Steelers' AFC North Foe Cleveland Browns Make Extremely Questionable Coaching Decision

The AFC North is going to be a dog fight in 2024 for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the other three organizations that compete in the division. It's easy to argue that Head Coach Mike Tomlin and co. have the toughest schedule make-up, as all six crucial divisional matchups will come in the final eight weeks of the season. It's a fair assessment to say that all four head coaches have a strong amount of job security, but one terrible season could change that very quickly. The Cleveland Browns wanted to bolster their coaching staff and brought in former Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel as a consultant.

It could be very advantageous for the Browns to have a coach like Vrabel on the staff. It's likely that he will only be in Cleveland for a year as he should be interviewed for multiple head coaching positions in 2025. With 54 career wins as the head man, he has experience and it will be good for Head Coach Kevin Stefanski to have him around. There's a caveat to the whole thing, however.

Vrabel was known as a game manager in Tennessee and no one can ever forget the diabolical rule loophole he took advantage of against the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick.

Even though he could be an extremely valuable asset for Stefanski during games, the two had come to an agreement when he was coming to Cleveland that he wouldn't be involved in anything on game days. He recently detailed this on an episode of Pardon My Take.

"I knew going in. Kevin [Stefanski] and I had talked about not having a role on game day, but I think that's good. I want to do everything I can prior to the game, the pre-advance, the practices; help out where I can. I don't want to change their flow of game day."

It seems a bit interesting to leave out someone with Vrabel's football mind on game days. Sure, he will be helpful in the pre-planning process, but it's strange not to have him when it might matter most. That would be like the Steelers hiring Brian Flores in 2022 as a defensive assistant and not having him be in the booth on Sundays each week.

The NFL is all about preparation, so having Vrabel around to game plan will be a positive for Cleveland, but it's hard to imagine Vrabel won't be chomping at the bit to help make certain decisions during games. He is a very outspoken individual, so behind closed doors, it would be fascinating if he challenges Stefanski at all after questionable moves during games, or if he stays in his lane in the consultant role.

Steelers Might Enjoy The Idea Of Vrabel Joining Browns' Organization

While Vrabel has respect in the Steel City after the franchise drafted him in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, he wasn't very successful as a head coach against one of his former teams. The Steelers haven't lost to the Titans since the 2013 season, so the easy math tells any fan that he was unable to beat Pittsburgh as a head coach. He was 0-3, which includes a 20-16 loss during the 2023 campaign. He might not even be able to get the Browns a leg up when it comes to playing the Steelers.

Do you think that Vrabel should be involved in game days for Cleveland? Let us know in the comments below!

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