Tag: Nick Holz

Nick Holz: Titans are ‘ramping up’ Will Levis this week

Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz says they are ramping up Will Levis in the hopes that he feels well enough to play on Sunday.

The Tennessee Titans quarterback situation has been a major struggle in 2024. Will Levis, the starting quarterback, is in just his second year in the league. He took over for Ryan Tannehill last season, but he hasn’t adapted well under the new coaching staff. Whether that’s a coaching thing or a player thing doesn’t really matter, it’s a problem.

On top of that, Levis injured his shoulder in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins. That’s when Mason Rudolph took over and led the Titans to their first victory of the season. Then it was the bye week, then Levis returned only to tank against the Indianapolis Colts. It was revealed after the game that maybe he wasn’t 100%, and Brian Callahan decided to start Rudolph the last two weeks while Levis healed.

Today, Nick Holz addressed the media ahead of practice and discussed Levis’ potential return against the Los Angeles Chargers this week.

 

Asked about ramping up Levis, Holz replied, “Yep, ramped up yesterday, we were kind of in a slowed-down mode yesterday, but he ramped up yesterday and the plan is to ramp him up again today, and then kind of make our decision really tonight after practice of where he’s going to go.”

Holz went on to say that Levis’ reps will probably be 60/40 as they ramp him up, and they’ll see how he feels at full speed today.

Yes, it’s about how he feels, but that leaves the question: How do you reintegrate Levis back into the starting lineup with the progress that has been made?

“You know, I don’t think it’s all on Will, why the passing game has improved, or all on the quarterback position. I think our pass protection has been a lot better, the receivers’ drops are down, all our assignments, I feel like we’ve done all of those things well. So we kind of expect him to jump in with that progress where we’ve made the last couple weeks. You know I think there’s probably a bonus for him, kind of watching and learning, kind of taking a step back too and watching Mason play.”

It’s a definite bonus for Levis to watch Rudolph run the offense, but it’s probably premature to assume that Levis can step in without any backtracking. He is not Rudolph. There will be hiccups. If he gets in, we’ll see how much those hiccups impact the game.

Titans OC Nick Holz: ‘We’ve got to be able to adjust’

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz adressed the media one day after the team traded away star WR DeAndre Hopkins.

Thursday is always an entertaining day around the NFL. It’s the day that coordinators typically speak with the media. It was no different today as Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz spoke to the media. 

With this being the first time Holz met with the media since the team traded away WR DeAndre Hopkins, the focus was destined to be on that and the wide receiver position as a whole. While that did happen, with Holz mentioning that the team is “pressing” to get the ball to Calvin Ridley as well as players such as Mason Kinsey and Bryce Oliver potentially seeing increased reps, it was what he said about the defenses they’ve been facing that are truly interesting. 

This is a comment that might not be backed up by fact. Earlier in the week, Next Gen Stats released the nugget that RB Tony Pollard was the only featured running back in the NFL that did not face a stacked box against the Bills. He followed that with this.

Again, this goes against the data about stacked boxes, although the two comments together could explain the reason. If the Titans are using max-protections and limiting the number of receivers in routes, they could be inadvertently torpedoing their rushing attack. 

It is clear the coaching staff has struggled with making adjustments, especially after halftime, and this exchange with the media points to those deficiencies. Not only does this staff have to make better game plans, but they must also be better in-game, and the Titans will continue to have a dismal outlook until that happens. 

Find out if any adjustments have been made on Sunday when likely starter Mason Rudolph leads the Titans against the Detroit Lions in Week 8 action.

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Titans OC Nick Holz praises DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley

Titans’ offensive coordinator Nick Holz credits wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley’s patience with their lack of touches this season.

[lawrence-related id=151847,151820,151812]Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz addressed the media after practice on Friday, and he had high praise for wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley for their patience so far this season.

“Credit to those guys after Miami,” Holz said. “There was no complaining, they were the happiest two guys in the world. And there’s a lot of teams and there’s a lot of cultures where those guys would be not happy the team won, but, you know, kinda happy their team won but they would be more upset that they didn’t get their touches and get their targets and things like that. So, credit to those guys for kind of seeing what’s going on and we’re trying to get it to them.”

There are 18 wide receivers with 40 or more targets this season. Of the top 10 receivers in the NFL, the lowest number of targets is 28. Ridley and Hopkins have 19 and 14 targets, respectively, leading the Titans in that category.

They say patience is a virtue, and we’ll see if that patience paid off this week when the Titans face the struggling Indianapolis Colts and Will Levis is back under center.

Titans want to keep Treylon Burks involved despite struggles

With DeAndre Hopkins on the rise and Treylon Burks on the decline, it’s time for the Tennessee Titans to give other receivers a shot.

The Tennessee Titans have a solid wide receiving corps that includes DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Jha’Quan Jackson. With Will Levis lining up under center, the receiving production has been spotty at best.

Initially, Ridley was the guy. Levis connected with him early in the first two games, but against the Green Bay Packers, he was more inclined to throw to Hopkins. His knee is on the mend and he caught six of seven targets in the last outing.

The thing is, Hopkins was brought in to help mentor Treylon Burks as well as bolster the receiving options, but Burks really hasn’t amounted to what the Titans hoped he would. Plagued by injuries, he hasn’t yet made the impact that was expected, leading some to wonder when Westbrook-Ikhine will get a shot.

The Titans want Burks to play, as indicated by offensive coordinator Nick Holz.

“We want Treylon to play,” Holz said, via the Nashville Post. “We want him to go out there and make plays. I think at some point, if you keep getting targets and things don’t go your way … Sometimes it’s been a little bit bad luck and some of the targets, maybe he gets doubled or we wanted the ball to go somewhere else or the protection put it where he got it.

“So, it’s a balancing for everything. We have faith in Treylon. We have faith in Nick. We think both those guys are really valuable pieces of our offense.”

Hopkins is a veteran receiver who is useful now; he’s a guy Levis can absolutely rely on and should be utilized regularly. The same goes for Ridley and Boyd.

Burks could still have a future in Tennessee, but it’s not right now, and it’s time for Holz and Brian Callahan to give Westbrook-Ikhine and Jackson more opportunities.

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Titans coaches rave about Treylon Burks: ‘He has exceeded expectations’

Multiple Titans coaches heaped praise on wide receiver Treylon Burks on Wednesday.

Nobody on the Tennessee Titans needs a rebound season more than wide receiver Treylon Burks, who has had a lackluster first two campaigns in the NFL, to say the least.

Now, Burks is looking at a season in which he won’t be a full-time starter after the additions the Titans made at the position in 2024, and head coach Brian Callahan has said he needs to contribute on special teams as a result.

Knowing that, the Titans have been giving Burks a look as both a gunner and kick returner this offseason.

On Wednesday, special teams coordinator Colt Anderson praised the Arkansas product for the work he’s putting in and the tools he has.

“Let me just tell you something: that kid is an ultimate pro,” Anderson said of Burks, according to Paul Kuharsky. “The way he’s handled everything from Day 1, he wants to be on the field. Any way we can get him on the field, we’re going to find a way to get him on the field. He’s explosive, he can run, he’s physical. He’s got all the attributes to be a good football player.

“And, at the end of the day, we’re going to have — offense, defense, special teams — the best 11 out there that are going to help us win.”

Anderson wasn’t the only one who praised Burks. Offensive coordinator Nick Holz stated that Burks has “exceeded expectations.”

“He has exceeded expectations so far,” Holz said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “He has been unbelievable. His work ethic every day has been awesome. His vertical speed, his size, his strength has shown up, non-stop, every day. He’s made some plays down the field.

“He had one yesterday down the sideline we’d like to see him reel in, so that would be one of those things of, ‘hey, when the big plays are there, you’ve got to make them.’

“But he’s done excellent for us and he’s really been versatile, being able to play inside and outside. So, he’s actually been rotating in at all three spots. A lot of times he’s been running with the ones because guys aren’t there and it’s the offseason so it’s voluntary, so he’s been doing a really nice job of kind of plug-and-play from that standpoint.”

While this is all well and good, nobody is going to sign up for a Burks breakout season based on coach comments alone. We’ll have to see all of this translate to impact play on the field, which could be difficult because of his role as the No. 4 receiver in the offense.

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 OC Nick Holz gives more clarity on RB situation

Titans OC Nick Holz gave more clarity on how the team will use its running backs in 2024.

The Tennessee Titans made what amounted to at least a somewhat surprising move in free agency when they inked running back Tony Pollard to a three-year deal, which was one of their first reported moves.

It was surprising, not only because of the money they spent on the position ($7-plus million annually), but also because the Titans were expected to bring someone in who offered something a bit different than 2023 third-round pick, Tyjae Spears, who is very similar to Pollard.

Whatever the case may be, the question now becomes: will anyone take the reins of this backfield, or will it be a true split?

Head coach Brian Callahan failed to answer that question during the annual league meetings last month, but offensive coordinator Nick Holz gave more clarity during his first press conference of the offseason program on Wednesday.

“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, per Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com.

The good thing about having two similar backs is the Titans won’t be tipping their hand because of who is on the field, which was an issue during the Derrick Henry era.

Holz mentioned how Pollard and Spears are interchangeable and how both can operate on all three downs.

“Everyone keeps saying interchangeable, and we see it that way,” Holz said. “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.”

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Titans OC Nick Holz: Treylon Burks will ‘get what he earns’

Titans OC Nick Holz says WR Treylon Burks is going to have to earn opportunities in 2024.

The biggest question mark in the Tennessee Titans’ wide receivers room, 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks is facing a crucial season in 2024.

Burks has been a major disappointment over his first two seasons in the NFL, with the Arkansas product not only battling injury, but also a lack of production when he’s been on the field.

That fact is a major reason why the Titans had such a dire need at receiver going into the offseason, and it’s why they still may spend an early-round pick on the position in the 2024 NFL draft in order to bolster the unit.

During his presser on Wednesday, offensive coordinator Nick Holz made it clear he is high on Burks but isn’t just going to hand him opportunities.

“Treylon’s potential is very high. First-round pick, we see all the talent. But he’s going to get what he earns,” Holz said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “My two days with him, he’s been a great guy. He seems like he’s learning a lot, he’s really taking and processing all the information and then when he gets on the field, it’s what he can translate.  He’s got a skill set that he’s a big guy who can run and he can make contested catches. If he can find a way to do that for us, that’d be a pretty big addition.”

There was a thought process that Burks could factor in as a big slot receiver in head coach Brian Callahan’s offense, but Callahan did not mention Burks when talking about potential in-house options for the role.

If Burks can stay healthy and the Titans can get more out of him in 2024, it would be a welcomed surprise. If not, it’s basically what we expected, anyway.

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Jaguars seemingly eliminate passing game coordinator position

At least for now, it seems there will be one less coach in Trevor Lawrence’s ear next season.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars rounded out their coaching staff with a flurry of additions Thursday, it was mostly defensive coaches hired.

Ryan Nielsen filled the void left by the firing of Mike Caldwell as defensive coordinator, and several assistants who were colleagues of Nielsen’s in Atlanta or New Orleans followed him on to the staff.

Interestingly, one position that wasn’t filled was a spot on the offensive staff. At least for now, the Jaguars’ passing game coordinator role sits vacant.

In 2022, it was Jim Bob Cooter who held the title until he left to become the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts. Nick Holz took over the position in 2023, but that only lasted one season before he became offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.

It’s certainly possible that another hire will happen to round out the staff, but it seems more likely that the coaches will get to work without a replacement for Holz.

The Jaguars passing game wasn’t exactly a smooth operation during the 2023 season. Third-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw 14 interceptions — a jump from his eight picks in 2022 — and he was sacked a career-high 35 times. Still, the team finished ninth in passing yards.

Perhaps Doug Pederson feels there were simply too many cooks in the kitchen. Between Pederson, offensive coordinator Press Taylor, and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy, and assistant quarterbacks coach Andrew Breiner, there are already a handful of coaches in Lawrence’s ear. While the head coach felt a pass game coordinator was necessary the last couple years, the team’s sloppy performance in 2023 may have changed his mind.

Jacksonville needs a much sharper fourth season out of Lawrence, and it looks like it’ll be a smaller coaching staff tasked with helping him accomplish that.

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Titans OC Nick Holz talks his role, coaching style, Will Levis

Titans OC Nick Holz said the opportunity to work with QB Will Levis made Tennessee an attractive destination.

With Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan set to call the plays for the offense in 2024, new offensive coordinator Nick Holz won’t have that responsibility on his plate but will stay play a big role in the offense.

The approach to offensive game-planning and play-calling will be the same as the one Callahan worked under with the Cincinnati Bengals, where head coach Zac Taylor called the plays but Callahan had a lot of input and was instrumental in the implementation of the offense in general.

“It’s a little different than maybe you’re used to around here, having an offensive head coach that’s calling the plays with an offensive coordinator by title, that doesn’t call the plays,” Callahan said, according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “But it’s a setup I’m trying to emulate from how we were set up in Cincinnati with myself and Zac Taylor. And it’s a system that I know is important, and I know that it works.”

Holz kept it simple, saying he’s “just like a regular offensive coordinator, I just won’t be calling the plays,” per Broadway Sports Media’s Easton Freeze, and he hopes to take more and more off Callahan’s plate moving forward.

“(Most) of Nick’s job is to make sure the offensive staff and the offensive players and the offensive scheme keeps running all the moments I am not available to be there, particularly during the course of the week,” Callahan said. “There’s a preparation part of it that is critically important to me.”

“You need to be yourself first. I am not going to try and be Brian. We are different people in that regard,” Holz said. “As each day goes, just seeing a few more things I can take off his plate.”

“It is really kind of an open dialogue the whole time in how we’re trying to figure stuff out, and structure it this way,” Holz added.

When it comes to his coaching style, Holz said he is not a screamer and is focused on building relationships, which he believes empowers players to better do their jobs.

“Everybody has their own management style,” Holz said. “I don’t think you’ll see me as a yeller and a screamer or anything like that. But I think if you build relationships with people, you kind of empower them to do their jobs.

“I feel like the people I have worked for, they empowered me,” he added. “As a leadership style, the same thing with the players, ‘We’re going to give you this, and you keep going and we’ll build the connection in that regard.'”

One of the things that was attractive about the Titans job was the opportunity to work with quarterback Will Levis, who Holz will have a hand in developing. Holz believes Levis checks three important boxes.

“I hadn’t really watched very much of him, but I started watching him when I was with the Jags,” Holz said, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “The first thing that jumped out is the arm talent and the second thing that jumps out is the toughness. We talk about quarterbacks, the three things we’re looking for are decision-making, accuracy and toughness, and we saw all of that.”

You can check out more of what Holz had to say during the introductory presser, as well as comments from Callahan and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson right here.

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