Vrabel Stands By Late-Game Decisions
NASHVILLE – Think Mike Vrabel is kicking himself over the decision to settle for a game-winning 47-yard yard field goal attempt Sunday?
Think again.
Monday, the Tennessee Titans coach expressed complete confidence in his team’s approach and execution after the New York Giants took a one-point lead with 1:09 to play in Sunday’s season-opener. The offense drove 36 yards to the New York 27 in five plays before Ryan Tannehill took a knee (and gave up two yards) in order to place the ball on the right hashmark and then spiked the ball to stop the clock with four seconds remaining.
The whole thing was for naught, though, when kicker Randy Bullock missed to the left, and the Titans came up short 21-20.
“I've said that at the 25-yard line … we're going to kick the field goal,” Vrabel said. “Now we were at the 26 or 27.
“I'm not disappointed in how that situation happened. I'm disappointed that a guy that we have a lot of confidence in, missed. (Bullock) is disappointed, but he's made a lot of big kicks for us.”
Bullock made three game-winning kicks in 2021, his first season with Tennessee. The first came in his Titans’ debut, a 36-yarder in Week 2 at Seattle. He added another in overtime at Indianapolis in Week 8 and was good from 44 yards with four seconds to play against San Francisco. That was almost as many as he had in his first eight NFL seasons combined (four).
However, New York teams seem to bring out the worst in him in those moments. He missed a 49-yard try at the end of overtime in Week 3 that would have given the Titans a tie on the road against the Jets. That one also missed to the left.
Against the Giants, the ball was on the right hashmark because that is exactly where Bullock wanted it.
“I didn't start (the ball) far enough right,” Bullock said Sunday. “There's a little right to left [wind] when I got through it. Hit it hard, and it just kind of moved on me.”
There is a sense that Vrabel passed on an opportunity to gain ground and enhance Bullock’s chances for success.
The Titans got to the 27-yard-line via a 21-yard reception by Kyle Philips, who ran out of bounds at stopped the clock at the end of the play. Vrabel called his final timeout anyway rather than hold on to it, run another play or two and use it then, if necessary.
At that point, he believed the angle was more important than the distance.
“That was me just being very clear on where we wanted the football,” Vrabel said. “Was it the left hash? Was it the right hash? This is a game-winner. We want to make sure that we are on the same page. That was my decision.
“… Randy wanted it on the right hash, so we put it on the right hash, got lined up, calmly clocked the ball and then unfortunately missed the kick.”
Plus, Bullock had made two other field goals earlier in the game, including one from 46 yards. So, confidence was high.
“Yeah, I felt great about going into it,” he said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go through. But I've had a really strong offseason, training camp, preseason, everything. This one kick isn’t going to define me.
“… I think everybody is saying, ‘You've made a lot of kicks here and you'll continue to.’ I feel the same way.”
And with time to reflect, Vrabel feels no differently about what led to that final attempt then he did when it happened.
