First-year Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, right, runs a drill against defensive tackle Jurrell Casey during the first day of training camp Thursday in Nashville.NASHVILLE – Mike Vrabel played 14 seasons in the NFL, so the first-year Tennessee Titans coach is more than willing to pick up a pad for drills to get his point across.
If someone knocks off the 42-year-old former linebacker’s sunglasses during the process, that’s not a problem.
“Yes, that’s fun,” Vrabel said Thursday after the Titans’ first day of training camp. “That’s when you know it was a good punch. I use that as a barometer – when the sunglasses go flying off. But they’re doing it the right way. They’re delivering a blow and trying to transfer power to stop a guy’s charge – in that case, the punt team – and get out and cover.”
The Titans’ season opener and Vrabel’s debut as a head coach in a regular-season game is just 45 days away on Sept. 9 in Miami. His preseason debut is Aug. 9 in Green Bay, and Vrabel was starting to drive his wife and son crazy being at home waiting for the start of training camp.
“You wake up in the middle of the night thinking about, ‘Should I call a timeout in this situation?’ Then I’m like, ‘I’m really losing my mind,'” Vrabel said. “It’s just good to have the players back.”