Tag: Brian Callahan

Brian Callahan on Will Levis: ‘There’s been some positive developments’

Titans’ head coach Brian Callahan opens up on the progress made by quarterback Will Levis and the factors contributing to that progress.

The Tennessee Titans’ season has not gone well at all. They fell to 2-8 with their 23-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, and in Week 12 they face the AFC South division leading Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

It will be yet another tough test for the Titans, but even in these tough contests, the last few weeks have shown a significant improvement in the play of quarterback Will Levis. Head coach Brian Callahan spoke to the media on Monday about his progress.

First, Callahan discusses the process they’ve used to get Levis to this point. The reps he’s taken, the ability to watch and learn, and the final step is integrating that knowledge into his game. He credits Bryce Oliver for being in the right spot when Levis threw the ball his way after Calvin Ridley’s touchdown was called back for a penalty. But Levis also trusted that his receiver would be in the right place at the right time.

When asked if he thought this was more the coaches scheming up the plays or Levis seeing them better, Callahan replied, “It’s probably both,” citing things Will is doing and he is doing to make these throws happen. “I don’t mean to say that we’ve arrived by any stretch,” Callahan said. “But there’s been some positive developments, and I think we have to keep doing that at a more consistent rate.”

Callahan also commented on the officiating.

He kept it professional and to the point, but it’s clear he wasn’t a fan of how the game was called.

The Titans and Texans face off at 1pm EDT this Sunday.

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Titans’ Brian Callahan: ‘Right tackle is by far the weakest link’

Same game, same result for the Tennessee Titans at the right tackle position, they just aren’t good enough.

The Tennessee Titans lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, and once again, one of their biggest flaws was exposed. The Titans need a right tackle!

The right tackle position has plagued the team this entire season, dating back to training camp, and yet, no matter what changes are made, there is still a major issue. This week, they may have cost the Titans the ball game.  Even head coach Brian Callahan acknowledges this. 


He is absolutely correct: neither he nor offensive line coach Bill Callahan has been able to find a player that can step in and just be average. Nicholas Petit-Frere, Leroy Watson, Isaiah Prince, Jaelyn Duncan or John Ojukwu, none have been able to step in and hold down that spot due to performance issues or injury. 

This begs the question of whether the fundamental issue is the coaching, players, or system. While people on the outside can only speculate about the issues, it is clear that inside the organization, the players are to blame, and they will continue to cycle through body after body to find a solution. 

Maybe it is time for the staff to take a deep dive into their techniques or philosophies; it’s clear that something isn’t working. Unfortunately, the Titans sit in uncharted territory, with the son being the head coach and the father in charge of the worst unit on the team. If this were any other franchise, offensive line coach Bill Callahan would be on the hot seat, but instead here the players are solely on the chopping block. 

The Titans will take on the Houston Texans in Week 12, and maybe during their preparations, they can find a way to put an average right tackle on the field. 

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Titans vs. Chargers: 6 keys to victory in Week 10

The Titans face the Chargers on the road in Week 10 and there are six keys to getting a victory.

The Tennessee Titans hit the road this week and head to the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday. The game features two teams that prefer to run the ball than throw it, but also have capable passers who can launch it down the field. It also features two teams with strong defenses.

The Titans are coming off of a thrilling overtime win, but the Chargers get to wake up in their own beds this week and travel can be a momentum killer. The 5-3 Chargers are favored over the 2-6 Titans for good reason. If the Titans want a shot at winning, there are six things they must do on Sunday.

We still don’t know if Will Levis will suit up on Sunday or not. Indications are that he might play given his increase in practice this week, but that decision has not been made yet. The quarterback play has been much better in recent weeks, and while Nick Holz wants to say it’s not all about the quarterback, a large part of it is. Wide receivers should catch a pass that touches their hands, yes, but if the ball is a wounded duck coming at them, it’s not easy to catch. This can result in drops just as much as receiving mistakes.

Whoever plays quarterback on Sunday, they have to make sure their passes aren’t just accurate, but they are catchable passes. Against a stout Chargers defense, the Titans’ offense can’t afford to make mistakes.

The play calling by Brian Callahan has been better in recent weeks, allowing Tony Pollard to carry the offense and using Mason Rudolph’s experience to get the ball to Calvin Ridley and Nick Wesbrook-Ikhine. That type of play calling has to continue even if Will Levis is the starter on Sunday. Callahan has to remember that Levis is not Rudolph and the plays need to change based on their differences. Levis is more mobile, but he’s less accurate and more prone to turnovers. That has to play a factor in his strategy on Sunday.

The Titans and Chargers both take over 31 seconds in between plays, the most in the NFL. Both also have a run-first mentality, which should keep the clock moving quickly. The Titans have the advantage on defense in this area because those guys are used to playing a LOT of snaps due to all of the injuries this season. Being given that kind of time between plays will give them rest they aren’t used to having.

On offense, it might behoove them to move a little bit faster to throw off the Chargers who will expect more time between snaps.

However they decide to do it, the Titans need to control the clock on Sunday and win the time of possession battle.

Dennard Wilson has his defense coming together nicely this season. It’s hard to miss the impact he has on a defense. Look at the Baltimore Ravens this year, their defense ranks last. That wasn’t the case when Wilson was there last year. Now the Titans have the top defense in the NFL under Wilson and no one can ignore that. Wilson will look for the mismatches on the field and exploit them, it’s what he does best and why his defenses create takeaways, as we saw last week with Amani Hooker.

The Titans’ defense is strong enough to carry this team to victory against the Chargers, so long as the offense doesn’t do anything like throw a pick-six (just saying).

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is in his fifth season in the NFL, and it’s like a switch flipped for him the last two weeks. Westbrook-Ikhine has the most receiving touchdowns on the Titans’ offense this season with four. The last couple of weeks have seen him used more on the field, and he has made the most of those targets since the departure of DeAndre Hopkins. He has become a top target for Mason Rudolph, after Calvin Ridley of course, with Tyler Boyd battling a nagging shoulder injury and Treylon Burks landing on IR. Keeping him involved, no matter who is throwing the ball, is now an integral part of the Titans’ offense.

Over the last few weeks, at least three passes that have gone toward Chig Okonkwo have been picked off. Last week, Josh Whyle committed a foul that negated a Tony Pollard touchdown. Nick Vannett has four touchdowns and is the most reliable tight end the Titans have in regard to catching the ball. He is a capable blocker as well, but Okonkwo and Whyle can make an impact there too. Brian Callahan has to be smart about how he uses these three players. The offense can’t afford mistakes if they want to win this week.

Titans’ Colt Anderson, a walking contradiction

Tennessee Titans special teams coach appears to have no concrete idea of what is wrong with the special teams.

Titans’ special teams coach, Colt Anderson, has had a rough week, to say the least. And things have not improved in the days following the latest meltdown against the Detroit Lions. 

During his media availability on Thursday, things appeared to have gone from bad to worse as media members across the Titanverse bombarded the embattled coach with a wide array of topics, including the effort level of his units. 


“It hasn’t been effort,” Anderson said, “Efforts have never been an issue here.” 

This quote contradicts the postgame fallout, when Anderson went out of his way to discuss the effort in detail. Saying the effort was ‘questionable’ against the Lions and that ‘he couldn’t explain it.’


It is easy to see and explain that the Anderson-coached special teams units are among the worst in the NFL. A contradiction like this points to uncertainty surrounding the core issue and likely confusion on how to address it. Seven games into the season, and after the bye, it is a little late to find out. 

Effort aside, between sloppy coverage and the inability to block, the coach must take responsibility and fix the issue. As many Titans’ fans have said on social media, Anderson has not done enough in 2024, and now those fans have no real idea of what the game-day problem is.

Head coach Brian Callahan has supported Anderson to this point, but if another debacle ensues, changes must be made. If they aren’t, look for the dismal performances and social media outrage to continue. 

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Titans’ Brian Callahan needs to be fired after 2024 season

We examine why the Tennessee Titans should move on from head coach Brian Callahan after just one season.

Brian Callahan took over as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans just over 9 months ago. At the time of his hiring, it was easy to buy into the hype and get excited about an offensive-minded, young head coach.

With that being said, Callahan’s first nine months have gone as bad as humanly possible. Callahan’s tenure has begun so horribly that it’s already time to consider whether the team should cut bait after this season.

Callahan’s Titans are 1-6 heading into Week 9, and it’s hard to identify any positives. First-year HCs often struggle, but they typically show signs of improvement and growth as the year goes on.

In Callahan’s case, however, the team looks worse and worse with every passing week. The Titans are not just rebuilding; they are losing in embarrassing and ugly fashion each week. Every game this team plays looks like it’s the first time they’ve met each other.

Brian Callahan’s offense is worse than his predecessors

Before this season, Callahan was billed as an offensive guru. The coach was credited with helping the development of Joe Burrow and helping design a high-powered Bengals offense.

How has that translated to Tennessee? Well, the Titans are currently 28th in points per game, 31st in passing yards per game, and 30th in yards per game. Offensive guru? The “exotic smashmouth” offenses of Mike Mularkey were much more impressive than those of this unit, as were Mike Vrabel’s units.

Callahan also brought in his father, legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan. The elder Callahan is billed as one of the greatest OL coaches in the NFL. Surely, Bill has at least had success, right?

Nope. The Titans still have a revolving door at right tackle, and the team is 25th in the number of sacks allowed per game. Nicholas Petit-Frere and Jaelyn Duncan have been atrocious when asked to play, somehow even worse than last year. Leroy Watson IV was brought to Tennessee from Cleveland with the elder Callahan, and he’s also been horrendous.

Not one thing the Callahan regime has tried to do thus far has worked. And no, this can’t be blamed on a bad roster.

This is not JUST a roster problem

The Titans spent more money than any other team in free agency this offseason, so the “bad roster” excuse doesn’t fly either. Is this roster perfect? Absolutely not. However, it’s not bad enough to get blown out by 40 points. Callahan has shown an inability to manage games, hold players and coaches accountable, or prepare his team.

The Titans weren’t going to be a Super Bowl contender, no matter who the coach was in 2024. That doesn’t mean they had to be a cellar-dweller, though, but that’s where we are.

Continuity is meaningless if the wrong people are in place

Barring a miracle turnaround, the Titans need to cut bait. This front office already showed they don’t buy into the sunk-cost fallacy as they traded Hopkins away mere months after investing a boatload of money into this team.

That same mindset needs to be in place with Callahan. Continuity is no good if you have the wrong people in place. If Amy Adams Strunk wants Titans fans in seats when the new stadium opens, changes need to be made — and made fast.

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Titans’ Brian Callahan firmly behind Colt Anderson: ‘He knows special teams’

The Tennessee Titans have some on the worst special teams units in the league, but head coach Bill Callahan is firmly behind their coordinator.

There is a famous saying within NFL circles, ‘You are who your record says you are,’ and in this case, it is spot on. No matter how anyone tries to spin it, the 1-6 Tennessee Titans are a bad football team. 

One group on the Titans continues to grow more inept by the week: the special teams (excluding Nick Folk). Early in the season, the unit cost the Titans by allowing multiple blocked punts and likely giving punter Ryan Stonehouse  PTSD with the amount of pressure he was facing. While they might have shored that part of the unit up, they can’t stop anything in the return game now. 


After being shredded by the Detroit Lions, the Titans now lead the league in giving up 454 punt-return yards in seven games. Their next opponent, the New England Patriots, is next at just 312 yards. Those numbers are atrocious, and in a game usually decided by inches, the Titans’ deficiencies in this area are costing them mightily. 

For fans, this is debilitating and one of the most painful parts of the game to watch. But by all appearances it is the status quo for head coach Brian Callahan, who continues to totally support special teams coordinator Colt Anderson. 

For any other team in the league, Anderson would have likely been relieved of his coaching duties after blocked punts in consecutive weeks. But now, after the latest embarrassing performance, Callahan is standing firm beside his hire. 


“(Anderson) Knows special teams,” Callahan has said and has zero intention of making a change. 

Standing by a coach is noble, but change must be made in this case. With a team struggling on offense and a defense that wears down throughout a game, the Titans need special teams to be special, and that does not mean special needs. Right now, the Titans don’t have anything close to competent special teams coaching or performance on the field; it is beyond terrible and nowhere near good enough to be considered NFL caliber. 

Stay tuned for Week 9 action when the Titans take the field Sunday in Nashville against the 2-5 New England Patriots in a critical battle for draft positioning. It will be interesting to see how Anderson’s units help support the cause this week. Going by the early sample size, it will be a mitigated disaster, and they will fall short once again. 

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Titans select QB Shedeur Sanders in latest PFF mock draft

In the latest Pro Football Focus mock draft, the Titans have the second pick and select QB Shedeur Sanders from Colorado.

The Tennessee Titans’ offensive struggles aren’t a secret. In fact, those struggles are plainly and painfully obvious to anyone who watches even a single snap the Titans play. Right now, Amy Adams Strunk says she’s standing by Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan, trusting their process, but something has to change.

That something needs to be the quarterback. Will Levis simply isn’t cutting it on this team. He has potential, but he needs to sit behind a veteran who can mentor him for at least one season (likely more) so he can work on the fundamentals, figure out a better decision-making process, learn not to panic under pressure, etc. Mason Rudolph isn’t proving to be any better, either.

Pro Football Focus released its latest mock draft for 2025 to address that need. After the loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Titans are currently slated to pick second behind the Carolina Panthers. With that second pick, PFF predicts that the Titans will select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of the infamous Deion Sanders.

2. TENNESSEE TITANS: QB SHEDEUR SANDERS, COLORADO

Record: 1-6
PFF Power Ranking: 29
Team Needs: QB, WR, OT

Sanders has the most consistently high-level tape of any quarterback in this draft class. His pocket-passing style would pair seamlessly with head coach Brian Callahan, who spent years working with Joe Burrow as Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator. Together, they could form an ideal quarterback-coach duo.

Sanders may be the most consistent in his class, but that does not mean he is ready for the NFL field. Even if he does pair well with Brian Callahan, is he really a Day 1 starter as a rookie? Because that’s what the Titans need. They need a guy who can come in, take over, and lead this team to the next level.

This is just a mock, though, and even if the Titans pick second, their best bet for a quarterback is to go back to Green Bay and beg for Malik Willis to be returned.

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Titans-Lions Week 8: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The Tennessee Titans lost their Week 8 game against the Detroit Lions. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The Tennessee Titans hit rock bottom on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, where they were humiliated by the high-powered Detroit Lions, 52-14.

For the Titans, it was the second consecutive game in which they had the doors blown off them, although this defeat was far more humiliating for the organization than the Week 7 loss to Buffalo.

Most anticipated there would be losing in Tennessee this year, but precious few could have foreseen just how ugly things would get.

Now let’s take a closer look at the snap counts that contributed to the Titans’ Week 8 loss.

Offensive snaps: 76
Defensive snaps: 48
Special teams snaps: 33

Down 38 points in the fourth quarter, head coach Brian Callahan kept most of his starters on the field. That resulted in an injury to wide receiver Calvin Ridley and unnecessarily put other players at risk.

Callahan is normally resistant to rotating but this took it to an entirely different level.

The Titans got lucky given that Ridley’s injury was minor but it could have been a lot worse. There was no reason to continue using the personnel that was on the field, especially since the game had gotten completely out of hand by that point.

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Titans vs. Lions: 3 causes for concern in Week 8

The Tennessee Titans head to Michigan to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday and here are three causes for concern heading into Week 8.

This Sunday, the Tennessee Titans head to Michigan to face the Detroit Lions. The Titans are 1-5 after six games, while the Lions are 5-1 and lead the NFC North division.

As much as the Buffalo Bills and Titans were polar opposites in Week 7, the Lions and Titans are equally as opposite. Jared Goff has exploded onto the scene as a reliable and consistent leader on the field. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are sharing time and making the most of it. Even with the loss of Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions’ defense still presents a problem for the Titans.

The Titans have their work cut out for them on the road and there are three major causes for concern in Week 8.

Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

Offensive woes are a persistent problem

Titans head coach Brian Callahan admits there’s a problem at right tackle. Leroy Watson played well against Indianapolis and didn’t allow a single sack but was penalized twice which resulted in Nicholas Petit-Frere getting back on the field against Buffalo. And we all know how that went.

On top of the offensive line issues, the Titans just traded away their top receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs. This still leaves them with Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd. And with Treylon Burks on injured reserve (IR), rookie Jha’Quan Jackson will likely see some playing time.

The thing is, if the quarterback, which looks to be Mason Rudolph as of right now, can’t get the ball to the receivers, then it doesn’t matter which receivers are on the field. Rudolph struggled against Buffalo in Week 7, and Week 8 against the Lions isn’t going to be any different.

Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

Defensive changes will impact on-field play

The Titans traded away Ernest Jones IV on Wednesday. It was the second trade of the day, and this one had a bigger impact than the Hopkins trade. Jones was a leader among the defense, he is second in tackles behind Kenneth Murray Jr., and while he hasn’t recorded any sacks this season, his presence on the field will be missed.

On top of that trade, the Titans made it known that Harold Landry III is on the trading block and the team is open to offers. Landry will still go out there and play and he will do his job to the best of his ability, but that has to be in the back of his head and could affect how well he plays on Sunday.

The Titans’ defense is riddled with injuries, and with how this season started, it’s clear that Ran Carthon is looking forward and brushing this season off as a loss. Whether that’s his intention or not, that’s the perception, and you better believe it impacts how every player on the team performs.

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The locker room is frustrated, morale is down

Losing games. Trading key players. The same problems happening week after week. The Titans’ locker room is frustrated, and it’s not just the receivers. No one likes losing, and the people who are most impacted by the losses are the players trying their hardest on the field. There is nothing more frustrating as an athlete than doing your own part and doing everything in your power to win a game, only to lose it because of coaching or front office issues.

That’s where the Titans are this week. Brian Callahan’s inability to make in-game adjustments has cost them at least three of their six games. Ran Carthon’s decision to trade both Hopkins and Jones feels like a gut punch,and is a clear indication that the Titans are going to rebuild, and they’re starting now.

When players are frustrated, they don’t play well. When they don’t play well, their mood comes down and turns to anger. Continuing to lose amplifies those feelings. Carthon just dropped a match on a tinder box filled to the brim, and it’s going to explode. Probably on Sunday if (when) they lose.

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Brian Callahan must fix Titans’ offensive problems immediately

Two specific stats prove that Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan has to fix the offensive problems immediately.

The Tennessee Titans knew this season would be tough, but they really didn’t think it would be this tough. The backslide is somewhat expected under a new coaching regime, but they aren’t showing any signs of improvement or that things will change.

Head coach Brian Callahan knows he has a problem with the offensive line and with second-half collapses. But does he know just how bad his team is this season? Two interesting and somewhat crazy stats have been circulating lately.

That first one, zero net yards on every single first down for the rest of the game after going up 10-0 against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. Zero. How does Callahan let that happen? That’s not a player issue, that is a coaching issue.

The second one, well, the Titans are probably getting tired of hearing how well Derrick Henry is doing in a different uniform, but this one has to be a gut punch. The Titans’ quarterbacks have less than 900 net yards passing, combined. That’s less than 150 yards per game.

Some of the problem is with Callahan’s play calling, some of it is protection, some of it is decision making, plus other game-day factors not mentioned here. Brian Callahan has to figure out what he can control and fix those things. But one way or another, he has to start fixing this offense.

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