48-year-old led team to 2019 AFC championship game

Vrabel was appointed as Titans head coach in 2018 and led them to four straight winning seasons, including a trip to the AFC championship game in the 2019 season. Vrabel was named NFL coach of the year in the 2021 season but the team had losing records in 2022 and 2023 – and went 6-18 in his last 24 games – and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Titans want to overhaul their staff. The Titans finished the 2023 season with a 6-11 record, although five of their losses were by four points or fewer.

“I will never shy away from acknowledging that I have unapologetically high expectations for the football team and every aspect of the Titans organization, the team’s controlling owner, Amy Adams Strunk, said in a statement. “Our vision is not simply to produce more wins than losses, it is to regularly compete for championships. While this season was disappointing, I see early signs of progress taking shape. Last year we added a promising young quarterback and several other talented players to our roster. With a coaching search, enviable cap space, and Top 10 draft position, this offseason is as important as any in our history. I’m excited for the weeks and months ahead. We will meet the moment.”

The Titans’ star running back Derrick Henry was surprised when he was told of the firing.

“Wow. Wow. I’m shocked. Coach Vrabel is a leader of men. He is a great coach and teacher,” Henry told the Athletic. “I know he will get another opportunity right away. I look forward to it.”

Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a player with the Patriots, has been tipped by some as Bill Belichick’s successor as head coach in New England.

Well, 2023 didn’t exactly go to plan, did it?

Here in the UK, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had promised us a government of stability and competence – not forgetting professionalism, integrity and accountability – after the rollercoaster ride of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Remember Liz? These days she seems like a long forgotten comedy act. Instead, Sunak took us even further through the looking-glass into the Conservative psychodrama.

Elsewhere, the picture has been no better. In the US, Donald Trump is now many people’s favourite to become president again. In Ukraine, the war has dragged on with no end in sight. The danger of the rest of the world getting battle fatigue and losing interest all too apparent. Then there is the war in the Middle East and not forgetting the climate crisis …

But a new year brings new hope. There are elections in many countries, including the UK and the US. We have to believe in change. That something better is possible. The Guardian will continue to cover events from all over the world and our reporting now feels especially important. But running a news gathering organisation doesn’t come cheap.