Will History Repeats Itself For The Tennessee Titans?

There are some eerie similarities between the 2008 Tennessee Titans and the 2021 version of the franchise. It's up to new GM Ran Carthon and HC Mike Vrabel to make sure history does not repeat itself.

If history does repeat itself, and there are multiple examples where it has, then fans of the Tennessee Titans could be in for a rough ride.

One year ago, under head coach Mike Vrabel and then general manager Jon Robinson, the Titans rolled to a 12-5 record and the number-one seed in the AFC playoffs. They did this despite losing star running back Derrick Henry to injury just eight games into the season.

Enter Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, who rolled into Nissan Stadium as the number four seed and promptly knocked the Titans out of the playoffs, winning 19-16 thanks mainly to three interceptions thrown by Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill. 

Then in 2022, the Titans fell apart, primarily because of many significant injuries, and limped to a 7-10 mark, losing the AFC South Division lead while losing their last six games. 

So how does this pertain to history?

In 2008, the Titans rolled to a 13-3 record, earning the number-one seed and having home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs, led by quarterback Kerry Collins and rookie runningback Chris Johnson. 

Most "experts" felt Tennessee was a sure-fire bet to make it to the Super Bowl, but the Baltimore Ravens had other ideas, as the Ravens defense, led by Ray Lewis and Bart Scott, held Johnson to just 72 yards rushing, while forcing three turnovers en route to a 13-10 upset.   

The following season, the Titans would finish 8-8, missing the playoffs and beginning an eight-year streak of missing the playoffs. Among those eight years were two of the worst in franchise history, as the team limped to a 2-14 mark in 2014 and a 3-13 record in 2015.   

Former head coach Ken Whisenhut and general manager Ruston Webster were dismissed, with Whisenhut being shown the door in mid-2016 and Webster following the season. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Titans owner Amy Adams-Strunk, and Titans head coach Mike Vrabel meet before a game at Nissan Stadium.  :: George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA Today Network

Fast-forward back to the present, where the Titans fired Robinson mid-season, replacing him with Ran Carthon, who comes over from the San Francisco 49ers, where he served as their Director of Player Personnel. 

Carthon and Vrabel enter this offseason with a laundry list of roster questions that must be addressed in free agency and the coming draft. Much rests on their shoulders and the decisions they will make setting up the teams' 2023 roster. 

The next few months will be pivotal in deciding if this franchise rebounds toward the playoffs or if history repeats itself where the team drifts back toward the bottom of the league once again. 

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