Tag: Todd Downing

Winners and losers from Titans’ Week 11 victory over Packers

Ryan Tannehill had his best game of 2022 in the 27-17 win over the Packers.

The Week 11 showing from the Tennessee Titans’ offense in a 27-17 win over the Green Bay Packers left fans wondering one thing: who is this team?

Ryan Tannehill and Co. posted the offense’s best showing of the 2022 season on Thursday night and did just about everything this offense hasn’t been able to do all year long.

There were plenty of great throws, some big plays down the field, and just overall good play-calling that led to what amounts to an offensive explosion for this group.

The 27-point effort was Tennessee’s highest output in a game this year and was a much-needed showing of support for an elite defense that didn’t end up needing that many points anyway, but no doubt appreciated.

This week’s list is filled with offensive players, but one coach is making his first appearance in the winner’s column after having failed to do so over the first nine games.

Titans’ Mike Vrabel has laughably low standards for Todd Downing

It appears Mike Vrabel’s standards for what he expects from Todd Downing are pretty low.

As the Tennessee Titans’ offense continues to struggle through the air this season, offensive coordinator Todd Downing has rightly become public enemy No. 1 in Nashville.

Sure, Downing can’t control pass protection and wide receiver play, two other issues this offense has, but he can control play-calling (and scheming to get players open) and personnel decisions.

But apparently those are not two things head coach Mike Vrabel believes the offensive coordinator should have to worry about. No, Vrabel has a far lower bar for his offensive play-caller.

“I think as long as the play calls are given to the signal caller in a timely fashion and we have time to get out there, I think players are more important than plays,” Vrabel responded when asked by Paul Kuharsky if he’s satisfied with the team’s play-calling this season. “I think teammates are more important than players. Hopefully we’re getting these guys the call and they understand the details, but there’s no magic call.”

So, Downing just has to get the play calls in on time and everything is gravy? In his attempt to defend the indefensible, Vrabel is left looking mighty silly with this response.

Anyone with a pulse can see Downing’s play-calling has been a detriment to an offense that can ill-afford anymore hurdles. Hell, Downing himself even admitted he can do a better job.

“I don’t think anytime that there’s a lack of success or productivity it’s on one group,” Downing said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “I’ll always say it starts with me; I’ve got to find ways to get those guys involved and find better ways to free them up and get some stuff going.”

What’s puzzling here is he could’ve gone with his more typical answer of “we all need to do better” that he normally gives when asked about a criticism of his team, but he didn’t do that here.

That, at the very least, makes me worry that Vrabel is actually content with the job Downing has done. Or perhaps he’s just too damn stubborn to admit he might’ve made a bad hire. The latter is more likely.

Yes, execution is key, but a play-caller can significantly help things along, something we haven’t seen a shred of from Downing in a season-plus.

Not to mention, on an offense that is lacking play-making ability at the wide receiver position like the Titans are in 2022, play-calling becomes even more important.

Anyone hoping Vrabel is going to make a change this season can put that to bed for now. Vrabes isn’t even thinking of moving in that direction and, in fact, is pretty much doubling down on Downing instead.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=102283,102323,102319]

[listicle id=102274]

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ Week 10 win vs. Broncos

The biggest takeaways from the Titans’ Week 10 win versus the Broncos.

There are few teams in the NFL who are more resilient than the Tennessee Titans, and a strong argument can be made that they are the most resilient squad.

Titans players keep dropping like flies to injury, yet this team keeps on winning.

Tennessee was missing half of its starting defense on Sunday (and lost a few other starters during the game), yet still found a way to put the clamps on the Denver Broncos for a 17-10 win.

With a banged-up starting quarterback, the Titans’ offense wasn’t great by any stretch, but the unit was able to muster up three scoring drives to make the defense’s amazing effort stand up.

And, shockingly enough, it was the passing attack to provide the spark for once on a day when the ground game was stifled.

But that’s just the general overview of the situation from Week 10. Let’s dive a bit deeper and see what the biggest specific takeaways were from Sunday’s win.

Titans’ Todd Downing takes blame for WR struggles, admits offense is predictable

Todd Downing is taking the blame for the Titans’ wide receiver issues, and he admits the offense is predictable.

Wide receiver play has been one of many issues the Tennessee Titans have had on offense this season, but Week 9 was the group’s worst showing.

Titans receivers failed to record a single catch during the game, couldn’t separate, and there were two key drops that could have led to points if caught.

When asked about the putrid showing on Thursday, offensive coordinator Todd Downing took the blame.

“I don’t think anytime that there’s a lack of success or productivity it’s on one group,” Downing said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “I’ll always say it starts with me; I’ve got to find ways to get those guys involved and find better ways to free them up and get some stuff going.”

After coming out strong in the second quarter, the Titans’ offense disappeared in the second half, partly because Downing went away from using Malik Willis’ legs in tandem with Derrick Henry’s.

While Downing didn’t directly address that obvious blunder, he did point to penalties and negative plays that put an already struggling Titans offense behind the 8-ball even more.

“I think we had a couple of opportunities that we weren’t able to take advantage of,” Downing added. “And then, by and large, the second half we put ourselves in some pretty bad spots… penalties or lost-yardage plays that kind of took us out of third-and-managables and kind of put us behind the sticks a little bit. So, a culmination of everything, but it certainly starts with me.”

Not a single Titans receiver averaged a yard or more of separation on Sunday night. As far as that’s concerned, Downing says the team has “built quite a catalog” of plays to try and help get receivers open.

“Certainly things that we try to do to help out [with separation] in those regards,” Downing said. “Obviously some very talented corners in this league — we’re going to play some this Sunday — and so we’re always trying to do that. And I think that we’ve built quite a catalog of trying to get some of those rub releases and things of that nature. And there’s always a balance in that, too; holding the ball too long or letting something long developing unfold can put a lot of pressure on the protection. So, we’re always looking for ways to try to scheme those guys up for sure.”

If that catalog has been in use this entire season, it’s time to get a new catalog.

One of many issues Downing has had with his play-calling is predictability. The Titans running the ball nearly 70 percent of the time after a first-down incompletion certainly qualifies as such.

Downing agreed that rate makes the offense predictable.

“I would say 70 percent is predictable, I would agree with you on that,” Downing admitted, per Paul Kuharsky. “I would tell you that there’s also tendencies on the other side of the football, where we’re getting some split-safety looks and that’s maybe some of the places we actually do see an advantageous box and feel like we can get ourselves into some of those third-and-shorter windows. And where we didn’t do a good job of that the other night is where we had some either lost yardage or incompletions and zero-yard gains. Now we would up in third-and-10, third-and-12 and that’s just not what we’re built to live in. There aren’t a lot of offense that are. There’s a balance there and certainly I try to keep track of that stuff and make sure that I’m not getting too far out of whack. And usually you can tell if the defense has changed their call off of something they’re well known for then it’s something I’ve got to be aware of and try to act accordingly.”

On top of the potential return of Ryan Tannehill this week, another glimmer of hope for the offense is the potential return of Treylon Burks, who was designated to return from IR and is on track to play this week.

Downing has been impressed with Burks’ rehab and preparation for his return to the field.

It’s nice to see Downing admit that his play-calling is predictable and he needs to do more to get these receivers open, but whether or not he can actually fix those issues remains to be seen.

So far, there’s nothing to suggest he can.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=101774,101771,101766]

[listicle id=101777]

Titans should consider Frank Reich for OC if and when Todd Downing gets fired

While the Colts struggled with Frank Reich as their head coach, the Eagles thrived with him as their offensive coordinator.

The Indianapolis Colts dropped a bombshell on the NFL world after they fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday.

Naturally, this caused the Tennessee Titans’ fanbase to start salivating at the mouth at the mere possibility of eventually replacing embattled offensive coordinator Todd Downing with Reich down the road.

This intrigues the fanbase for a couple of reasons.

For starters, it will give Reich two chances per year to stick it to his old team, which seems to be finding a new scapegoat with each passing week. More importantly, the former Colts head coach had plenty of success as an offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In his final year in Philly alone, the team not only won a Super Bowl with a backup quarterback, but it also did so with a top-10 offense in every major category.

The 2017 Eagles offense ranked:

  • 1st in points per game (29.0)
  • 4th in total offense (391.0 yards per game)
  • 6th in rushing yards per game (148.8)
  • 9th in passing yards per game (242.3)

And, Reich has a fan in Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel.

“I think Frank’s an unbelievable football coach, an unbelievable man,”  Vrabel said. “I’ve gotten to know Frank well in the time we’ve been in the division, some of the committees been in on. We all know what we signed up for (as coaches). This is the other side of it that’s difficult. You never want to see anybody lose their job. They made a decision. I’ll try to obviously reach out to Frank and support him however I can.”

Obviously, this is just wishful thinking at the moment, and it’s very possible Reich will be in line for another head-coaching gig in 2023.

However, many Titans fans hope this becomes a real possibility at the end of the year when the team hopefully relieves Downing of his duties barring a drastic offensive turnaround to end the year.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=101607,101584,101557]

[listicle id=101539]

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ Week 9 loss to Chiefs

It was the same old story for the Titans in Week 9, but there were a few positives to take from the loss.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

It was the same old story for the Tennessee Titans during their Week 9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on “Sunday Night Football”.

Tennessee’s defense was sensational once again, with its latest great effort coming against one of the best offenses in the NFL, which no doubt adds even more credibility to this unit moving forward.

Unfortunately, outside of the second quarter, the offense wasn’t able to match that effort for several reasons, which ended up forcing the Titans’ defense to play an insane amount of snaps, ultimately dooming Tennessee.

Despite the ugly loss and the obvious negatives, there were a few positives to talk about. Check out what they were and more as we go over the biggest takeaways from the Titans’ Week 9 loss to the Chiefs.

Titans OC Todd Downing not paying attention to his detractors

Titans OC Todd Downing says he isn’t paying attention to his detractors.

If you ask Tennessee Titans fans what change they would like to see first with this team, almost all of them would say offensive coordinator Todd Downing.

It has been a rough season-plus for Downing, who had the difficult task of following in the footsteps of former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

The Titans have seen their offense turn into a shell of what it was in 2019 and 2020 under Smith, and Downing’s mistakes along the way have only made things worse.

The calls for Downing’s head have become even louder this season after a rough start for the offense, but the embattled offensive coordinator says he isn’t paying attention to the outside noise.

“I will tell you bluntly, I can’t pay attention to all the stuff that’s going on out there and all the opinions about me,” Downing said, per John Glennon of Sports Illustrated. “Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and I respect the fact people have jobs to do, and people to find to place blame on. I know I’m responsible for the offense. I know there are certain things that come with this role — responsibilities, critiques and kind of constant evaluation that comes with this role.

“But I can’t afford to let somebody else’s opinion cloud what [head coach Mike Vrabel] thinks of the job I’m doing, or [general manager] Jon Robinson thinks of the job I’m doing, or frankly, what the players in the locker room think of the job I’m doing.”

“I work my tail off, and I do it for a bigger audience than trying to get the praise of man,” Downing added. “I don’t really do this job to be celebrated in the media. I do this job so that I can be the man I’m called to be in the role that I have, and hopefully I can continue to improve in that on every turn and get this offense where we want it to be.”

As far as what he can improve upon is concerned, Downing pointed to his ability to review drives and prepare for the next one.

“Certainly from my perspective, and things I can improve on, it’s just an intentionality with the drive review on the sidelines and setting up what we’re going to be getting to on the next drive,” Downing explained. “Or maybe the next third down, so we can kind of predict some of those futures, if you will.”

The Titans have seen flashes of successful offense this season, but the unit has not put together a full game yet.

After dropping 24 points in the first half of the Week 3 win over the Raiders, the Titans failed to score a single point the rest of the way, which was the second-straight game that happened.

In all, the Titans have been outscored by their opponents 57-7 in the second half of games through three weeks.

“If you don’t pick up first downs, you‘re not able to come back with the counterpunch,” Downing said. “I think in the first half, we were able to set up some things, and then come back off play passes or screens off those looks. But that gets difficult to do when you’re not sustaining drives. I‘ve certainly got to do a better job at making sure we’re able to get into those counterpunches if you will.”

Downing doesn’t need to look far for a Titans coach who started off badly only to recover later on. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen went through the exact same thing in 2020 before the defense righted the ship in 2021.

But even then there are differences in those situations.

Bowen was a first-time coordinator when he took over in 2020. Downing, on the other hand, has already had an unsuccessful stint as an offensive coordinator after serving as the Raiders’ in 2017.

Hopefully Downing can turn things around like Bowen did, but so far we haven’t seen enough to suggest he can.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=97913,97905,97861]

[listicle id=97823]

Titans’ Mike Vrabel: No changes coming to coaching staff

While many are calling for OC Todd Downing to be fired, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is staying the course.

After the Tennessee Titans got embarrassed on national television in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, there was a thought that perhaps the team would make some changes, particularly to the coaching staff.

During his day-after presser on Tuesday, head coach Mike Vrabel laid blame at the feet of the entire coaching staff for the team’s early woes, himself included, but he plans on staying the course.

“If I felt like there was anybody that wasn’t doing their job… we’re just not going to [fire coaches], that’s not something that’s going to happen right now,” Vrabel said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.

“I have confidence in our staff, I have confidence in the guys that we put out there. We have to continue to coach and execute better,” Vrabel added. “I appreciate everybody’s opinion. I have to make sure that everybody here, the players, the coaches, are all aligned and I know that they are and that’s how you get things fixed and win a game.”

Of course, offensive coordinator Todd Downing is public enemy No. 1 right now in the minds of Titans fans and media — and rightly so after how bad this offense has looked and the poor decisions Downing has made over the first two games.

But as of right now, the Titans won’t make the switch to passing-game coordinator Tim Kelly like we all want, which means we’re stuck with Downing.

That doesn’t give us much confidence that things will get better.

[lawrence-related id=97151,97145,97119]

[listicle id=97135]

Titans’ keys to victory in Week 2 matchup vs. Bills

Titans OC Todd Downing getting out of his own way is one key to victory for Tennessee on Monday night.

For the fifth time in five years, the Tennessee Titans will be facing the Buffalo Bills, but this time it’ll be a home game for the Super Bowl favorites.

Tennessee has enjoyed three home games against Buffalo in each of the past three years, winning two out of the three. However, the Bills snagged a victory in Buffalo in 2018, leading to a split of the previous four contests.

In 2021, the Titans were underdogs to the Bills as well, although the spread was nowhere near as massive as the 9.5-point line on this game.

Tennessee will hope, as they did in 2021, to pull off an upset in a matchup not many believe they can win. If the Titans want to accomplish that goal, they’ll need to play their best football in Week 2.

Here’s a look at five things the Titans need to do on “Monday Night Football” in order to shock the world once again.

Titans OC Todd Downing admits mistakes in Week 1 play-calling

Titans OC Todd Downing took full responsibility for his lackluster play calls in Week 1.

Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing entered the 2022 season in the dog house in the eyes of fans after a very lackluster first campaign as Tennessee’s play-caller.

And he didn’t help his cause at all in Week 1 after two questionable play calls he made on third-and-1 situations.

The first came in the third quarter when the Titans opted to run the wild cat with Derrick Henry, who subsequently fumbled the snap, which killed the drive and led to a punt.

Later in the game with the Titans clinging to a 20-13 lead with just over six minutes left, Downing called for a handoff to tight end Chig Okonkwo instead of Henry, leading to a loss of four yards and yet another punt.

Not only did the play kill that drive, it also prevented the Titans from having the opportunity to run the clock out to win the game.

Before practice on Friday, Downing took full responsibility.

“That was a bad call,” Downing admitted, per AtoZ Sports Nashville. “I take full responsibility for that call. Played a percentage off of what we had seen from that defense in short yardage. Obviously, had a little miscue earlier in the game on short yardage and got a little too aggressive with that call. Should have gotten something downhill, and that’s on me.”

While Downing’s admission doesn’t erase the blunders, it is a good sign that he realizes his faults. Now, we’ll see if he learns from them.

[lawrence-related id=96816,96812,96794]

[listicle id=96678]