Tag: Brian Callahan

Titans HC Callahan shares insight on potential RB usage as training camp opens

Callahan talks how the Titans running back usage could look this summer.

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan addressed the media as training camp opened on Tuesday. The first-year head coach fielded a number of questions surrounding a roster that saw turnover at key positions.

Among those was the departure of superstar running back Derrick Henry, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens after spending his first eight years in Nashville.

In what figures to be one of the more compelling position battles in camp, Callahan was asked about the running backs room, specifically, if Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard would be named the starting running back going into the season.

Callahan did not commit to either player at this time but indicated that both guys could see their fair share of playing time in the backfield.

“The fun part for me is: How are we going to deploy those guys?” Callahan said via Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “Maybe they both play at the same time, maybe one gets hot and you let him run, maybe we just rotate back and forth. I don’t know what that’s going to look like yet. But they are both going to play quite a bit of football for us, and I don’t view either one of them as a starter or a backup. They are both starting players to me.”

With a franchise pillar in Henry exiting this offseason, it was a fair question, especially considering how pass-centric the NFL has become. 

Spears had a solid rookie season in 2023, rushing for 453 yards on 100 carries and two touchdowns. The Tulane standout also hauled in 52 receptions for 385 yards and one touchdown.

Pollard joins the team after signing a three-year, $21.750 million contract in free agency. The 27-year-old, who played college football at Memphis, had a strong 2023 season in what was his first year as the feature running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Pollard rushed for 1,005 yards and scored six touchdowns, and he was also heavily involved in the passing game, bringing in 55 receptions for 311 yards.

Tennessee bolstered its offensive skill positions in the offseason to support second-year quarterback Will Levis as he takes over as the full-time starter in Callahan’s pass-first offense.

Despite this, Spears and Pollard are expected to have significant roles in the Titans’ new-look ground game this season. Both players will have the chance to display their skill set throughout training camp and the preseason.

3 bold stat predictions for the Tennessee Titans in 2024

Three bold predictions for the Titans in 2024, including Will Levis going over 4,000 passing yards.

Good news, Titans fans. All players will report for training camp this week, meaning we are that much closer to seeing real football.

The team has certainly added talent on both sides of the ball, but perhaps no player is more important than young quarterback Will Levis. Levis showed flashes of greatness as a rookie, but the Titans are counting on the young passer to take another step forward in 2024 with a better supporting cast.

The team added veteran receivers Tyler Boyd and Calvin Ridley this offseason. Running back Tony Pollard was added to offset the loss of Derrick Henry, and the offensive line was beefed up by adding rookie JC Latham and free agent Lloyd Cushenberry. It certainly seems like Levis will have every opportunity to prove himself in 2024.

With that being said, let’s identify three bold stat predictions for the Titans in 2024.

Rich Storry/Getty Images

Will Levis will throw for 4,000+ yards

The Tennessee Titans have never had a passer throw for 4,000 yards in a single season. Ryan Tannehill currently holds the team’s single-season record with 3,819 yards in 2020.

Why will Will Levis be the first QB to do so? Well, his supporting cast is arguably the best in franchise history. DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd give the young QB a trio of experienced pass catchers to target. Additionally, Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow eclipsed 4,000 yards twice under Brian Callahan’s tutelage.

Add in that the Titans no longer have Derrick Henry to give the ball to 25 times a game, and all the ingredients are there for Levis to have a huge season.

Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins will both eclipse 1,000 receiving yards

In 2023, both Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards. In 2024, look for the duo to repeat that stat, this time as teammates.

As mentioned above, all expectations should be that Levis is going to have a huge year. If Levis eclipses 4,000 yards, then that also means Ridley and Hopkins will have huge years. Both veterans have shown the ability to rack up yards, and there’s no reason to think there won’t be enough targets to go around.

Tyler Boyd hasn’t surpassed 1,000 yards since 2019, and neither Nick Westbrook-Ikhine nor Treylon Burks have shown an ability to produce like that. This means Levis could end up relying on his two star receivers, and both could end up with Pro Bowl-caliber seasons because of that.

Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cedric Gray will collect 100+ tackles

Cedric Gray was a tackling machine in college. From 2021-2023, the linebacker collected at least 100 tackles in each season for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Coming to the Titans as a fourth-round pick, many would probably expect Gray to be a backup and/or a special teamer as a rookie. However, the former Tar Heel has his eyes on the green dot and could end up starting from Week One. Gray is slightly undersized and isn’t the best in pass coverage, but he attacks the ball and doesn’t shy away from contact.

The Titans brought in Kenneth Murray in free agency, but the other inside linebacker spot is up for grabs. Last season, we saw Azeez Al-Shaair blow past 100 tackles for the Titans. The rookie Gray could easily do the same in his first season in Nashville.

Titans’ Amani Hooker: ‘I am able to do my job now’ with new CBs

Amani Hooker explained why the Titans’ new cornerbacks will allow him to “do my job now.”

The Tennessee Titans’ roster overwent an overhaul this offseason, and perhaps no group underwent more changes than the secondary.

In addition to a new coaching staff, the secondary also added two new starters. L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie were brought in to start at cornerback, replacing Kristian Fulton and Sean Murphy-Bunting.

One holdover in the secondary is safety Amani Hooker. The veteran defensive back is the second-longest tenured Titan alongside Jeffery Simmons. Only Harold Landry has been with the team longer than those two.

Despite his extended tenure in Nashville, Hooker has to start from scratch in 2024 after the change at head coach.

“It’s all about accountability, with me as well,” Hooker said, per Jim Wyatt. “This is all new for me – it’s a new style, a new defense, new scheme, so just like everyone else is learning, I am doing the same thing. But my job is to make sure everyone learns at a progressive level and we’re doing it together as a unit.”

“I’ll just say it’s a lot more aggressive,” Hooker said of the defense under Dennard Wilson. “There’s times when it can be aggressive and there’s times when not to, so our coaches are doing a good job teaching that.”

Hooker has lived through staff changes before, so having his presence in the locker room will help the young guys get acclimated. Having two talented corners in Sneed and Chido will be a huge help, also.

“We have two dogs – we have Chido and Sneed out there,” Hooker said. “I can’t wait to go full speed with them, with the pads on. I have been watching them make plays for the other team against us, so I am excited that they’re on our team now and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

It’s no secret that the Titans’ secondary struggled in 2023. For example, Fulton ended with a pitiful 46.4 PFF grade and allowed 37 receptions on 51 targets. Hooker perhaps threw shade at his former teammates, saying he will be able to “do my job now” because he can bank on the fact that Sneed and Awuzie will be in the right places.

“These guys have proven they can be in the right position to make the plays, and when I’m out there I am able to do my job now, and start searching for plays as they come to me. Knowing you have guys that are aggressive out there, it makes me as a safety have that same mentality that they have and bring it to our defense.”

Having quality corners will go a long way toward helping Hooker perform at the highest level. The DB is excited for the 2024 season, and Titans fans should be as well.

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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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Brian Callahan talks Titans stealing Calvin Ridley from Jags

Titans head coach Brian Callahan admitted that stealing Calvin Ridley from the Jaguars made the signing even better.

The Tennessee Titans made a giant addition to their wide receivers in free agency when they signed Calvin Ridley. Making the deal even better was the fact that the Titans also weakened a division rival.

By all accounts, Ridley looked primed to re-sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars until the Titans swooped in at the 11th hour and signed him.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan was recently a guest on Adam Schefter’s podcast when he admitted that the fact that the Titans stole Ridley away from the Jags made the signing “a little sweeter.”

“I believe in everything he’s about; he’s a pro’s pro and he’s got real talent,” Callahan said. “He’s one of the better route-runners I’ve ever been around. He’s really sudden, really fast, really explosive. On top of it, he’s a great personality.

“To have him here and be able to steal him from a division rival makes it a little sweeter in that regard. I love having Calvin and I think he’s really gonna help us.”

While the Jags lost Ridley, they did sign Gave Davis and drafted Brian Thomas Jr., although it remains to be seen if either will be able to fill the veteran’s shoes in their first season in Duval.

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Brian Callahan happy Titans could ‘steal’ Calvin Ridley from Jaguars

Brian Callahan happy Titans could ‘steal’ Calvin Ridley from Jaguars

Calvin Ridley was widely expected to be a Jaguar in 2024 and beyond before he shocked the NFL world by signing with Jacksonville’s AFC South rival, Tennessee, roughly an hour into free agency in March.

The Titans swooped in and inked Ridley to a four-year, $92 million contract after a reported bidding war between Jacksonville and New England appeared to be leaning in the Jaguars’ direction.

Jacksonville decided against extending Ridley’s contract immediately following the 2023 season, allowing him to test the free agency waters and the team to hold onto its second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft as part of its trade conditions with Atlanta for Ridley’s services.

With ample salary cap space available, Tennessee seized the opportunity to upgrade its wide receiver corps and simultaneously throw a wrench in its rivals’ plans at the position.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan said as much during an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast Tuesday.

“I believe in everything he’s about. He’s a pro’s pro and he’s got real talent. He’s one of the better route runners I’ve ever been around. Really sudden, really fast, really explosive and, on top of it, he’s a great personality,” Callahan said.

“To have him here and be able to steal him from a division rival makes it a little sweeter in that regard. I love having Calvin and I think he’s really gonna help us.”

During his lone season with the Jaguars, following over a year removed from football due to a gambling suspension and cited mental health reasons, Ridley caught 76 passes for a team-leading 1,016 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Jacksonville aggressively attempted to replace Ridley and upgrade its wide receiver room across the board this offseason, signing former Buffalo receiver Gabe Davis and former Baltimore receiver/return specialist Devin Duvernay in free agency and selecting receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round of the NFL draft.

The trio, paired with seasoned Jaguars, receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram, will comprise freshly-extended quarterback Trevor Lawrence‘s arsenal of pass-catching weapons in 2024 and likely beyond.

Titans’ JC Latham crashes Brian Callahan’s press conference

On Thursday, Titans LT JC Latham crashed HC Brian Callahan’s press conference, leading to a funny exchange between the two.

Following the Tennessee Titans’ third and final practice of mandatory minicamp on Thursday, 2024 first-round pick and left tackle JC Latham decided to crash the press conference of head coach Brian Callahan.

In what was a funny moment, the rookie asked Callahan if he would consider using him as a receiver at any point this coming season, and Callahan responded with a funny answer.

“Would you ever — potentially with your brand new drafted rookie — run like a tackle screen, utilize his speed and ability in space?” Latham asked.

“Do you want to give everything away now?” Callahan replied, which drew laughter from the media in the room.

Under the previous regime, we saw the Titans score multiple big-man touchdowns, with guys like Dennis Kelly and Jeffery Simmons finding pay dirt over the years.

Even if Latham is serious, the Titans need him to be the starting left tackle, so getting him a catch on offense will be difficult to do.

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Titans’ Brian Callahan ‘can’t wait’ to utilize RB duo in 2024

Titans head coach Brian Callahan explains why he “can’t wait” to use Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard.

The Tennessee Titans are beginning a new era at the running back position in 2024 after parting ways with Derrick Henry earlier this offseason following an eight-year tenure that saw Henry ascend to elite status and build a foundation for a Hall of Fame bid.

2023 third-round pick Tyjae Spears is returning for his second season after a promising rookie campaign, and he’ll be joined by veteran and free-agent addition, Tony Pollard.

The thing that stands out the most about this duo is the fact that the two backs are similar. That will make it much tougher for defenses to predict what the Titans will do based on who’s on the field

“Everyone keeps saying interchangeable, and we see it that way,” offensive coordinator Nick Holz said earlier this offseason. “We don’t want any tendencies when those guys are in there. So, we think they both can have a skill set as pass catchers, skill set running the gap schemes and all the different zone schemes we are going to have. So, that’s where it is really most exciting as we go, you are not going to say ‘when this back is in these are the plays, and when this back is in those are the plays.’ They can really function on all three downs, and really, there are not any scheme limitations.”

Despite the obvious similarities in their games, Titans head coach Brian Callahan still believes they’re “unique” from one another, and that will make it fun to utilize the pair.

“I can’t wait to start playing around and using them in different ways because they both do things differently, they’re unique,” Callahan said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “I’m excited about the style that we can run with. We can do a lot of different things.”

While we know what the Titans are getting in both backs, it remains to be seen how the workload will be split up between the two. It figures to be just about 50/50, but the Titans aren’t exactly paying Pollard like a 50/50 back at a little over $7 million per year.

“We see it 1A, 1B, and they’re both just gonna play a ton, get a lot of carries and let ’em roll,” Holz said of the workload distribution.

Both players are explosive, yet can run tough between the tackles, they can catch the ball out of the backfield and are strong in pass protection. Spears and Pollard should be a fun duo to watch in 2024.

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Titans’ Brian Callahan was mic’d up for OTAs practice

Titans head coach Brian Callahan was recently mic’d up during a practice at OTAs.

The Tennessee Titans are currently in the midst of organized team activities, with Tennessee holding its latest open session of Phase Three of the offseason program on Wednesday.

Just in case you missed it, here’s some links you might be interested in:

Takeaways from latest open OTAs practice

Photos from open OTAs practice

Chig details big change in atmosphere, culture

Ridley on Burks: ‘This dude is a freak’

Cushenberry talks Callahan, Latham

Key makes surprising admission about last staff

Recently, the Titans had head coach Brian Callahan mic’d up for one of the practices, which you can check out below.

There are two notable things from this clip:

  1. Callahan obviously has a good relationship with new wide receiver Tyler Boyd, which isn’t surprising considering the pair spent five seasons together with the Cincinnati Bengals.
  2. Callahan has a much more toned down approach than former head coach Mike Vrabel, who did more yelling.

Even before watching this clip, we knew that Callahan has a very player-friendly approach that gives players more input. W

We’ll see if things change down the road, but for now his style is a notable change from Vrabel’s.

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Brian Callahan explains why Will Levis’ 2023 tape made him a believer

In a great interview with Sports Illustrated, Brian Callahan details the plays that made him a believer in Will Levis.

One of the draws of becoming the head coach of the Tennessee Titans for Brian Callahan was the fact that he had quarterback Will Levis already there.

Callahan has stated on multiple occasions that Levis isn’t just someone he’s inheriting, he truly believes in the Kentucky product, something he explained in detail during a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

In what is a fantastic article you should definitely check out, Breer sits down with both Callahan and Levis and goes over some of the signal-caller’s tape, and Callahan explained exactly what makes Levis special.

While the team was prepping for the draft, Callahan told general manager Carthon why he was so high on Levis and noted that he didn’t think anyone in the 2024 class was better than the 2023 pick.

“I’d told Ran the truth,” Callahan said. “I said he has real talent, real ability and I think he’s got a chance to be a very good starting quarterback in the NFL. He’s got enough tools to where his ceiling is high. If he’s all the things mentally you need to be to play quarterback, his physical talent, it’s a high ceiling. He’s got a chance to be (a) really, really good, top-end starting quarterback. And I believe that.”

“[The scouts] still do their due diligence and put grades on guys and all that. I had the conversation with Ran. Part of it was like, if Will’s coming out in this draft class, I don’t know that I feel like anybody is better than him at this point.”

Callahan then showed Breer one of the plays that made him a believer. It wasn’t one of Levis’ touchdowns, either, but rather an incompletion during his debut against the Atlanta Falcons.

It was a play in which Levis was under pressure and took contact but was still able to get off an accurate deep ball to Treylon Burks, who went on to not reel it in.

Callahan went on to point out that Levis should’ve dumped it off in the flat, but he was impressed nonetheless.

“This was not an advisable throw, nor was it an advisable position to be in,” Callahan explained. “It was like, Holy s—, this is not smart. I look at it as I go. God, if Will can just learn that on a first-and-10, let’s just throw the ball right there in the flat. That’s Chig’s in the flat. Chig’s in the flat is going to catch this ball, and he’s going to run for 12 yards and it’s going to be first-and-10 again at the 50-yard line. Instead, Will’s trusting his arm and his ability.”

“The other part of this, it’s a [expletive] unbelievable throw,” Callahan added. “You watch it from the end zone, there’s a guy in his face, it’s horrendous eyes, horrendous progression, guy bearing down on him. He can’t step into the throw. This guy’s 40 yards down the field, and he just sort of flicks it while he’s getting hit and drops the ball right in his hands. It’s an incredibly accurate throw for what was going on. I’m watching this, I’m like, Goddamn.”

“First of all, decision-making can be coached,” he continued. “This right here, you don’t coach that. Will’s mom and dad gave that to him.”

Callahan went on to say that he had to keep reminding himself that this was Levis’ first start, making what he saw even more impressive.

“He played the game like someone who’s played the game,” Callahan said. “It didn’t look, at any moment, like the game looked too big or too fast. I didn’t feel like I was watching a rookie.”

One more great quote in the article is Callahan’s reaction to the touchdown pass he threw to DeAndre Hopkins in the same game.

“He puts the ball… it’s in a great spot,” Callahan said. “It’s a big touchdown. I don’t know how you couldn’t watch this and not be like, ‘Hell, yeah, I want to coach this guy.'”

If there was any doubt about Callahan legitimately believing in Levis, these quotes seal the deal. Clearly Titans fans weren’t the only ones who saw something special in Levis.

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