FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 1st, 2018

MIKE VRABEL SPEAKS WITH PETER KING FOR “FOOTBALL MORNING IN AMERICA” EXCLUSIVELY ON NBCSPORTS.COM

“Doug (Pederson) is the gold standard when it comes to making bold moves like this.” – Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel on Risky Decisions

“Football Morning in America” Runs Every Monday Exclusively on NBCSports.com

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 1, 2018 – Peter King’s Week 4 edition of “Football Morning in America,” available now exclusively on NBCSports.com, features an interview with Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. This week’s edition also includes an in-depth look at the first four weeks of the regular-season, “What I Learned” with former Giants DL Osi Umenyiora, awards, quotes, travel notes, and more.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of “Football Morning in America”:

MIKE VRABEL

  • Vrabel on assistant John ‘Stretch’ Streicher: “Stretch has been valuable for me and our staff. He advises me on replay, timeouts, the clock. In this case, even when the field-goal team was on the field for us, I thought we should go for the win. The odds of making a 50-yard field goal are probably slightly better than making a fourth-and-two at that point in the game against that defense. But I just thought of our players—they love going for it. I thought how tough Marcus was, and how much confidence I had in him. Plus, I guess ties help you, but I don’t know. We didn’t want a tie, even against a great team like this one.”
  • Vrabel on going for it on fourth down: “I think people are more conscious of making [risky] decisions like this than ever before. I studied Philadelphia a lot this offseason. Doug is the gold standard when it comes to making bold moves like this.

“WHAT I LEARNED” WITH OSI UMENYIORA

  • Umenyiora on the value of the quarterback: “When I came into the NFL [in 2003], we were taught to think of the NFL as a game. But then you see the quarterbacks and what they mean. I mean, Von Miller and Rob Gronkowski and Odell Beckham are huge players in the NFL. But nobody determines the outcomes of games like franchise quarterbacks. Watch what happens to the 49ers now; watch the viewers turn them off with Jimmy Garoppolo down now.”
  • Umenyiora on the difficulty of being a pass-rusher today: “I understand how tough it is to get to the quarterback. They throw the ball quicker and quicker. And I understand the pain of the pass-rusher today. It’s a really, really difficult job now, a tough position to be in. You’re asking guys to change the way they play football. I hate to see it. But those are the rules that are going to be enforced.”

Read the rest of the column here.

A new “Football Morning in America” will post every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com. It was announced in May that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on NBCSN’s and NBC Sports Radio’s PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

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