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- Mar 19, 2019
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Mike Vrabel played for Bill Belichick and played with Tom Brady, so he learned how to be evasive with his answers.
The Titans coach, though, deserves coach of the week consideration for using the clock rules in his team’s favor. Whether he admits it or not — and he won’t — that’s exactly what happened.
It’s also not the first time he’s done it.
The Texans led 30-29 on Sunday and had gained 9 yards to the Tennessee 25 with the clock running down to three minutes. Vrabel sent defensive back Josh Kalu onto the field as the 12th man.
It’s obvious Jonathan Joseph looked over to the sideline, knowing the Titans had an extra player, and Vrabel appeared to say something and make a motion to Joseph like, “It’s OK.” Officials threw the flag, giving the Texans a first down, but it stopped the clock until the next snap, and barring a defensive penalty, assured the Texans could get only one more first down.
It saved 40 seconds, which the Titans needed.
Titans fan Mike Herndon of Broadway Sports was the first to point out Vrabel’s chicanery on Twitter, and he’s right, it did give the Titans the “best chance to win a football game.”
Vrabel, though, admitted nothing Monday.
“We have to do a better job with penalties,” Vrabel said, via Terry McCormick of titaninsider.com. “We had seven of them, I think. That’s uncharacteristic. We had a few on offense. We have to be better in all areas. I think penalties are one thing that we focus on, communicating and trying to give ourselves the best chance to win a football game.”
The Titans got the ball back with 1:50 left, trailing by seven points, and sent the game to overtime with a touchdown with four seconds remaining. So they needed every last second saved.
Vrabel has used the rule to his advantage previously, in a 2018 game against the Jets. In a similar situation, trailing 22-19 with the clock ticking toward three minutes, the Titans took a too many men on the field penalty to stop the clock on second-and-two. The Titans won on a touchdown with 36 seconds left.
That explains why he was coy a second time Monday when asked about the penalty: Vrabel does not want the rule changed.
“On the second-and-1, just trying to make a stop there and I substituted in an extra DB, but we ultimately have got to do a better job on first down in four-minute defense and not give up 9 yards on first down,” Vrabel said.
Vrabel, of course, intentionally committed offensive penalties two times last year to allow the clock to run. It led to an offseason rules change.
He seems to be playing chess when others are playing checkers.