking me if we should let replay sort it out, I would tell you that we should let replay sort it out. You can go back and show your team a lot of things that we covered that came up today. We plan on covering it all. We are proud of the way that Kevin (Byard) didn't flinch and went and got the ball. It just didn't go our way. Once it goes to replay, you need clear and obvious evidence that it wasn't a pass.
Q: What constitutes a throw, in your estimation if the quarterback is pushing the ball with his hand?
Vrabel: I can sit here and debate it. What needs to happen is that we all understand that the call on the field is critical. After that, you need clear and obvious evidence. There was a good play there by the defense. We just didn't get there quick enough.
Q: Kristian (Fulton) was hurt earlier. Why the decision to put him back in?
Vrabel: Because he and the trainers said he could go back in. We have 48 guys on game day. Two of them are quarterbacks, three of them are specialists so when professional athletes tell you they can go back in, whether it's Jeff (Simmons) or Kristian, they get checked out and if they can come back and play, we put them back in.
Q: With Derrick (Henry) in the second half, was there any particular reason why you guys got away from him running the ball so much?
Vrabel: We tried to run a few and weren't overly successful. Got into some longer yardage situations. Had some called that gave us a look that we needed to check out of. Derrick (Henry) is going to help us and we have to keep finding ways to keep running the football. Be a little better when we throw it and find a way to get him screened today like we did.
Q: How much do you attribute the timing, some of the plays you weren't able to make in the passing game being a first game out maybe not being in a rhythm yet?
Vrabel: You can find a million excuses. And all excuses are going to do is make you feel better today. What we need to do is have accountability and discipline as we move forward. Make today hard but hopefully tomorrow a little easier and the stretch as we move forward.
Q: You brought up needing the whole blocks held a little bit longer in the future. How to you evaluate the line from the eye test.
Vrabel: The same way that I evaluate every position. We didn't coach better than the Saints. We didn't play better in the critical situations. Every position group, every player is going to have some good plays and some bad plays and you gotta eliminate the ones that are going to get us beat.
Q: What was the mistake on the punt block?
Vrabel: He just missed the block. He missed the guy going up and under. Gotta stay inside out.
Q: Tyjae Spears played a big role for you today. What do you like about him best?
Vrabel: I love who he is as a person. I love his attitude. I love the fact that he has given himself to this team. I love seeing him every day. I knew he was talented. He will help us win.
Q: For a long time you guys have made your mark in the red zone. What happened today?
Vrabel: We just didn't get into the drives. Once we hit in the red zone, kind of slowing out there, kind of out on high red and we never really got punctured inside the 10 (yard line) where we could feel good about scoring touchdowns.
Related Titans-Saints stories
- GAME STORY: The Tennessee Titans were inside the red zone several times on Sunday, but never scored a touchdown and wound up losing 16-15 to the New Orleans Saints, wasting several opportunities to steal a victory in Week 1. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: Here are the best pictures from Sunday's game between the Titans and Saints. It's a great gallery of 21 photos from Caesers Superdome. CLICK HERE
- DRIVE CHART: The Tennessee Titans opened their 2023 regular season against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and this is what happened on every offensive drive. CLICK HERE
- WATCH HOOKER CAUSE FUMBLE: The Tennessee Titans started the season off with a bang when Amani Hooker ripped the ball away from New Orleans Saints returner Rashid Shaheed on the opening kickoff of the game. CLICK HERE
- WATCH ARDEN KEY'S SACK: Edge rusher Arden Key had a big day for the Titans defense. Here's the highlight as has registered his first sack as a Titan. CLICK HERE
