Titans assistant Jim Haslett has coached many players during his years he has spent with seven NFL teams. One of those players was Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
So it is obvious why Haslett now is in Tennessee.
The inside linebackers coach spoke to beat writers this week, his first news conference since taking the job.
“I was involved in drafting Mike when we coached in Pittsburgh, and I coached him for a few years, and then I worked with [tight ends coach] Todd Downing on the staff,” Haslett said, via Jim Wyatt of the team website. “You get to know the head coach and you kind of know what he stands for, and you watch tape, and you watch how the players play, and that kind of won me over. They do a great job. The players play hard. They love football. They like being around one another. I think it’s more of the atmosphere than it is anything [else].”
Haslett spent three seasons (2016-18) as the linebackers coach for the Bengals. Haslett also has 12 seasons of experience as an NFL coordinator – New Orleans (1996), Pittsburgh (1997-99), St. Louis (2006-08) and Washington (2010-14).
When he was the defensive coordinator with the Steelers, Haslett coached Vrabel.
“As a player, he was kind of how he is now,” Haslett said. “He was really smart, played a lot of different positions, tough as nails, loved the game. You could tell his love for the game and still is today. That’s a common reason you want to work with and work for.”
