Report: Poor Communication, Misunderstanding Led To Titans Firing Mike Vrabel

A report from the Athletic details the path that led to Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk firing coach Mike Vrabel.

NASHVILLE — The firing of Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel wasn't a result of a single event but rather a culmination of various perceived insults and miscommunications that made the situation between Vrabel and Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk untenable, the Athletic reported Thursday. 

Here are the highlights from the Athletic story:

• The hiring of Ran Carthon and control of the roster. When the Titans were searching for a new general manager a year ago, the Athletic reported, Vrabel told Adams Strunk that he wanted control over the roster, but "Strunk pointedly disagreed."
  
  When Ran Carthon appeared to be the frontrunner for the job, Vrabel told Adams Strunk that he didn't believe Carthon was ready, that Carthon could be an assistant GM. Vrabel preferred Ryan Cowden, then the Titans' vice president of player personnel and now working with the Giants.
  
  "Strunk did not take kindly to this suggestion," the Athletic reported, "and team sources believe her and Vrabel's relationship took a hit as a result."

• Vrabel and the Patriots Hall of Fame. Vrabel spent the Titans' bye week in October in Foxboro, Mass., where we was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame. In a speech to the Gillette Stadium crowd, Vrabel said: “I don’t want you to take this organization for granted. I’ve been to a lot of places. This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, and great coaching. Enjoy it. It’s not like this everywhere.”
  
  Back in Nashville a few days later, Vrabel was asked if his comments were addressed at the Titans. "(The Patriots) have won six Super Bowls in 20 years, that's what I was alluding to," Vrabel said. "I don't know what to tell you. It's just a lot of success."
  
  As the Athletic reported: "The whole event did not sit well with Strunk, a team source said. She and Vrabel never talked about it, but she let it fester."

• Disconnect, then a decision. Adams Strunk wanted to retain Vrabel as late as November, high-level Titans sources told the Athletic, "that she wanted him to be the coach for years to come. (But) Strunk did not get the sense that Vrabel felt the same way, and the communication between them got worse from there."
  
  In mid-December, Adams Strunk was "visibly angry" after an overtime loss at home to the Texans. "That's when several members of the Titans staff believe she had made up her mind: She wanted to move on from Vrabel."
  
  The Athletic also reported that the decision to fire Vrabel "was all hers — with no input from Carthon."
  

In her email this week announcing Vrabel's firing, Adams Strunk said: "I believe the teams best positioned for sustained success will be those who empower an aligned and collaborative team across all football functions. Last year, we began a shift in our approach to football leadership and made several changes to our personnel to advance that plan. As I continued to assess the state of our team, I arrived at the conclusion that the team would also benefit from the fresh approach and perspective of a new coaching staff."

Carthon confirmed during his Tuesday press conference that he wasn't in the room when Adams Strunk told Vrabel he was getting canned. The Athletic's story details that the meeting between Vrabel, Adams Strunk, and team president Burke Nihill took two minutes. 

"No, I was not in the room when the news was delivered. These things are ultimately Miss Amy's decisions," Carthon said on Tuesday. "I think organizationally structured, we both report to her. I know they've always had their one-on-one conversations, as I have, with her throughout the year and just throughout my time being here. So no, I wasn't present. But that's just the way it is."

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• VRABEL PHOTO GALLERY: It's been a fun run with Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans the past six years, but it all came to an end on Tuesday when he was fired by Amy Adams Strunk after two straight losing seasons. Here's our photo gallery of Vrabel through the years. CLICK HERE
• TOM BREW COLUMN: If firing Mike Vrabel is about control, how do the Titans get it right from here? All eyes are on general manager Ran Carthon. CLICK HERE
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