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Taron DavenportESPN
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — New Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carson received the welcome of a lifetime to begin his first day of work on Thursday. Along the stairs, the executive manager, Amy Adams Strunk, ushered Carson into the facility to a standing ovation.
Titans manager Mike Vrabel wasn’t on the welcoming committee, but his excitement was clearly running high at Carson’s introductory press conference on Friday.
Vrabel and Carthon’s relationship is one of the most important for Titans going forward. Mr. Strunk wanted the next general manager to be “talented in all areas, but most of all, someone who can work together.”
That was one of the main reasons Carson was hired to help reload the Titans’ roster after the 7-10 season ended with seven straight losses.
There was a certain constant whenever questions about roster management or player decisions were directed at Carson.
“One thing I can take away from that is that it goes back to the word collaboration,” Carton said. But if we can’t bring in the players we need to match Mike’s system, it won’t work.”
Carson said building his relationship with Vrabel is a top priority as he begins his tenure with the Titans. Together they must come up with a plan to build a roster.
For Carthon, it’s important to first identify a vision for Vrabel and the coaching staff, then find the right players to execute it.
Vrabel and Carthon didn’t meet in person until last Tuesday when he was hired. But they have some things in common.
Carson was a running back for the Indianapolis Colts from 2004 to 2006, finishing his final season with the Detroit Lions in 2006. Vrabel would have faced Carson when he was with the New England Patriots, but Carson was not in the game.
Vrabel’s first season with the Kansas City Chiefs was in 2009, the first year that Ran’s father, Maurice, also joined the team as running back coach. Elder Carson also played fullback for the New York Giants.
“I just believe in his history,” Vrabel said. “I believe where he’s been, his lineage, what he believes about building relationships.”
“He’s a former player who grew up around the game,” Strunk said of Carson. “He appreciates his talent and has a strong record of successfully building rosters with multiple teams.”
Vrabel also admitted that a long conversation with Carthon felt like 15 minutes. He said it’s an indicator of how comfortable they are with each other already.
Carson’s time as director of professional and player personnel in San Francisco gave him a front row seat to how the relationship between general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan blossomed. Lynch hired Shanahan and Carson in 2017 to help rebuild the 49ers team after he had only won two games the year before. This resulted in three NFC Championship Game appearances and one Super Bowl appearance in six years.
“The best thing I’ve seen is when the head coach and the GM are aligned,” Kurton said.
The 41-year-old wants to learn the systems and processes already in place, so he vowed not to come here and make drastic changes.
However, analytics is an area that needs adjustment. Titans was one of the last teams to venture into the world of analytics when in August 2021 he hired Matt Iammarino as an assistant developer/analytics researcher.
Time in San Francisco helped Carson understand the collaboration between traditional film viewing and the analytical approach that assists talent assessment. Carson shared an example of how the amalgamation of the two concepts helped the University of Louisiana oust Elijah Mitchell in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.
Then 49ers R&D manager Demetrius Washington came to Carson and told him that his “numbers” were the best outside zone for a running back in the draft for Mitchell. He wanted Carson to take a traditional rating approach by watching the game.Movies.
Kurton agreed with Washington, so they took the findings to Shanahan. is.
In 2021, injuries put the rookie on the job, and Mitchell’s 963 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games helped propel the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game.
This is an example of collaboration working well. This is what needs to happen in Tennessee.
It looks like Carthon is already on the same page as Vrabel as far as playstyle is concerned. Both want to be able to have their physical brand of football built towards the end of the season.
“It’s cute playing Golden State Warriors football in October and September,” Carson said. Run well and be able to defend better.
“When you look at the teams that are still in the playoffs and are still playing at this stage, everyone can move the ball and win the championship.”
