Father vs. son? Mike Vrabel discusses possibility of showdown against son Tyler on Sunday
Mike Vrabel and his son Tyler didn't change their routines much this week.
"Tyler and I have exchanged one text message since Saturday, which is about par for the course," Vrabel said with a wry smile Friday. "Don’t hear much from him."
Mike Vrabel's Tennessee Titans (2-4) are getting ready to host the Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday in what could be a family-versus-family battle. Tyler Vrabel is an offensive lineman on the Falcons' practice squad, and though the father doesn't expect his son to be called up for Sunday's action, there's always a chance.
Nevertheless, the Titans' coach joked that he hopes the possibility doesn't lead to a house-divided situation for his wife, Jen.
"Tyler will not be out there, I don’t anticipate," Mike Vrabel said. "He may get called up tomorrow, I don’t anticipate it. Jen better be rooting for the damn Titans. I know that. She better be, or we’re going to have a problem."
Tyler Vrabel was active for the Falcons in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions and took three snaps on special teams, the only snaps of his two-year pro career thus far. Before turning pro, the younger Vrabel started 33 games over four seasons at Boston College and was a three-time All-ACC honorable mention.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith knows the Vrabel family well; Smith was the Titans' tight end coach in Mike Vrabel's first season as Titans coach in 2018 and then the Titans' offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020. The Titans made two playoff appearances and won the AFC South once in Smith's two years as offensive coordinator before accepting his job with the Falcons. This is the first time the Titans and Falcons have faced off since Smith left for Atlanta.
The two have traded jokes and barbs throughout the week. Smith suggested the idea of doing a "vest swap" after the game. Vrabel initially responded that he'd do it if Smith shaved off his mustache, but Friday the Titans' coach changed his answer to say there's no way he's giving away his throwback Houston Oilers gear, since the team will be wearing those throwbacks for the first time Sunday.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mike Vrabel jokes about what it may be like coaching vs his son Sunday
