Titans head coach Mike Vrabel plans to keep the Tennessee coaching staff intact, rejecting the notion offensive coordinator Todd Downing should be demoted or fired after a DUI arrest last week.
“We’ll continue forward with how things work with Todd as our offensive coordinator,” Vrabel said Tuesday. “Now, those things could change. At any point in time when we hear from the league, you know, the legal process — those things can obviously change.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reached out to clubs with the threat of “significant discipline” for violating a policy prohibiting alcohol at team facilities and while traveling on team planes and buses.
Downing was arrested for driving under the influence and speeding at 4 a.m. on Friday, hours after Tennessee defeated the Green Bay Packers.
The Titans returned to Nashville after midnight following the win in Wisconsin.
Williamson County Sheriff’s records show Downing’s bond was set at $2,500 for charges of DUI and speeding implemented by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. He was processed at 4:39 a.m. and released at 6:46 a.m., according to the county’s jail records.
The 42-year-old Downing called plays in the Titans’ most productive performance of the season at Lambeau Field with 408 total yards in a 27-17 win that included a touchdown pass from running back Derrick Henry.
The Titans opened the season 0-2, with a 21-20 loss to the New York Giants at home and then a lopsided 41-7 defeat at Buffalo.
Fans called for Downing to be replaced but Vrabel said the Titans would stay the course.
“We’re just not gonna do that,” Vrabel said in September. “That’s not something that’s going to happen right now. I’ve had confidence in our staff and confidence in the guys that we put out there … I appreciate everybody’s opinion.”
Since the rocky start, the AFC South-leading Titans (7-3) have won seven of their last eight games.
–Field Level Media