Following another game in which the Tennessee Titans had multiple special teams blunders that aided in a loss, fans and media alike were once again calling for the team to fire special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman.
Tennessee had two failed punts, both of which led to points, and the second resulted in an injury to punter Ryan Stonehouse, who looks likely to miss significant time.
Tennessee also gave up a 36-yard kickoff return that aided in the Colts’ first touchdown drive in the first quarter, and the Titans missed a crucial extra point when Ryan Tannehill replaced Stonehouse as the holder.
Despite how bad things have been on special teams for years now, head coach Mike Vrabel has been irrationally loyal to Aukerman — and that continued after Sunday’s loss.
“We have to be better; it starts with me,” Vrabel said, per Paul Kuharsky. “Making sure that everything we do is sound. There’s a level of execution, and then, obviously, being able to identify whether we’ve got scheme issues or we have to move some guys around or make some minor adjustments. That’s the case in all three phases.”
“It all is on me,” Vrabel added when asked how much blame Aukerman should get. “It starts with me and, again, when we lose, put it on me. Obviously, that’s not good enough. We know we have to be able to protect our punters, our kickers, quarterbacks. You lose games by having those things happen.”
Mike Vrabel won’t speak to special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman’s role in special teams’ failures. #Titans pic.twitter.com/X3iG7k0FGH
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) December 3, 2023
If there’s one thing we can blame on Vrabel in terms of the special teams woes, it’s the fact that he’s kept Aukerman this long.
Of course, Vrabel is never going to throw any of his coaches under the bus, but he literally listed everything Aukerman should be responsible for.
It remains to be seen if Vrabel will make a move that is years overdue, but don’t hold your breath for it.
