Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 1314: Go faster
Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers, Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers, and Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams.

In the past two years, there has been a trend of young coaches sweeping the league, with more and more young people taking over the responsibilities of head coaches, bringing new vitality to the league.

Mike Vrabel is one of them.

Although Vrabel is not yet 44 years old this year and is not young in terms of age, he did not retire until he was 36 years old. After retirement, he switched to coaching. In just seven years, he made a triple jump and became the head coach in a lightning speed. He is also a member of the youth storm.

Like other young coaches, Vrabel showed his unstoppable and energetic side, standing at the top of the league in his second head coaching season:
Not only did they make it to the playoffs, but they also declared with practical actions that they were not here to play supporting roles.

They are here to win.

In the wild-card game, facing his former parent team, the New England Patriots, the team he once won the Super Bowl with, and his former coach Belichick and former teammate Brady, Vrabel played a brilliant game, seizing on the weak points and making Brady uncomfortable throughout the game.

He beat Belichick the Belichick way.

In the divisional round, facing the Kansas City Chiefs, the last team of his career, Vrabel once again demonstrated his abilities as a linebacker and a defensive coach. He took control of the situation with an unparalleled performance in the first quarter, starting with the "rhythm" and interrupting the Kansas City Chiefs' offense.

To some extent, Vrabel can be regarded as Belichick's apprentice, because he spent the longest time in his career with the New England Patriots, which was also the peak and strongest period of the New England Patriots. Vrabel clearly knows the role played by the special team.

In the last game, Vrabel relied on fouls and special teams to control the playing time. Although it was shameless and ugly, it left Belichick helpless. It was truly impressive.

In this game, Vrabel also started with the special team and created opportunities in the opening stage.

On the Kansas City Chiefs' first punt of the game, the Tennessee Titans' special teams blitzed and blocked the Kansas City Chiefs' punter's kick.

Afterwards, the Tennessee Titans special team picked up the football, took control of the ball, and launched a counterattack on the spot, rushing into the end zone at lightning speed.

The punt block was returned for a touchdown.

The Tennessee Titans, in typical New England Patriots fashion, gave the Kansas City Chiefs a head start in the opening stages and quickly established an advantage.

Coupled with the strong performance of running back Henry, the Tennessee Titans scored 21 points in the first quarter, and their scoring ability was truly terrifying.

Vrabel's tactical layout worked from the opening stage, establishing an advantage in one go and not giving the Kansas City Chiefs any chance to gain a foothold. Before the warm-up was completed at Arrowhead Stadium, the Tennessee Titans had already taken over the game and instantly opened up a gap and took the lead.

Of course, everyone can work out the situation from the result after the fact, and it is not difficult at all; the most difficult thing is to do it at the beginning of the game, from planning to execution to results.

If the Tennessee Titans' offense and special teams have the initiative in their own hands, then Vrabel has no say over the Kansas City Chiefs' offense. How to limit this top offense in the league in the first quarter is the real challenge for Vrabel to demonstrate his abilities.

Vrabel is well aware of the difficulty.

In the tenth week of the regular season, the Tennessee Titans hosted the Kansas City Chiefs at home.

At that time, Mahomes was absent due to injury, and the backup quarterback Moore was still the starter. The Tennessee Titans entangled with the Kansas City Chiefs and kept the game tight until the fourth quarter. The Kansas City Chiefs instantly broke free, and the Tennessee Titans failed to keep up the rhythm. The game ended in a hasty loss, and Vrabel and Henry suffered a bitter defeat.

Now, the Tennessee Titans are back. Vrabel knows they are facing challenges, first, the devil's home field of Arrowhead Stadium, and second, Mahomes' healthy return, which will be a higher challenge.

The Tennessee Titans were unable to win against the disabled Kansas City Chiefs; what should they do now facing the intact Kansas City Chiefs?
However, Vrabel still used his expertise to come up with a solution:

Pressing in the frontcourt.

Simply put, the core is pressure.

It's not about sacks, but about pressure, because Vrabel knows Mahomes and Levy's ability to counterattack under extreme pressure. Instead of putting his energy into sacks and tackling running backs behind the line, which consumes energy and makes the post-game data look good but cannot bring substantial victory, it is better to make full use of the role of linebackers to connect the defensive front line and the defensive second line, and use chain defense to disrupt the smooth offensive rhythm of the Kansas City Chiefs.

What do you mean?
The emphasis is on zone defense.

Vrabel does not emphasize completely strangling the offense because he knows it is too difficult; the key is to put pressure on the opponent at all times, like a ghost and a shadow, constantly hovering near the offensive player's field of vision, following them like a shadow and lingering, creating a bomber effect.

In this way, from the start, to running, to catching the ball, and finally to advancing, every step and every movement can feel the ubiquitous pressure, including Mahomes and Levi. The shadow is floating around, and they don't know when to step forward but can't get rid of it completely.

The final situation is that pressure is always hovering around the corner.

Starting with Mahomes and Levi, apply indirect pressure and maintain mobility; then spread to each link such as tight end, wide receiver, etc.

The Kansas City Chiefs were still able to advance, but their efficiency was greatly reduced. What's worse, the smoothness of the advancement rhythm was stuck.

Since the 2017 season, the rhythm control of the Kansas City Chiefs' offense has been one of the best in the league, but they are not invincible. They have encountered difficulties when facing strong defensive teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Obviously, Vrabel has combined the best of all teams, fully utilized his talents and abilities, and demonstrated his determination to win.

And, that’s not all.

If the Tennessee Titans' defense had only launched targeted defense, the Kansas City Chiefs wouldn't have been in such a mess; the key point was their own mistakes.

Kelsey and Hardman each had butterfingers once.

Levi and Watkins made a mistake in coordination in the split route.

In addition, Hill accidentally dropped the ball and almost led to an interception. Although Hill immediately made up for it by controlling the ball and avoiding the change of possession, the entire Arrowhead Stadium still gasped.

Among them, Kelsey's mistake was the most fatal.

On third down and six yards, Kelsey had already caught the ball and had space to advance; however, he was too impatient and focused entirely on turning around and continuing to advance, so he failed to completely control the football.

As a result, he dropped the ball with his butter hands, wasted the opportunity, and was struck out.

(End of this chapter)