Amy Adams Strunk likely behind stripping Brian Callahan of his play-calling(Terry McCormick)

[Callidus]

3 minutes ago, Mythos27 said:

I heard someone say something similar but what they were trying to say is that Vrabel has won more games this season than the Titans have in total since firing him. I didn't hear Buck but maybe this is what he meant to say. 

Maybe, that would make alot more sense. Im at work or else i would have listened to it again. 

[ctm]

11 minutes ago, Callidus said:

Speaking of buck, i was just listening to his show and he said vrable has already had more success with the patriots than he had with the titans....

 

We went to an afcc you jackass. That may hold a little more water than a 4-2 record.

 

He needs listeners to be pissed off so they will call into his show and vent.

[Mythos27]

14 minutes ago, IsntLifeFunny said:

There's nothing wrong with pointing at AAS and saying she's become apart of the problem. Her firing decisions make sense in a vacuum but not next to the two extensions handed out to Robinson and Carthon. The timing of them also raises eyebrows and heightens the optics because they were done in-season with Robinson and Callahan. That doesn't make them wrong decisions, but it does show dysfunction. 

 

I think there's middle ground. Amy isn't a terrible owner. She obviously cares deeply about the team and has poured resources into it. She's made 2 poor HC hires and a terrible GM hire. She's extended then fired 2 GMs, which shows some type of inability to project the future based on the evidence at hand. Neither deserved an extension, but both deserved to be fired. 

 

I think what she does with Borgonzi is the real lynchpin to the discussion. I don't think there's enough evidence just yet to decide or judge her. If she fires Borgonzi within the next two years then put me on the bandwagon. 

Very well said. Discussing Amy for me is kind of like discussing J-Rob or Vrabel. I actually have affection for all 3 but all 3 have done things that contributed to the mess we're in and they deserve criticism for it. I have no ill will towards Amy, nor do I want her to sell the team. But I've lost the trust I once had in her over years of watching her do shit that doesn't smell right to me. I'm also not being reactionary here; I've been slowly posting my growing concerns for a while now. Hopefully these guys are right and it's all one big misunderstanding but I don't think so. She's rudderless. She knows that she wants the team to be successful but she has no idea of how to make that happen and it's becoming apparent that neither do her advisors. 

[rns90]

32 minutes ago, japan said:

Would have come out by now.  It was definitely the AJ Brown embarrassment coupled with maybe Vrabel's issues he was having with Robinson.

He was an alcoholic is a legit one that people might not want to touch.

[oldschool]

38 minutes ago, Titans279 said:

Vrabel didn’t deserve to be fired for his performance?

 

If he forced his way out by not wanting to work with Ran, the guy she decided to fire mid season later that year, maybe he was right to do so and AAS demonstrated her poor judgment and aimlessness.

 

Lol. Vrabel wanted total control. That had zero to do with Carthon. Conspiracy level shit by you.

[VaTitan]

41 minutes ago, TerryBoats said:

There has to be a plant sabotaging from within.  

Her name is Miss Amy

Edited October 17, 2025 by VaTitan

[rns90]

So the deeper thing, is that a lot of you are scared that this “apparent dysfunction” will lead to them in top level people avoiding the organization.  Hate to tell you guys this but they did hire Borgonzi and they will probably hire one of the top coaches on the market.

 

She needs (the entire organization) to hire the right coach this time around , there’s no getting around that .

But outside of that , she spends money when she has to and gives the people she hires a reasonable amount of time to figure it out.

 

[NashvilleNinja]

Watching a clip with Lewan and Compton with Kay Adams and Lewan mentioned Callahan's criticizing Cam in that last presser.

 

I wonder if that's what AAS took the most issue with and if she thought he was starting to turn on Cam. If so, I wonder what else was going on behind the scenes.

 

Callahan hasn't seemed particularly critical of Cam, but if he was starting to get frustrated with Cam holding onto the ball and not listening to him with the big game hunting the calling out of him in the presser was his way of trying to get it across.

[oldschool]

45 minutes ago, IsntLifeFunny said:

There's nothing wrong with pointing at AAS and saying she's become apart of the problem. Her firing decisions make sense in a vacuum but not next to the two extensions handed out to Robinson and Carthon. The timing of them also raises eyebrows and heightens the optics because they were done in-season with Robinson and Callahan. That doesn't make them wrong decisions, but it does show dysfunction. 

 

I think there's middle ground. Amy isn't a terrible owner. She obviously cares deeply about the team and has poured resources into it. She's made 2 poor HC hires and a terrible GM hire. She's extended then fired 2 GMs, which shows some type of inability to project the future based on the evidence at hand. Neither deserved an extension, but both deserved to be fired. 

 

I think what she does with Borgonzi is the real lynchpin to the discussion. I don't think there's enough evidence just yet to decide or judge her. If she fires Borgonzi within the next two years then put me on the bandwagon. 

 

Very few have claimed she is a great or even good owner. Hell I've said over and over again if she's guilty of anything, its hiring the wrong people. The idea she's a bad owner who meddles and makes reactionary decisions all the time because she fired carthon and Callahan within 2 years is where the shit gets crazy. I'm not trying to be an asshole here but I think its pretty clear who has never worked high up in an org and been responsible for hiring/firing decisions.  Because if you've been there, you've seen firsthand people get fired who had impeccable resumes, and interviewed great but didn't deliver. You've seen guys get promotions and more power only to not execute and be in over their heads. You've seen guys fired early on in their tenure because they turned out to be a poor fit. This is all normal shit, and it transcends sports and business. 

Edited October 17, 2025 by oldschool

[Mythos27]

39 minutes ago, Callidus said:

Maybe, that would make alot more sense. Im at work or else i would have listened to it again. 

Buck isn't the greatest speaker so he might have said exactly what you heard but if he did, it's probably a bad recitation of the statement I heard. 

[Mythos27]

22 minutes ago, rns90 said:

So the deeper thing, is that a lot of you are scared that this “apparent dysfunction” will lead to them in top level people avoiding the organization.  Hate to tell you guys this but they did hire Borgonzi and they will probably hire one of the top coaches on the market.

 

She needs (the entire organization) to hire the right coach this time around , there’s no getting around that .

But outside of that , she spends money when she has to and gives the people she hires a reasonable amount of time to figure it out.

 

People will always want to be NFL execs even for owners that are quick on the trigger. I have no worries about attracting executive talent. I'm worried about the potential for mismanagement from the people above the team president/GM level. 

Edited October 17, 2025 by Mythos27

[Titans279]

9 minutes ago, oldschool said:

 

Lol. Vrabel wanted total control. That had zero to do with Carthon. Conspiracy level shit by you.

 

 

Vrabel may have wanted it, I'm sure most coaches would want it, but there's no reporting that was the deal breaker. 

 

The same article says all this, which actually is correct about Ran not being ready. Her promoting Brinker over him and then firing Ran prove it (along with his horrible drafts/FA/trades).

 

It's not as much he forcing himself out as it is AAS taking offense to him doubting her judgment. I wouldn't say he was wrong, he's just an asshole.

 

• Vrabel thought that Carthon was not ready for the job. (True)
• AAS took that as an insult of her judgment. (Her judgment has proven to be poor)
• Vrabel wanted Ryan Cowden to take over. (Cowden could have retained roster control)
• Vrabel was a bit of a bitch with his comments while visiting NE. (True)
• This led to AAS not feeling Vrabel was committed to her
• AAS decided to fire Vrabel after a loss to (surprise, surprise) the Texans
• There was no discussion about him and his role with the team before firing him

 

Quote

A culmination of events led to his firing. That included Vrabel suggesting during the offseason hiring of general manager Ran Carthon that Carthon was not ready for the job, and owner Amy Adams Strunk disagreeing with that opinion. Strunk eventually came to believe her faith in Vrabel was not being reciprocated, and was also unhappy about Vrabel’s visit to New England in October to be enshrined in the Patriots’ Hall of Fame, nearly a dozen prominent people inside and outside the organization told The Athletic on the condition of anonymity.

 

...

 

Vrabel was hoping Ryan Cowden — then the Titans’ VP of player personnel and now the New York Giants executive advisor to the GM — would replace Robinson. But Vrabel was never told it would be Cowden.

 

...

 

When Carthon was close to getting the job, Vrabel told Strunk he liked Carthon but didn’t feel he was ready to become an NFL general manager. Vrabel’s suggestion: The Titans hire Carthon as the assistant GM, a promotion from his position as No. 3 in the 49ers’ pecking order. Strunk did not take kindly to this suggestion, and team sources believe her and Vrabel’s relationship took a hit as a result of that conversation.

 

...

 

High-level Titans sources told The Athletic in November that the team’s long-term plan was to retain Vrabel as coach. After Vrabel’s firing, a team source said that was true then because Strunk strongly believed in Vrabel at the time — and because she wanted Vrabel to have a clear understanding of how she felt about him and how badly she wanted him to be the coach for years to come. Strunk did not get the sense that Vrabel felt the same way, and the communication between them got worse from there.

 

...

 

Strunk left the Week 14 game in Miami against the Dolphins early, believing they were going to lose after falling behind 27-13 with 4:34 left in the fourth quarter. Vrabel called for a two-point conversion after a late touchdown pass, and the Titans eventually won 28-27 on Derrick Henry’s touchdown run. Even though the Titans won, a member of the team’s analytics staff didn’t think Vrabel should have gone for two on that late touchdown.

 

Strunk was thrilled the Titans pulled it off, but one week later the Titans lost to the Texans in overtime, and the owner was visibly angry about that loss. That’s when several members of the Titans staff believed she had made up her mind: She wanted to move on from Vrabel. She consulted with some others in NFL circles about the decision, but ultimately the decision was all hers — with no input from Carthon.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5193909/2024/01/11/tennessee-titans-mike-vrabel-fired/

[Titans279]

Btw @oldschool claiming it had nothing to do with Carthon when the same article that the "Vrabel wanted full control" reporting came from extensively documents how much it was about Carthon is a pretty good indicator of how some people here have blinders on and a selective memory.

[oldschool]

3 minutes ago, Titans279 said:

 

 

Vrabel may have wanted it, I'm sure most coaches would want it, but there's no reporting that was the deal breaker. 

 

The same article says all this, which actually is correct about Ran not being ready. Her promoting Brinker over him and then firing Ran prove it (along with his horrible drafts/FA/trades).

 

It's not as much he forcing himself out as it is AAS taking offense to him doubting her judgment. I wouldn't say he was wrong, he's just an asshole.

 

• Vrabel thought that Carthon was not ready for the job. (True)
• AAS took that as an insult of her judgment. (Her judgment has proven to be poor)
• Vrabel wanted Ryan Cowden to take over. (Cowden could have retained roster control)
• Vrabel was a bit of a bitch with his comments while visiting NE. (True)
• This led to AAS not feeling Vrabel was committed to her
• AAS decided to fire Vrabel after a loss to (surprise, surprise) the Texans
• There was no discussion about him and his role with the team before firing him

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5193909/2024/01/11/tennessee-titans-mike-vrabel-fired/

 

lol. Vrabel was fired at the end of the season, what source is listed as saying she decided after the Texans game? None of the above changes anything. Vrabel wanted out, everyone talked about for months. also lol at that article, you know who wrote it? she's a known Vrabel mouthpiece just like Breer is. Its clearly his side of the story

 

I get it eeyore, you need to blame someone for the last 3.5 years. AAS is an easy target. I suggest you go look at other pro sports owners and level set. It could be a lot worse. 

[IsntLifeFunny]

1 minute ago, oldschool said:

 

Very few of claimed she a great or even good owner. Hell I've said over and over again if she's guilty of anything, its hiring the wrong people. The idea she's a bad owner who meddles and makes reactionary decisions all the time because she fired carthon and Callahan within 2 years is where the shit gets crazy. I'm not trying to be an asshole here but I think its pretty clear who has never worked high up in an org and been responsible for hiring/firing decisions.  Because if you've been there, you've seen firsthand people get fired who had impeccable resumes, and interviewed great but didn't deliver. You've seen guys get promotions and more power only to not execute and be in over their heads. You've seen guys fired early on in their tenure because they turned out to be a poor fit. This is all normal shit, and it transcends sports and business. 

While I agree with you that many, especially the media/Twitter and a few around here, go too far it doesn't mean there isn't smoke. The timing of the firings is suspect because Robinson was given an extension and then fired mid-season. The same with Callahan coming of a 4-13 season. They should have done it in the offseason. Carthon was extended...etc. 

 

Where I see some people conflate a bit is to make so much of the optics. It isn't like Strunk ever made some move to fire someone who didn't deserve it. So what if the AJ game was the final straw? That doesn't make her emotional, necessarily, but at the same time it really does raise eyebrows because of the context (team sits with a winning record). These types of moves regardless if they're the correct decision come across as dysfunctional. I've beaten that word into the ground a bit, but it fits perfectly. 

 

Only dysfunctional teams extend people then summarily fire them. Firing a coach mid-season is a terrible look, though necessary. The fact the presser was pushed back shows maybe the FO wasn't prepared. The Eagles game being last straw comes across as reactionary. Add in the optics of how Vrabel is viewed and voila.