Tag: Bill Callahan

Titans’ Brian Callahan on hiring Bill: ‘There was no family discount’

The Titans needed Bill Callahan so badly that they could have handed him a blank check and nobody would’ve batted an eye.

Just in case you thought Tennessee Titans esteemed offensive line coach Bill Callahan might have reduced his normal asking price just to work with his son, Brian Callahan, think again.

During a recent episode of “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” Brian said that Bill did not take a family discount to come to Nashville.

“You gotta negotiate,” Callahan said. “Business is business, and he [Bill Callahan] said, ‘If I’m gonna do this, here’s X, Y and Z what I’m gonna need.’ There was no family discount, if anybody’s wondering…”

Nor should there have been.

After all, Callahan is one of the best in the business at his job and was also taking on a difficult task in helping Tennessee rebuild its offensive line, which had been one of the worst in the NFL for two straight years.

The truth is, the Titans could have handed Callahan a blank check and told him to name his price and nobody would have batted an eye. That’s how bad Tennessee needed him.

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Titans sign former Browns OT Geron Christian

Another former Brown is off the market.

The Cleveland Browns turned to Geron Christian down the stretch of their season after the season-ending injuries to offensive tackles Jedrick Wills, Dawand Jones, and Jack Conklin. Now, Christian has signed with the Tennessee Titans.

While Christian had his struggles with the Browns, filling in as the starting left tackle, there are not many players or teams who can prepare for their fourth and fifth-string offensive tackles to fill in successfully.

This makes the second Browns offensive tackle from a year ago to land with former Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan and the Titans, joining LeRoy Watson (who was traded for a seventh round pick before the 2024 NFL draft).

Christian faces an uphill battle to make the final 53-man roster with the Titans, who just drafted Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham in the first round. However, the Titans do lack depth along their offensive line, so with a strong camp Christian could pull through.

Titans’ Bill Callahan raves about JC Latham’s work ethic

Titans OL coach Bill Callahan revealed that the work ethic JC Latham has displayed is not something he’s seen out of most first-rounders.

All offseason long we’ve heard praise for Tennessee Titans 2024 first-round pick and offensive tackle JC Latham’s work ethic, something offensive line coach Bill Callahan has had a front-row seat to witness.

Following the team’s final practice of organized team activities on Tuesday, Callahan raved about what he’s seen from Latham.

“(Latham is) built a little bit differently from the mental aspect from most first-rounders I’ve been around,” Callahan said, per Jim Wyatt. “He’ll always do the extra, he’s always out here everyday. Of course, you know the story about (general manager) Ran (Carthon) chasing him out of the rain here a few weeks ago.

“But he’s always doing things to improve his craft, which is fun, it’s enjoyable as a coach. You yearn for players like that in your room, because they’re great examples for the other guys in the room to learn from. But he’s really obsessive about getting everything correct. He’s a perfectionist that way, so it’s fun to watch him go back out on the field and correct something that he wants to get better at.”

Bear in mind, Callahan has seen a lot of football players over his illustrious coaching career, so that makes his praise even more noteworthy.

Latham recently spoke about his work ethic, saying that late NBA and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was a big inspiration for him. He also revealed he started to ramp things up when he was in high school and had to switch from defensive line to offensive line.

You can check out Latham’s full comments right here.

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Titans’ Lloyd Cushenberry talks learning from Bill Callahan, JC Latham’s progress

Titans center Lloyd Cushenberry on OL coach Bill Callahan: “I feel like I’ve learned everything.”

The Tennessee Titans made a massive upgrade at center this offseason with the signing of former Denver Bronco, Lloyd Cushenberry, who is one of the better players at his position in the NFL.

Upon signing with the Titans, Cushenberry, who inked a four-year, $50 million deal, wanted to lead by example, seeing as how he’s never been very vocal in the past.

“It’s been pretty cool,” Cush said of joining the Titans, per Jim Wyatt. “Like I said, when I first got here, I just wanted to come in and lead by example. I’ve never been a big talker or rah-rah motivational guy. My mindset coming in was just showing these guys what type of worker I am, what kind of mindset I have everyday. The biggest thing is just being the same guy everyday, not too high, not too low.”

One of the big pluses for Cushenberry going to Nashville has been the opportunity to work under a legendary offensive line coach like Bill Callahan. Despite having four years in the league, Cush is learning plenty from the esteemed coach.

“I feel like I’ve learned everything,” Cush said with a smile. “He’s been teaching us so much, just about the history of the game, the history of these plays. He recalled a few plays from 2009 when he was with the Jets when Brett Favre got hurt because something didn’t happen upfront. Along with that, just the detail. It’s been great.”

Another piece of the Titans’ revamped offensive line is first-round pick JC Latham, who, by all accounts, is off to a phenomenal start, especially when it comes to his work ethic.

Cushenberry is pleased with what he’s seen from Latham thus far.

“He’s been great,” Cushenberry said. “He’s completely buying in, very smart, has came along and picked up this offense pretty well. Him and Pete (Skoronski) have been working great together, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses throughout the season.”

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Browns: Wyatt Teller talks about the difference between Bill Callahan and Andy Dickerson

What does the veteran see as the difference between the two?

The Cleveland Browns did the right thing, letting former offensive line coach Bill Callahan leave to join his son after he became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. How many chances could you get to do something like that? In the end, the team lost one of the greatest coaches ever to coach the offensive line and replaced him with a well-respected coach in Andy Dickerson.

During last week’s OTA practice, veteran right guard Wyatt Teller was asked about the difference in coaching styles between the two.

“Yeah, well, I would say Bill (Callahan) was pretty hands-on. He’d get in your face if you messed up, but no, very much so. It’s just a very different energy. You know, Bill, I don’t think Bill wasn’t – I mean, he would raise his voice, but he wasn’t the one who’s screaming. Usually he’d get coach (Scott) Peters to start screaming at us if we really messed up, but no, you know, Coach Andy (Dickerson), he’s awesome. You know, he’s getting after us, making sure we’re running, making sure that we’re going to the right places and everything like that. I mean, that doesn’t change from coach to coach. But, yeah, no, it’s a little bit of a transition. It’s different. But at the end of the day, he learned under Bill. So, a lot of his techniques, a lot of his jargon is Bill stuff.”

As Teller noted, Dickerson did some learning with Callahan, and having similar techniques and jargon will help for a smooth transition between the two in 2024.

Hiring Bill Callahan named Titans’ best offseason move

In a recent article naming the best offseason move for each team, the hiring of Bill Callahan was the choice for the Titans.

As soon as the Tennessee Titans hired head coach Brian Callahan, it was immediately believed he could bring his dad, Bill, with him. Thankfully, Callahan ended up doing just that.

The hiring of Bill Callahan is massive, as not only have the Titans had some lackluster offensive line coaches in recent years, Callahan is also one of the best in the business at his job.

And that isn’t lost on The Athletic’s Mike Sando, who recently named the esteemed offensive line coach as the Titans move he liked the most.

Here’s what Sando said:

Getting offensive line coach Bill Callahan out of his Browns contract so he could join the Titans under his head-coaching son was big for Tennessee, which needs its line to improve overnight.

No argument here, especially when you consider how dreadful the Titans’ offensive line has been the past few years. Simply adding the legendary offensive line coach will improve things upfront, which, in turn, helps quarterback Will Levis, something that is paramount in 2024.

Callahan’s most important tasks will be helping JC Latham switch from right tackle to left tackle, while also furthering the development of second-year guard and 2023 first-round pick, Peter Skoronski.

Tennessee also has a pair of starting spots to figure out on the right side, and Callahan should be able to help all of the candidates get better along the way.

We’ve already seen the impact Callahan is having. Several offensive linemen have sung his praises in terms of how he operates, and he even brought new sleds that he invented with him to Nashville.

“It’s designed in a way to more accurately mimic what it feels like to have to clamp and brace on what a normal defender would feel like,” the younger Callahan explained. “Some of the old-school sleds, they don’t really give you that same balance issue. And they’re really hard to move, I can’t tell you how hard those things are to move, and to move straight. Because they tip and they’re off balance, they’re meant to really stress guys’ ability to strengthen their core, keeping their hands tight and be able to drive the sled vertically, as opposed to getting all off kilter. It’s a balance thing. So, there’s a lot of indoctrination that goes into those sleds. Our guys, even now, it’s taken them a couple of weeks to feel good about moving them the way they’re supposed to move. It’s fun to watch, I like watching those guys do it but they improve pretty quickly, it happens fast.”

If you aren’t giddy already for what the hire of Callahan means for this team, check yourself for a pulse and/or simply read up more on how well-respected he is. The move should pay huge dividends in 2024 and beyond.

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Titans’ T’Vondre Sweat weighs in on NBA players in NFL debate

Titans DT T’Vondre Sweat shared his thoughts on the age-old debate about if NBA players could play in the NFL and vice versa.

Tennessee Titans rookie defensive lineman  T’Vondre Sweat recently gave his input on a debate that’s been circulating online over the last week, and really, for several years now.

The debate was reignited when former NBA player Austin Rivers made the claim that NBA players could play in the NFL right now, but not the other way around. Several NFL players took exception to this, including former Green Bay Packer James Jones.

After the first day of rookie minicamp, Sweat was asked if he has any basketball talent.

“I’m a hooper, too, so if anybody wants to get on that court,” Sweat said, before revealing he can dunk.

Finally, Sweat was asked if he thought NBA players could play in the NFL or vice versa. Sweat didn’t take long to respond and was definitive in his answer.

“Basketball players can’t play in the NFL. Too soft,” the rookie declared.

Sweat was a dominant force at Huntsville High School in Texas for both the basketball and football teams. The 366-pound Sweat decided to stick with football, but his athleticism would shock you.

At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Sweat ran a 5.27 40-yard dash, which is incredible given his massive frame.

The rookie will be looked at to immediately contribute on the line for the Titans in 2024. Clearly, confidence won’t be an issue.

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Titans’ JC Latham details working with OL coach Bill Callahan

Titans first-round pick and OT JC Latham touched on what it’s like working with OL coach Bill Callahan.

The Tennessee Titans are hoping that first-round pick and offensive tackle JC Latham can make the switch from right tackle, where he played in college, to left tackle, where the team needs him most.

Thankfully, Latham has quite a helping hand to achieve that feat after the Titans hired esteemed offensive line coach Bill Callahan this offseason. If there’s anybody who can get Latham ready to go, it’s Callahan, who is a believer in Latham being able to make the switch.

“No. 1, his athleticism, and then, of course, all of the measurable traits that he has. And then you add in size, power, strength, and it adds up to making that move (from right tackle to left tackle),” Callahan said of why he thinks Latham is capable of going from right to left tackle. “I think if you have the athleticism and you have strength and you have the muscle memory to change some skill sets, I think it’s doable.”

Callahan and Latham finally took their work to the actual practice field on Friday for the first day of rookie minicamp. Thanks to videos from beat writers, the veteran coach could be seen working extensively with the rookie.

Latham got his hands on one of the sleds Callahan invented and after having some trouble initially, the Alabama product finally got the 360-pound sled moving.

“At ‘Bama, we have a sled similar to it, not exactly like that, but we just put our coaches on it,” Latham said, per John Glennon of Nashville Post. “So it’s kind of the same in that sense. But it really emphasizes technique.

“On my first rep, where [Callahan] wanted us to move it, I kind of shot out my hips and kind of got [the sled] straight up, and if you get it straight up, you’re not going to move it as a D-lineman. It will be a stalemate. So you really kind of got to gradually drive as you rise with your hips. So that’s something that I was learning as I went. But it really emphasizes [technique].”

Latham went into detail about Callahan’s approach to teaching, which includes a very direct way of telling a player they didn’t do well on a particular rep.

“He’s very, very intricate with the detail of the work,” Latham said. “And he’ll let you know, if you had a bad rep, he’ll just tell you your rep sucked. But if you did good, he’ll let you know you did good. He’ll let you know areas to improve in and he’s really intricate.”

Latham also talked about how it is working with Callahan when they’re not on the field and rightly called him “a great coach.”

“Even in the meetings, he’ll show us the film, what it should look like, how it’s supposed to be done,” Latham explained. “He’ll talk to us about it. And then he’ll even just grab one of the guys and be like, `Hey, let me see you do this, do this, do that.’

“He grabbed me out earlier when we were in the meeting and we were going over our stance, and I was in my stance for like two minutes, so [he was] just trying to show us and show me how to keep the knee bend and the weight distribution and all that. But he’s a great coach.”

Latham clearly isn’t taking his opportunity in the NFL lightly, as he looked to be in great shape. That, along with having a guru like Callahan, should make fans confident that Latham will be successful in making the switch.

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Titans OL coach Bill Callahan literally invented his own sled

On Friday, Titans head coach Brian Callahan talked about the new sleds the team was using that were invented by his dad, Bill.

As if Tennessee Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan didn’t bring enough to the table already with his being one of the best in the business at his job, he’s also an inventor.

During the first day of rookie minicamp, Titans players were using new sleds, dubbed “Olga” and “Bertha”, both of which were invented by Callahan during his time in Washington.

“Some background on this new sled: Was invented by O-line coach Bill Callahan,” Jim Wyatt wrote. “It weighs 380 pounds, per Latham. I’ve watched every lineman struggle with it during offseason program. Latham figured out the right technique to move it pretty quickly.”

“It’s designed in a way to more accurately mimic what it feels like to have to clamp and brace on what a normal defender would feel like,” head coach Brian Callahan explained. “Some of the old-school sleds, they don’t really give you that same balance issue. And they’re really hard to move, I can’t tell you how hard those things are to move, and to move straight. Because they tip and they’re off balance, they’re meant to really stress guys’ ability to strengthen their core, keeping their hands tight and be able to drive the sled vertically, as opposed to getting all off kilter. It’s a balance thing. So, there’s a lot of indoctrination that goes into those sleds. Our guys, even now, it’s taken them a couple of weeks to feel good about moving them the way they’re supposed to move. It’s fun to watch, I like watching those guys do it but they improve pretty quickly, it happens fast.”

The Titans will be back on the practice field for Day 2 of rookie minicamp on Saturday. You can check out some of the highlights from Friday’s session right here.

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Titans’ Bill Callahan explains why he joined son Brian in Tennessee

Titans OL coach Bill Callahan explained why he joined his son, Brian, after he got the head coach job.

As soon as the Tennessee Titans hired Brian Callahan to be their next head coach, speculation ran rampant about his father, Bill, possibly joining the staff.

And that’s exactly what ended up happening, which is significant because he’s one of the best in the business at his job.

Callahan touched on joining his son in Tennessee on Thursday.

“I just felt compelled to help him,” Callahan said, per Jim Wyatt. “I felt that at this juncture of my career – God willing, how many years do I have left? I just really wanted to help him. I wanted to help the Titans, and help (Brian) succeed. It was really kind of a no-brainer in that regard. It’s family, and I want to see him succeed just like any parent wants to see their children succeed. It’s rare, it’s unique, and so, yeah, I’m fired up about it.”

Making the addition of Bill even more significant is the fact that the Titans have had no shortage of offensive line issues in recent years, and now the team is in the process of rebuilding the group.

Tennessee drafted Peter Skoronski in 2023 to play left guard, and they spent another first-round pick in 2024 on JC Latham, who the team hopes will fill the void at left tackle. On top of those moves, Tennessee signed Lloyd Cushenberry to play center.

But Callahan will also be tasked with developing players the Titans hope can fill the starting roles at right tackle and right guard, a group that includes Dillon Radunz, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Jaelyn Duncan.

Radunz figures to battle it out with veteran Daniel Brunskill at right guard, and NPF and Duncan will be among those vying for the right tackle spot.

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