Mike Vrabel on handing over head coaching duties to Terrell Williams for Titans' preseason opener: "This is something I wanted to do"
Training camp is often the time when NFL clubs experiment with several aspects of their in-game operations in order to prepare for the gauntlet and grind of a 17-game regular season.
Earlier this week, the Tennessee Titans took this forward-thinking approach to the next level when head coach Mike Vrabel announced he was handing over the head coaching duties for his team’s preseason opener at Chicago to assistant head coach/defensive line coach Terrell “Big T” Williams.
For the record, Vrabel, who is entering his sixth season as Tennessee’s head coach, is fine.
Titans preseason: Mike Vrabel on Terrell Williams taking over head coaching duties
He will be on the sideline for the Titans game today at Soldier Field at 1 pm local time for kickoff ready to assist Williams if he needs any help.
“I think it’ll be a great opportunity (for Williams), well deserved,” Vrabel said. “This is something I wanted to do.”
By elevating Williams, Vrabel is sending a very clear message that in his locker room, talented employees can grow, learn and thrive.
Williams echoed those thoughts. He told Sportskeeda:
"I think Mike Vrabel deserves a lot of credit, not just for doing this for me, but I think around the league, hopefully more coaches will give assistant coaches opportunities to do this."
Other head coaches around the league should not only take notice of Vrabel’s bold move but emulate it.
Allowing Williams the chance to act as head coach is an excellent move by Vrabel that gives the long-time assistant coach exposure and could help in potential future head coaching interviews that come Williams’ way in the future.
He certainly has his eyes on the big job in the future.
"Absolutely. I mean, if I didn't, then when he asked me to do this, I would have said heck no. So, I'd love to be a head coach," Williams said.
"I've been in this league a while, I've been coaching football for a while, and you have some head coaches that are play callers. But I believe that just because you're a play caller doesn't mean that you can run a football team. There's so much more to getting these guys to play."
For years, NFL owners have been roundly criticized for their hiring practices as it relates to Black coaches. They’ve repeatedly told everyone that they are committed to a fair and inclusive hiring process when it comes to NFL head coaches, but the results tell an altogether different story.
This is the fifth consecutive year the NFL will begin a regular season with only three head coaches who identify as Black.
In a league that has had an average of seven head coaching changes per year since 2000, any claim of a level playing field should be viewed with more than a fair degree of scrutiny.
Vrabel, a former linebacker who played 14 NFL seasons and is a three-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the New England Patriots, made the announcement on Monday that Williams – beginning on Friday – will handle all head-coaching duties for Saturday’s game.
That means all communication with the staff, players, officials and media, as well as in-game decisions regarding playing time and strategy, will be made by Williams, 49, who has never been a head coach at any level, but, has been a valuable assistant for 26 years both in the collegiate ranks and the NFL.
Vrabel said he had been thinking about making this move all summer before walking into new general manager Ran Carthon’s office about a month ago to discuss what he planned to do.
“He’s got tons of respect for T, which is why he made him the assistant head coach,” Carthon said. “It’s something he preaches; he says, 'I put it on the coaches to develop these players, so it’s on me to help develop these coaches.'"
This is what intentionality looks like. This is what leadership looks like. And finally, this is what advocacy looks like.
Kudos to Vrabel and to the entire Tennessee Titans organization for not asking permission but for doing the right thing when so many of their contemporaries are content with maintaining the status quo.