Photo By: Greg Arias/AllTitans
Titans, Vrabel Expects Total Team Improvement In 2023
NASHVILLE - It wasn't a surprise or anything unexpected when Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he expected total team improvement following Tuesday's organized team activities.
After all, that's the goal of every coach and team each season, to be better than the previous season. However, for the first time in his head coaching career, Vrabel's team is coming off a losing record, and the phrase total team improvement has taken on a deeper meaning this time around.
Over his first two seasons in 2018, and 2019, Vrabel's team amassed matching 9-7 campaigns in his first two seasons at the helm, then improved over the next two seasons as his squads finished with back-to-back 10-win seasons, securing an 11-5 mark in 2020, and a 12-5 record in 2021.
The oddsmakers aren't high on the Titans this year. The gambling website Fanduel updated its odds after the draft, and the Titans have the 28th-longest odds — out of 32 NFL teams — to win the Super Bowl at 75-to-1. Tampa Bay has the same odds, and only three teams — Indianapolis (85-to-1), Houston (110-to-1) and Arizona (180-to-1) are bigger longshots.
They are 55-to-1 longshots just to win the AFC and 5.5-to-1 to win the AFC South, with Jacksonville the favorite. The Colts are Texans are behind, and everyone thinks this division, as a whole, is the worst in football.
Following Tuesday's practice session, Vrabel was asked about if there was one thing he hoped to see improve for his offense this season considering the change at offensive coordinator and amongst personnel, Vrabel went beyond the offense.
"No, I think we're trying to get better at everything we do. We're trying to get better in the way we run the football, in the way we protect, the way we throw, and efficiency," said Vrabel. "You know that's what you do every year."
"The defense will have to get better too, and the way we do things on special teams," continued Vrabel. "That's always just part of it, and this is the next step here going down on OTAs."
As for how they've gone about making the improvements, Vrabel shared this.
"You look at the offseason schedule and phase one and conditioning, and you try to work, you try to lift, you try to install all the stuff that you want to start doing. Phase two allows you to start working on some of those techniques we're using," said Vrabel. "And then the OTA, the practice part allows you to try to go out there and use it to some degree against teammates, and how we practice."
"Certainly, there's an emphasis on throwing the ball and protecting against live bodies," continued Vrabel. "So I think they were more urgent today. I'm glad you guys weren't here yesterday, but I thought there was a sense of urgency to get in and out of the huddle and communicate, to get lined up, so I think from that standpoint, it was pretty functional."
On Wednesday, Vrabel and his squad will practice once more this week in the third of ten OTAs practice sessions. This one is closed to the media.
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