During his appearance on Monday night’s Manningcast between the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers, former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel had an all-time story about long-time Ohio State football head coach Urban Meyer. Not that embarrassing stories of Meyer are hard to come by, but each one seems to outdo the previous.
In a game during Meyer’s single season as the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he and Vrabel met before the contest and partook in some pre-game chatter. After being asked if Meyer knew Vrabel, the former Titans and Buckeyes coach replied, “Yeah, I’m the head coach for the Titans, and I worked for you for two years.”
Mike Vrabel, the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and former standout linebacker, made an unexpected claim about Urban Meyer, the former Ohio State coach and Vrabel’s former boss. Vrabel recently revealed that Meyer had seemingly forgotten about their time working together at Ohio State. Despite their shared history, Vrabel said Meyer didn’t recognize him when they crossed paths years after their time with the Buckeyes, suggesting that Meyer had no recollection of their professional relationship.
Vrabel and Meyer worked closely together at Ohio State, where Vrabel served as the linebackers coach under Meyer from 2012 to 2013. During that time, Vrabel played a key role in shaping the Buckeyes’ defense, while Meyer, who was in his second year as head coach, led Ohio State to a 24-2 record over those two seasons. Vrabel was also involved in the development of several standout players, contributing to the team’s overall success. The pair’s relationship, however, appears to have been a bit distant in terms of personal recognition, as Vrabel implied that Meyer had forgotten the connection despite their professional history.
This revelation might surprise many, considering the high-profile nature of both men’s careers. Vrabel, a former NFL star linebacker, won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots before embarking on his coaching career. Meyer, on the other hand, built a legacy of success at Florida and Ohio State, where he won national championships and coached some of the best college football talent.
While Vrabel didn’t seem overly bitter about the moment, it did highlight a strange disconnect between the two. He did not dwell on the issue, but his statement nonetheless shed light on what seemed to be a lack of personal recognition from Meyer, despite their professional history. This incident, however, is unlikely to affect Vrabel’s trajectory as an NFL head coach or Meyer’s legacy in college football. Vrabel has since moved on to bigger things, most notably his success with the Titans, while Meyer has dealt with a series of setbacks in both college football and the NFL.
Ultimately, Vrabel’s claim adds an interesting layer to the relationship between these two prominent figures in football, showing that sometimes professional connections might not carry the weight one might expect.
