Upon joining the Tennessee Titans last year as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State, defensive lineman Naquan Jones had to get acclimated with a lot of things, including how his head coach, Mike Vrabel, shows affection towards players.
Apparently, part of that approach is talking some trash, which we saw Vrabel do a bit back in December when complimenting Jones for his ability to stand out early on.
“[Jones] ran his fat ass to the ball… That’s what got him noticed” Vrabel said, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
At first, Jones was unsure what to think about Vrabel’s approach to showing affection, but later found out it’s very normal. He also took no issue with Vrabel’s comments about him.
“Coach Vrabel loves to mess with the rookies,” he told Justin Melo of Broadway Sports with a laugh. “He talked some trash to me, for sure. At first I was like, oh my goodness, is this a good thing or bad thing? After getting some experience under my belt, and having spoken with a few of my teammates, I learned that’s just how coach Vrabel shows affection.
“That comment was obviously funny and I didn’t pay too much attention to it,” Jones added. “It was a joke. For him to even notice something in me, and how much effort I try to show on every play, for him to say it stood out and for him to give it some public attention, I was very thankful.”
While a head coach ribbing players is nothing new, it doesn’t often translate to good things (see:…
