Tag: Todd Downing

Titans OC Todd Downing praises Ryan Tannehill for ball security in training camp

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill has been taking care of the football early on in training camp.

As one of the more prominent storylines heading into training camp, Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill spent much of the offseason reflecting on how last year ended.

The Texas A&M product threw three interceptions in the Titans’ shocking playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, continuing a turnover trend that was prevalent throughout the 2021 campaign.

Tannehill, who turned 34 last month, noted that he sought out therapy after being in a dark place mentally, and he has received his fair share of criticism from fans and media alike, while also watching the team draft his eventual successor in 2022 third-round pick, Malik Willis.

However, through it all, he’s remained a true professional and was present for the team’s offseason workouts.

In the early stages of training camp, Tannehill has yet to throw an interception in the team’s first six practices, while completing 50-of-66 passes during seven-on-seven and team periods combined.

Offensive coordinator Todd Downing has taken notice of Tannehill’s commitment to ball security.

“I think always it’s significant when you show your commitment to taking care of the football,” Downing said, via AtoZ Sports Nashville. “Certainly, ball security is something that we as an offense — starting with me — has been an emphasis this offseason. We had a blip on the radar last year in terms of the uptick in numbers.

“It’s a holistic approach; everybody has a hand in ball security. I think that our receivers have done a nice job of being where they’re supposed to be,” Downing added. “People are understanding the details and concepts of protection, finishing at the top of the pocket, giving [Tannehill] a place he can step up and deliver the ball. Certainly, Ryan has made a commitment to ball security, but I think everybody has, and we hope that continues.”

What a difference a year makes.

Through the first five practices of last year, Tannehill had thrown five interceptions, foreshadowing what was to come in the regular season. The Titans signal-caller threw 14 interceptions in 2021, second-most in his career.

“Just trying to be smart with the ball,” Tannehill said of throwing no picks in camp so far, per John Glennon of Sports Illustrated. “Sometimes in practice, you’re pushing the limits, right? That’s the point of practice, especially early on in training camp and the spring… seeing where you can put the ball, and if you can fit it in there, what catch radius guys have and things like that.

“But it’s balance. You want to be smart… We just know as quarterbacks that it’s our jobs to try to take care of the football and put it in a good spot. We want to train those good habits as we go.”

A closer look at the number reveals just how devastating the turnovers were. Of the 14, six were thrown in Titans territory, and three came in the red zone.

Essentially, Tannehill was giving the opposition a short field and failed to cash in on opportunities to score. As a team, the Titans finished with a -3 turnover differential in 2021, including 11 fumbles.

A constant rotation of injuries at the wide receiver position likely contributed to the number of interceptions. Tannehill’s top two targets, Julio Jones and A.J. Brown, each missed substantial time last season.

With both Brown and Jones no longer in the mix, Tannehill will look to develop a connection with several new faces in 2022.

Through the first week of training camp, he’s already connecting with Robert Woods and rookie wideout Treylon Burks, showing developing chemistry, and he has been putting extra work in with his tight ends after practice.

With a lack of turnovers and new faces showcasing well, it’s positive news for Tannehill and the Titans’ offense thus far in training camp.

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Titans’ Malik Willis talks footwork, processing; Todd Downing gives early evaluation

Titans OC Todd Downing gave an early evaluation of QB Malik Willis

As Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis takes part in a battle for the backup quarterback job with Logan Woodside in training camp, he’s also trying to get acclimated to the NFL game ahead of his first season.

Willis has been having an up-and-down camp thus far. While he has made some nice plays along the way, the rookie has also struggled, which is to be expected from a young signal-caller.

During his time in college, Willis was able to get away with things simply because of his physical gifts, but as offensive coordinator Todd Downing points out, the Liberty product won’t be able to do the same in the pros.

“He’s so physically gifted and I think sometimes when you have those tools you can get away with things at the collegiate level, and I think he is starting to find out some of those tight-window throws, or if you’re a little bit late on something, you can’t necessarily just make up for it with ball speed. The DBs are going to close that window a little bit faster,” Downing explained, via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“So, there’s a development there, right? And there’s a dependency on physical tools that sometimes needs to progress to more of the footwork and listening to your feet and letting your feet redirect your eyes and those kinds of things. But Malik is on a good trajectory. He’s had some learning experiences out there, but he’s a great kid with high character who comes in and wants to know the why and wants to understand what occurred with the mistakes. I’m excited about where he’s at.”

After practice, Willis spoke about how his mental processing is ahead of his footwork, making the latter even more of a point of emphasis for him.

“I’m processing faster than what I’m used to going within my footwork processing. I’m processing the information and knowing what I need to do, but in order to be on time and be able to throw with anticipation I need to help my feet get up with my processing abilities,” Willis explained, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “Knowing what to do but just getting the reps where you’re able to do it without thinking.”

And how does he accomplish that?

“Reps,” Willis answered.

Despite his need to improve in the aforementioned area, he feels he’s “light years” ahead of where he was upon being drafted.

“I’m light years ahead of where I was, but that’s just from my coaches and dedicating my time to study the situation,” Willis said. “That’s everything regarding my job description – operating the huddle, operating the line of scrimmage, all the plays and being comfortable with them.”

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Titans’ Ryan Tannehill, Todd Downing praise Chigoziem Okonkwo’s progress

“Chig’s done a great job for us,” Tannehill said of the rookie tight end. “He’s made some big strides this spring.

Tennessee Titans 2022 fourth-round pick and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo was among the team’s biggest standouts at mandatory minicamp last week, catching a handful of touchdowns during the two open practices.

Okonkwo believes he’s made “a ton” of progress so far this offseason, and his quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, would agree.

“Chig’s done a great job for us,” Tannehill said, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “He’s made some big strides this spring. I’m proud of the way he’s come in, learned what to do, and we’ll continue to push him on that. But just physically, to see his size, his strength, his speed, how he’s able to play through contact, he definitely gives us another weapon.”

How much the Titans use this new weapon in 2022 remains to be seen, as Okonkwo figures to start the season as the No. 3 tight end behind Austin Hooper and Geoff Swaim.

If Okonkwo wants to fully surpass Swaim on the depth chart and get more snaps, he’ll have to improve as a blocker. For now, the Maryland product is at least showing enough as a pass-catcher to have some kind of role regardless.

Offensive coordinator Todd Downing says the Titans have asked Okonkwo “to do a lot” this offseason, but believes the rookie has “handled it well.”

“We’ve asked him to do a lot,” Downing said. “We’ve thrown a lot at him. I think he’s handled it well. I think he’s hungry and eager to please. There are obviously some new roles and some assignments that we’ve given him. Those are always going to come with a little bit of a learning curve. But I think he’s doing a nice job with it.”

Tight ends coach Luke Steckel expressed his excitement for what he’s seen out of Okonkwo thus far, but notes there is still a lot of work to be done.

“I think he’ll be the first to tell you there’s still a lot to learn, there’s a lot to improve on,” Steckel said. “But he’s shown some glimpses, some flashes of some of the things he can do, and that certainly gets us excited.”

After mandatory minicamp wrapped up, Okonkwo got a little extra work in by attending Tight End University, where he worked with some of the best players at his position in the NFL.

“That’s going to be a great experience for me, just getting to see literally the best tight ends in the league and to pick their brain for three days and just learn what they do, what they’re looking at in the passing game and the run game,” Okonkwo said prior to the event, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “I definitely feel like that’s going to be a little quick getaway for me to learn a lot of football.”

The Titans will have a month-plus off before returning for training camp, and Okonkwo will spend some of that time in Georgia trying to acclimate himself to the heat he’s going to face in Nashville in late July and August.

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Titans’ Todd Downing talks offense’s slow starts, Tim Kelly’s role

Titans OC Todd Downing looks at passing game coordinator Tim Kelly as a valuable addition to the coaching staff.

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Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing is in a similar position in 2022 as defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was going into the 2021 campaign.

Downing oversaw what was the weakest link for Tennessee in 2021. The offense performed well below expectations last season thanks to a combination of injuries, poor play, and poor play-calling.

One of the bigger issues the Titans’ offense had in 2021 was its slow starts, something that has become routine even when Tennessee was at its best offensively the past two seasons.

Downing acknowledged that was an issue last season when speaking to the media on Wednesday before organized team activities (OTAs), but didn’t go into detail about how he plans on fixing the problem.

Speaking of the aforementioned injuries, Downing said he learned not to fall in love too much with one type of formation because there’s no telling who will be available on a weekly basis.

Despite the offense’s struggles, Downing was able to keep his job for at least another season, much to the chagrin of Titans fans who want him gone.

However, the Titans didn’t just sit pat altogether. Tennessee brought in former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, who will serve as the passing-game coordinator in 2022.

Downing believes having Kelly, who is also expected to have at least some input into the offense, will be valuable for him.

“It’s been great to add [Tim Kelly],” Downing said. “He’s a great football mind and obviously a fantastic person, somebody that has some relationships in this building. That helps kind of integrate him a little bit quicker.

“For me, it’s been spectacular just to have another sounding board, somebody to talk through ideas with, be able to look at things a different way if something isn’t clear how we want to land the plane, so to speak, on an idea,” Downing added. “So, it’s been really valuable and look forward to working with him.”

Downing is quite familiar with the role Kelly is playing, as he had a similar role while on the coaching staff of the Minnesota Vikings. Downing went into detail about what Kelly’s role will be.

“I had a similar role when I first went to the Vikings in 2018,” Downing said. “I had just come off being a coordinator and I was trying to help [offensive coordinator] John DeFilippo in that role before some tragedy kind of shuffled my responsibilities.

“But I had some familiarity with what that might look like and what I was able to help coach DeFilippo with, and so that kind of helped that transition,” Downing continued. “I think, again, just being able to look at things from a different perspective, maybe bring some fresh ideas, some things maybe we didn’t incorporate before.”

The interesting dynamic between Downing and Kelly is that the former could be replaced by the latter at some point, and maybe sooner rather than later if Tennessee’s offense struggles out of the gate in 2022.

Titans still figuring out what Tim Kelly’s role will be

The Titans are hoping Tim Kelly can help them in 2022 the way Jim Schwartz did in 2021.

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While the Tennessee Titans didn’t make the change at offensive coordinator that many fans were hoping for, they did at least make an addition to the offensive side of the ball with new passing game coordinator, Tim Kelly.

Tennessee took a major step back offensively in 2021 after performing as one of the elite units in the NFL the two years prior. There was a lot that went into that issue, including the poor play-calling of Todd Downing.

Kelly, a former offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans, figures to have an advisory role similar to what Jim Schwartz has with the defense.

However, when asked about more details of Kelly’s role, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel revealed that is something the team is still figuring out, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“I hadn’t had a role like that until last year, and Jim Schwartz and I had multiple conversations and I decided to add that role on defense,” Vrabel said. “And that was something that I know helped us, not only during the week, but also on game day, someone that has had experience that wasn’t looking for some sort of credit, that didn’t have an agenda.

“When that person, the right person, became available in Tim Kelly we were able to make it work. So I think we’re still trying to define what that (job description) is – right now there’s conversations between me and Todd and Tim and (offensive line coach) Keith (Carter) as we watch through our offseason and the coaching staff and what we may want to add, and we’ll see where things progress during the season and what area or focus he may concentrate on.”

Clearly Vrabel believes Schwartz helped, and the proof is in the pudding after Tennessee experienced a major turnaround on defense. Chances are those results played a huge part in bringing Kelly in.

Now, the Titans will hope the offense can take a similar step forward with the help of Kelly, but being able to do so will still have a lot to do with Downing and Ryan Tannehill simply being better than they were last season.

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Titans’ Jon Robinson doubles-down on Ryan Tannehill, backs Todd Downing

Based on Jon Robinson’s support for both, it looks like Titans OC Todd Downing and QB Ryan Tannehill will be back in 2022.

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Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson is once again throwing his support behind embattled quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is on the hot seat with fans after a terrible performance in the divisional-round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Many fans want to see Tannehill gone yesterday and have dreams of trading for Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, but according to a recent report from ESPN’s Turron Davenport, the Titans don’t consider the future Hall of Famer an option.

Even if they did want to bring Rodgers in, the Titans would have to find a way to move Tannehill’s contract, something that doesn’t seem feasible with his massive salary and dead-cap hit in 2022.

For fans who want to see the Titans move on from Tannehill immediately, don’t get your hopes up, especially after Robinson recently doubled-down on his support for Tannehill, according to Ben Arthur of The Tennessean.

“Ryan’s a pro,” Robinson said. “He knows how much he means to us. Traded for that guy. Gave him an opportunity to start. New contract. I think it’s pretty apparent where he stands with us. He’s our quarterback. I don’t know how many more times I gotta say it.”

As far as Tannehill’s plethora of turnovers during the 2021 season go, the Titans general manager rightly noted that interceptions aren’t always the quarterback’s fault, yet they get the blame anyway.

“Nobody probably feels worse than Ryan,” Robinson said of Tannehill’s turnover-plagued 2021 season. “Not to speak for Ryan about the amount of interceptions that went down this year and probably not all of them are on him. .. Sometimes, a DB makes a great play. Sometimes, a receiver may be off his spot. He may get pressured and the ball gets tipped. There’s a lot that goes into those plays. But ultimately, the quarterback is the one who bears the blame for it.”

Another Titan taking plenty of heat is offensive coordinator Todd Downing, who did not perform well in his first season in the position, leading to fans calling for his head. Robinson also threw his support behind Downing and the offensive staff.

“There’s zero patience in today’s society,” Robinson said. “(People) don’t understand everything that goes into game planning and what’s built into plays. … There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it. But when it doesn’t go the way somebody wants it, the knee-jerk reaction is ‘we have to fire this (person). We have to do this.’ 

“They (the offensive staff) are good people, got great families,” Robinson continued. “They’re smart football men, everybody on that offensive side of the football. I’m proud to work with them.”

While it appears Downing will get another season to fix things, the Titans aren’t exactly standing pat on that side of the ball.

A few days ago, it was reported that the Titans were in the process of adding former Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly to their staff. He’s expected to have some kind of advisory role, and hopefully he can help Tennessee revive an offense that regressed mightily in 2021.

When it comes to the quarterback position, the Titans might not be able to get rid of Tannehill just yet, but they can make some moves that will give them an immediate insurance policy and set things up for the future.

Tennessee should explore upgrading their backup quarterback spot just in case Tannehill continues to go south. Trading for a guy like Gardner Minshew or signing Mitch Trubisky are two solid options.

The Titans can also start planning for the future by selecting a quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft in the hopes that the young signal-caller can take the reins from Tannehill in a year or two.

Whether it’s signing or trading for a better backup or drafting a quarterback, or both, the Titans need to make at least one move at the position during the 2022 offseason.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel throws support behind Ryan Tannehill, Todd Downing

Mike Vrabel called embattled Titans OC Todd Downing “a great coach.”

It was a rough year for the Tennessee Titans’ offense, and the blame can be laid at the feet of offensive coordinator Todd Downing mostly, with an assist from quarterback Ryan Tannehill, shoddy pass protection, and injuries.

However, for those fans who are hoping to see a change at one or both spots, don’t hold your breath for anything to happen.

In his year-end presser, Vrabel praised Downing and didn’t sound like a head coach who is looking to make a change.

“I think he’s a great coach, I think he’s a hard worker. There’s always going to be calls you’d like to have back, plays you’d like to have back,” Vrabel said. “Try to see how guys communicate with each other… are we all on the same page? Is there good communication? How did we do on third down? How did we do in the red zone? Things have to be better in all three phases each and every year, but I love the relationship Todd has with the assistant coaches and the players. We’ll all continue to improve.”

When asked if there would be any coaching changes made, Vrabel would only say that the team will meet this week to evaluate things. He also said injuries would be a factor in how they evaluate the team’s performance.

Public enemy No. 2 right now is Tannehill, who tossed three picks in the divisional-round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. While some fans may want to part ways with Tannehill in 2022, that simply isn’t possible.

Not only does his huge cap hits the next two seasons make him untradeable, he also carries a dead-cap hit of $57.4 million in 2022 and $18.8 million in 2023, so cutting him isn’t a realistic option, either.

Vrabel threw his support behind his embattled quarterback as well.

“We have to be great around him (Tannehill), but he’s shown signs of accuracy, of decision-making, to the ability to extend plays and scramble, and leadership,” Vrabel said. “So, those are all things you look for in a quarterback, and Ryan showed us that. Unfortunately, we turned the ball over on Saturday.”

What the Titans can do at quarterback is bring in a better backup option as an insurance policy, and they could even draft one to be Tannehill’s eventual successor in a year or two.

More immediate fixes include bringing in a new offensive coordinator and more pieces around Tannehill. Even then, none of that guarantees Tannehill will be able to rise to the occasion next time around.

Titans coaches weigh-in on what’s next for Derrick Henry

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Todd Downing talk what’s next for Derrick Henry.

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While he was designated to return from Injured Reserve last week, Derrick Henry was not activated from the list and ended up sitting out the Tennessee Titans’ regular-season finale against the Houston Texans.

The victory gave the Titans the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye, which in turn gives Henry more time to get back into the swing of things.

On Monday, head coach Mike Vrabel said the Titans will continue to monitor Henry’s progress and will see how he responds to “cutting” and “reactionary stuff,” per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“We talk about the same things all the time about the players that are returning from injury, the ones that go back into the football game,” Vrabel said. “(It’s) ‘Can they make whatever they have worse? Can they protect themselves? And, can they reasonably do their job?’ So, I think for Derrick, having not been out there, I think there’s going to be some looks that he’s going to have to get in practice. We’re going to have to see how he responds to some cutting and some reactionary stuff. We’ll continue to look and see how he is progressing, and then we’ll make a decision.”

On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Todd Downing said the training staff would dictate how much Henry does each day at practice.

The biggest concern for Henry when he does suit up in the Divisional Round will be rust, as the Alabama product hasn’t taken a single snap since Week 8.

It remains to be seen if Henry will take on his usual heavy workload in his first game back or if conditioning will limit his snaps, but if there’s anyone capable of overcoming the rust factor, it’s The King.

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What Titans are saying about 49ers ahead of Week 16 matchup

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel was very complimentary of 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo.

Onto Week 16 of the 2021 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans head back home to host a San Francisco 49ers team that has won five out of their last six games.

The Titans have lost their last three out of four contests, but they can officially clinch the AFC South with a win and an Indianapolis loss.

The 49ers are led by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who has averaged just over 236 yards per game during San Francisco’s recent hot stretch, to go along with a robust 72-percent completion rate.

“He’s taking care of the football, he’s been accurate,” Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said of Garoppolo on Tuesday. “He seems to be in command of everything that they’re doing. I mean, he’s playing well, he’s got a very good completion percentage, and they’re number one in the red zone.”

The Titans’ offense will look to get back on track against a defense that is 12th against the run (108.6 YPG) and seventh in passing yards allowed (213.2 YPG).

Here’s everything the Titans are saying in advance of their matchup with the 49ers on “Thursday Night Football.”

How the Titans can overcome the loss of Derrick Henry

The Titans have to try and maintain their spot atop the AFC without Derrick Henry, their most important player. Here’s how they can do just that.

The good news for the Tennessee Titans in Week 8 is that they beat the Colts 34-31 in overtime, and put themselves at the one-seed position in the AFC at 6-2. The bad news, of course, is that they lost running back Derrick Henry for anywhere from 6-10 weeks to a foot injury. This wouldn’t be an epic disaster for most teams in the “running backs don’t matter” era, but Henry matters to the Titans as no other back does in today’s NFL, and there’s no way to replace what he does on the field.

It starts on first down, where Henry was the NFL’s leader on the ground in every possible capacity — 131 attempts for 639 yards, seven touchdowns, and a 4.9 yards per carry average. When you’re giving your offense an average of second-and-5.1, it makes a lot more of the playbook available to you. That’s gone, as is Henry’s role as a finisher. In the fourth quarter and overtime this season, Henry led the league in carries (64), yards (318), yards after contact (214), and touchdowns (five). Henry both set up and completed Tennessee’s offense, and without him, the Titans will have to re-evaluate their entire offensive roster, and offensive coordinator Todd Downing really has a job ahead of him.

That journey starts Sunday night, when the Titans have to face the Rams at SoFi Stadium. It’s a bad week to be without the guy who defines your offense. The Rams rank ninth in Defensive DVOA this season, and 18th against the run, so there are opportunities, but anytime you’re facing Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey and possibly Von Miller… well, that’s a pretty decent test for an offense that will have to start from square one. Tennessee’s defense isn’t great, and the Rams have the most explosive passing game in the league, so that affects the picture, as well.

That’s not to say that the Titans’ 2021 outlook is hopeless without Henry; merely that Downing and the Titans’ coaching staff are really about to earn their salaries if they’re able to scheme and transcend their way around this. There are ways to make this happen.