New coach Mike Vrabel: Titles proof Titans’ approach works

Tennessee general manager Jon Robinson got his NFL start as a scout with the New England Patriots, the same team his new head coach Mike Vrabel won three Super Bowl rings as a linebacker.

Yes, it seems like the Titans are trying to implement the Patriot Way in Music City.

Vrabel said that’s what it looks like — until the Titans win big themselves.

“You have to be able to win championships before people start giving you ways to do things,” Vrabel said Monday. “So that’ll be our ultimate goal .... Until we can win a championship doing that, there’s not going to be this Titan Way. It will be talked about in the building. But people from outside the building, they won’t believe in us, they won’t have faith in us until you win.”

The Titans introduced Vrabel as their new coach Monday. They agreed to terms with Vrabel on Saturday, just five days after firing Mike Mularkey coming off the franchise’s first playoff win in 14 years.

This is the first head coaching job for Vrabel, 42.

Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk noted Robinson and Vrabel have known each other for years. She also likes Vrabel’s experience and vision for building on back-to-back 9-7 seasons.

“I believe he will do everything he can to bring this town a championship,” Strunk said.

Vrabel is coming off his first season as defensive coordinator for the Texans. Vrabel started his NFL career in Pittsburgh under coach Bill Cowher before signing with New England under coach Bill Belichick, and he finished in Kansas City. In 2011, he joined the staff at his alma mater, Ohio State, coaching linebackers and then defensive linemen.

He said nobody’s ever really ready to be a head coach for the first time in the NFL, though Vrabel feels as ready as he can be thanks to his doctorate degree in coaching he picked up working with some of the best in the game.

“There will be things that I take from New England, from Pittsburgh, from Ohio State, from Houston,” Vrabel said. “I mean there will be things that I take from everywhere. You draw on these experiences just like everybody

Cards hire Panthers assistant Steve Wilks as head coach

Steve Wilks is the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and chances are he won’t tread meekly into his new job.

“Steve’s personality is as an aggressive guy,” his ex-boss, Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, said.

Wilks, 48, spent last season as defensive coordinator of the Panthers after five seasons as the team’s secondary coach. He’s been an NFL assistant for 12 years.

Wilks replaces the colorful and outspoken Bruce Arians, who retired after five seasons and compiled a franchise-record 50 victories.

With the hiring of Wilks, all three major football programs in the state have African-American coaches — Wilks, Herm Edwards at Arizona State and Kevin Sumlin at Arizona. Wilks is the Cardinals’ second African-American coach (Dennis Green was the first) and the only minority candidate to get an NFL head coaching job this hiring cycle.

The Cardinals were 8-8 last season despite a myriad of significant injuries and closed out Arians’ career with a win in Seattle.

“This is not really a rebuild, this is a retool,” Wilks told azcardinals.com. “We have the culture of winning here. We just have to be able to sustain it. It’s all about trying to get to the next level and the consistency you need to get to the next level.”

Man charged with punching horse, officer before game

A man is accused of punching a police horse and a mounted officer during an arrest before the Eagles’ NFC championship victory over the Minnesota Vikings, police in Philadelphia said Monday.

It’s the second time a horse punching is alleged around an Eagles playoff game this month.

Police said a mounted state police corporal was trying to disperse a crowd in a stadium parking lot around 3:15 p.m. Sunday when a man struck the horse twice in the shoulder and then hit the corporal in the face.

Andrew Tornetta, 19, is being charged with aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangering and related offenses, police said. He didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.