Why Mike Vrabel should be tasked with saving the Cowboys franchise

We all already know what the consensus is following Sunday's let-down in Arlington. The Dallas Cowboys missed their closest opportunity to a Super Bowl. The easiest postseason path a team could have (two games at AT&T) wasn't enough. They still managed to be ran off the field thanks to the arm of Jordan Love and the legs of Aaron Jones.

Following the 48-32 upsetting loss, the Cowboys are now the only team in NFL history to win 12 games in the regular season three years in a row and not make a conference championship. That yells the characteristics of a team who cannot get it done when it matters.

Dallas must reset immediately. They can only dwell for so long because the search for the right coach has to begin sooner rather than later, this team is that desperate.

Minutes after the final whistle, people were calling for a coaching replacement. Heck at halftime Twitter was already on fire. As a Cowboys fan you did not want to be scrolling through Twitter Sunday evening.

Bill Belichick has been tied to the Cowboys job for quite some time more so than anyone else, but he has been linked to all the other coaching vacancies as well. He is a hall-of-fame coach so any vacancy is going to shoot for a coach like him.

However, he is not the right one for Dallas. Neither is Jim Harbaugh, Ben Johnson and all of the other names being mentioned. The right guy for the job is three-time Super Bowl champion and ex-coach of the Tennessee Titans, Mike Vrabel.

Why the Cowboys should hire Mike Vrabel if they fire Mike McCarthy

Vrabel was recently sent home packing from a job he held since 2018. He complied a 54-45 coaching record where his team was over .500 in his first four seasons. He took the Titans to the NFC Championship game in 2019 and was named AP Coach of the Year in 2021.

He is also responsible for having a handful of upset wins during his time in Tennessee. With a team that had faced a lot of challenges, Vrabel somehow still was able to compete with what he had every year. Playing Tennessee was never a cakewalk to say the least and that is the Vrabel effect.

To work with, he was given an aging Ryan Tannehill and countless reserves in his time. At the time of his departure, rookie quarterback Will Levis was the current starter who was treading in the right direction, something to credit Vrabel for.

He delt with losing a star talent only to see him thrive elsewhere (AJ Brown). He had to deal with mis-firing on free agent signings and poor draft choices, that are not only his fault. Vrabel was not delt the best hand but he still competed and that says a lot about him.

The defensive-minded Vrabel had some highs and lows in Tennessee and whether he was recently fired or not, he is a players-coach, and a good one at that. Much like Dan Campbell in Detroit who is passionate and has the up-lifting spirt, Vrabel also encompasses this trait.

He was a hard-nosed football player in his days and that is to be respected from most players. Especially from a defense who just got embarrassed, they can use Vrabel's advice and experience to overcome defeat in the fashion they have too many times in the past.

In Dallas where the players are either upset, questioning themselves and have fallen into a sadness because of the loss, Vrabel can help players shine again. Vrabel has faced adversity at many points in his career and he above any candidates being mentioned, can put himself in the players shoes and be effective.

Yes, there have been countless of ex-players-turned-coaches than did not pan out, but Vrabel is not only getting a vote because he is an ex-player. He has been successful already as a coach and coming to a team with real talent can propel him as a coach and the Cowboys as a franchise.

Ex-NFL player or not, Mike Vrabel can change this team.

How Mike Vrabel can change the Cowboys franchise

The organization will have to decide first what they will do with Dak Prescott's future (contract concerns), Tony Pollards' and more-than-likely deal with the losses of a handful of their quality defensive players.

A successful draft is a goal for the team as well. Beefing up the linebacker position, polishing up the offensive line and adding RB depth should be the teams' top priorities during the draft process in April.

Dallas will have to address these issues while only having five draft picks, therefore you can certainly expect them to be trade talks as the draft gets closer.

Even with the possible loss of talent on both sides, what will be left over would still be the best team Vrabel has ever coach. You can bet that at least CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs and their veteran but still effective offensive line will still be in Dallas in August. That core alone is something Vrabel can work with.

If he would be so kind as to lure Derrick Henry to Dallas along with him, I am sure fans would not mind that either. One can only dream.

The Cowboys will not be a Super Bowl-caliber team week one of the 2024 season by any means. They have a lot to think about from now until training camp rolls around but they do not have the luxury of time. After suffering as big of a let down as they did, a change cannot wait, this team needs revamped as soon as possible.

Coach Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn are likely the first two dominoes to fall in pursuit of this revamping, and finding a replacement for McCarthy first should be Jerry Jones's goal.

This will be a sought after job for any coach as the Cowboys are always on prime-time, a big market team, they are flashy and their level of exposure is like no other, just as much as the pressure of winning here is.

Bill Belichick is the true definition of a "winner", that cannot be denied. However right now in Dallas, a change of culture, an improved team dynamic and getting everyone on the same page towards knowing what they need to do to win is the real question.

Mike Vrabel can be the coach Dallas needs to do all that and much more.

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