Titans HC Mike Vrabel blasts NFL's officiating department, tells them to spend time training referees
Mike Vrabel is apparently dissatisfied with the way officials have called games during the 2022 NFL season. The Tennessee Titans head coach let the league's front office and officiating department know about it after a Week 5 slate of games that featured several questionable calls.
Following each week of every NFL season, the league sends out an email to all 32 head coaches and general managers. The emails address certain officiating calls that happened during the most recent slate of NFL games. The message is reportedly highly detailed and includes videos of various calls and situations from the week. In particular, calls that may need additional explanation as to why they were enforced during the specific game they occurred in.
This email is not necessarily meant to be responded to, but is rather used in an informative manner. However, Mike Vrabel took the opportunity to express his opinion on the state of officiating in the NFL. Not only did he respond to the front office, but reportedly hit "reply all" for his response, making sure all of the head coaches and general managers got the message.
Here's what Mike Vrabel had to say in his email:
"I appreciate the time and energy that goes into these videos, but I suggest we devote every minute of our officiating departments' time ensuring our officiating crews are as well trained in the clarifications we worked to create in the off season and that each crew is as consistent as possible. Thank you."
Titans’ HC Mike Vrabel’s email blast last week called for consistent NFL officiating:
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It's been reported that it's believed that Vrabel intentionally sent the email to everyone in an effort to garner support. The implication is that he would like to see some changes to the way the referees officiate games. Apparently many of them agree with his stance, but most have kept their opinions to themselves. Perhaps Vrabel's call to action will change that moving forward.
Why was Mike Vrabel upset with the NFL referees following Week 5?
There were two specific calls during Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season that reportedly sparked Mike Vrabel to speak out. Both flags were for roughing the passer calls in two separate games. The flags could have had a major impact on the outcome of both games.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett were the two players penalized. The flags were highly controversial and seemed harsh. Both appeared to be clean tackles on quarterbacks and neither player was fined for their hit, but each receivied a flag.
The inconsistencies in what plays receive penalties seem to be what Vrabel is most frustrated with. There are plenty of examples of much more egregious hits on quarterbacks that have not been penalized. Mike Vrabel made it clear that he wants the NFL to make these penalties more defined, rather than left open for interpretation.