The Tennessee Titans’ under-performing team’s game plan will be under Brian Callahan in 2024.
Former offensive coordinator Brian Callahan was a prime example of a somewhat unknown coach coming into the building and making the most of his resources while he was with the Cincinnati Bengals. Callahan was paired with the aging Andy Dalton and wide receiver A.J. Green when he was hired in 2019. He’s departing the NFL with one of its most powerful offenses behind him. Whether he can infuse Tennessee with a fraction of that magic will be the true question.
Staffing up will be Callahan’s first priority upon arriving in Tennessee. Sadly, Callahan might go through what Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor went through in 2019—that is, most NFL high-level coaches won’t want to be a coordinator for a coach with Callahan’s degree of inexperience. Given that, he will probably adopt the tactic that Taylor used over his whole tenure, which is to hire individuals you know and trust.
The most likely candidate to meet that requirement would undoubtedly be his father, Bill Callahan. The older Callahan has experience in the league, having led the Oakland Raiders as head coach for a number of years in the early 2000s. Under his son, Callahan would take on the role of offensive coordinator, and the two would play call using a same crowd sourcing method that Taylor had used in Cincinnati. Even while it would seem strange for a coach to hire his father, he is perhaps the most seasoned applicant that will even be taken into consideration for this coaching staff, especially in light of Tennessee’s urgent need to repair the offensive line.
Although it can be more difficult to predict the defensive side of the ball, James Bettcher appears to be the most likely choice to take on the role of defensive coordinator after some research. Previously, Bettcher worked as a defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals from 2015 to 2017 and the New York Giants from 2018 to 2019. He has been Cincinnati’s linebackers coach for the last two seasons. In addition to making use of Tennessee’s outstanding defensive front, Bettcher may elevate the secondary back to its customary position of importance. Within Callahan’s inner circle, Bettcher is another well-respected coach who could easily fill in for the positional coaches.
The Overall game plan under Callahan
Even while it might be evident to Callahan, as the former quarterbacks coach has done throughout his career, to emphasize the passing game, he will probably enter the building in Tennessee and notice how much the infrastructure there begs for a play-action plan. Whether the team decides to retain aging superstar Derrick Henry or not, previous head coach Mike Vrabel invested a large amount of draft capital in developing an offensive line over the years. Especially with Treylon Burks and aging star DeAndre Hopkins as their greatest aerial options, the team will probably force the ground game to provide much easier play-action opportunities for rookie Will Levis to make easier throws.
Be the first to comment