Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Brian Callahan is SAFE FOR 2025, Playing BOTH Quarterbacks & Texans Play Starters

Episode Date: December 30, 2024

The Tennessee Titans dropped to 3-13 on Sunday, but a report that came out on Saturday may have been the most impactful part of the weekend as it was reported that head coach Brian Callahan will be retained into 2025. While this may be met with anger by most in the fanbase, it is the right move for the organization. Callahan spoke to the media on Monday and announced that both quarterbacks, Mason Rudolph and Will Levis, will be playing in Week 18 against the Texans and this appears to be a sign the organization is on board with the tank. Finally, the Houston Texans come to town and are doing the Titans a huge favor by playing their starters in the matchup.Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitansTicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=ascFollow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan is safe in 2025. I'm going to go over all the latest news on today's edition of Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans Podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. On today's edition of the Locked On Titans Podcast, we're going to talk about a big report that came out over the weekend

saying that Brian Callahan will be back in 2025. There's a lot more to go over as well. Also, I'll go over some comments that Brian Callahan made on Monday that tell me the entire franchise is in on the tank. And we'll talk about how the Houston Texans are doing the Tennessee Titans quite a big favor in Week 18. Before we get into all of it, I do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen

each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Speaking of every day, shout out to my everydayers out there.

Tune in Monday through Friday. It's going to be another crazy offseason for the Tennessee Titans. And of course, I have content all year round. So it's a great day to be an everydayer. With that being said, though, the Tennessee Titans lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars 20 to 13, just like we needed them to. But in reality, the biggest thing that happened for the Tennessee Titans over the weekend came from a report from Jeremy Fowler from ESPN that basically explained that Brian Callahan's job is safe in 2025. I'm going to read you that report from Jeremy Fowler

so we're all on the same page. And I got to tell you, other than Brian Callahan's job status, there's a lot of good stuff in here that we need to discuss. But first, the report starts, quote, it has been a trying season for the Titans with a string of close early losses, underwhelming and at times confounding quarterback play, and a 3-12, now 3-13 record entering Sunday's game at Jacksonville. But first-year head coach Brian Callahan and the bulk of his staff are expected to return.

Internally, there is a feeling Callahan has shown long-term promise and the team has improved. The expectation next season is that that'll be reflected more on the field and the scoreboard. Fixing the quarterback position, former second rounder Will Levis was benched in December, is job number one. The Titans have other issues too, including fixing a special teams unit

that was a major liability early in the season. Some staff changes are possible, end quote, end report. So again, that comes from Jeremy Fowler from ESPN. So, I know that there is quite a bit in there that Titans fans may disagree with. You may disagree with the fact that Brian Callahan's job and his staff are all intact. Okay, you may disagree that Brian Callahan should be expected to return.

That's fine. Also, they say internally, there's a feeling Callahan has shown long-term promise and the team has improved. Well, I understand it. A lot of you probably won't agree with that statement either. And that's understandable. I will say that statistically speaking,

there are some areas that you can point to and show that this Tennessee Titans team is improved from last year. There are certain data points, certain metrics. Does anybody care about those? Probably not. All right. But if that's how they feel internally, that Brian Callahan has shown some long-term promise

that the team has improved in some areas, which I agree with. The team has improved in some areas, but because their record is so bad, obviously nobody wants to hear that. So fair enough. But I think that's the right decision. At the end of the day, I think it's the right decision to bring Brian Callahan back in 2025 because as I've said, what bad franchises do is they cycle through head coach, head coach, head coach, GM, constantly cycling through, and that's not the way to do it. Also, if you fire a coach after one season, tell them that they're going to give them a vision and they're going to be collaboration with the general manager and all the stuff that the Titans sold last fall season, you do all that. And then you fire Brian Callahan after one year, you're

not going to get the best head coaching candidates lining up to play for you or to coach for you. So to me, it's the right move to ride with Brian Callahan for one more season. Now, To me, it's the right move to ride with Brian Callahan for one more season. Now, Brian Callahan will be on the hot seat from the moment next season starts. And that is understandable. And especially if they draft a young quarterback, and that rookie quarterback does not look good, then Brian Callahan is a goner.

No doubt about it. Ranked Carthon probably too. But, but, even with that risk, the right thing to do is to hold things over, have a little bit of patience, and let them improve in certain areas where they need to improve, including quarterback, which again, back to the report here,

it's clear. Fixing the quarterback position, former second round pick Will Levis was benched in December, is job number one. They feel internally if they had better quarterback play, this team would be a lot better. I can't disagree with that. I think this team would be a lot better with better quarterback play. Would this team be great? Would this team be a playoff contender? No, but they certainly would have won about five or

six games this year, maybe even seven, if they had competent quarterback play. Because as you saw on Sunday, Mason Rudolph isn't very good either. And as a matter of fact, the Titans are probably going to play both quarterbacks on Sunday against the Houston Texans. I'm going to dive into why I love that and why it's also a massive indication of the issue the Titans have.

But one last thing from this report that if you're upset about what you've heard, this might make you feel at least a little bit better. Small consolation prize. It does say the Titans have other issues too, including fixing a special teams unit

that was a major liability early in the season. Some staff changes are possible. To me, what that says is Colt Anderson, pack your bags. Callahan and the bulk of his staff are expected to return, but at the end, some staff changes are possible. They are going to fire Colt Anderson and find a new special teams coach with a lot more experience. That is 100% an absolute must, an absolute have to do that. I would guarantee you that if Brian Callahan didn't want to do that himself, the organization, Rand Carthon, Chad Brinker, and Amy Adams-Strunk would require him to make a change at special teams coordinator. So look, what have we learned here?

Brian Callahan and most of the coaching staff expected to be back. I think that's the right decision for this team and just for the standing of the organization within the NFL ecosystem. Number two, they think finding a new quarterback and finding a good quarterback is the number one priority for this team, and I 100% agree it absolutely is. the number one priority for this team. And I 100% agree. It absolutely is.

And then number three, expect some staff changes are possible while also mentioning special teams. It's pretty clear what's going to happen there. So that's the report we got over the weekend. Let me know how you feel about that down below in the comments or on Twitter, at Tic Tac Titans. But again, we're going to see both quarterbacks this weekend against the Houston Texans. Sounds crazy, but that's exactly why I love it.

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kind of reacting to all of the non-football things that have happened in the last 24 to 48 hours. We got the big-time report over the weekend about what the Titans are going to do going forward into the future, what their outlook is, what their thought process is right now. Now we hear from Brian Callahan on Monday in his after game press conference, and we have some very, very interesting things from Brian Callahan. Before we dive into it, do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. The most interesting thing that Brian Callahan had to say at his press conference on Monday was that he expects to play both quarterbacks, both quarterbacks

against the Houston Texans. He wants to see both of them play. Now, I love this decision from Brian Callahan. A lot of people online, the reaction is, oh, you just go with the cold hand. You hear the phrase, go with the hot hand. The Titans need to go with the cold hand. Whichever quarterback is playing worse, you play that quarterback and say, hey, they weren't having a great game, wanted to see how they respond. You know,

it's that simple. Okay, it's that simple. You go with the cold hand. Even if a guy scores early on the first drive, you take him out and you put the other quarterback in. And what happens there is neither of the quarterbacks can ever get a rhythm. So even if they're not good quarterbacks, they're going to be even worse because they can't get a rhythm. And to me, that is a sign of the tank.

The Titans are going to tank this game against the Texans no matter how they have to do it. Here's what Brian Callahan said, though. Quote, I'm actually going to play both of them. Let both those guys have a chance to play. I don't know what it looks like yet, but I think both guys will have an opportunity. I do think I want to let Will get another shot

at throwing the ball around a little bit and playing some football. He's been really professional in his approach, how it's all gone with the benching and everything. Back to the quote. I think he's earned a right to go play a little more football. He's been really professional in his approach, how it's all gone with the benching and everything back to the quote. I think he's earned a right to go play a little more football just because of the way he's handled the whole process. I've got a lot of respect for it. He's been really professional in all those things. So I'll give him a chance to go and play a little bit more. I wouldn't say there would be a single determining factor

in how they address the quarterback situation in the offseason, but it's still another opportunity to get another evaluation and watch those guys go play. It's always a position that you have to have an answer for, and you want to make sure that whatever direction you head at that spot, you have a full evaluation, and you feel really strongly that one is or one isn't and I think that's the ultimate

go is to make sure that we have all the looks that we need. It'd be different if we had won two games in a row with Mason, then I'd probably stick with him, but we haven't and we are where we are with our game performance and our record. Look,

Brian Callahan is positioning this in a perfect way. Hey, we need more answers. Hey, I want to see both guys play a little bit more before the end of the season. But there's one game left. If you don't have your answer on Will Levis and Mason Rudolph right now after both of them play in half the season, then you're never going to get your answer.

Don't be fooled here. Brian Callahan 100% has his answer and has his evaluation on Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. There are no stones that need to be unturned. You know what I mean? Like, no. No stones that need to be turned. That's what I meant to say.

But either way, I think it's pretty clear what's happening here. It's pretty clear and obvious. As I mentioned, I love this because the Titans are committed to the tank. They're like, hey, we're going to run the quarterbacks in and out. We're going to rotate them. Whatever happens, happens. Brian Callahan also said that he wants to see a lot of young guys play in this game now. In tomorrow's episode, I'm going to go over my feelings on drafting a quarterback in the first round. I'm also going to talk about the young guys that I want to see play based on Brian Callahan saying this.

And Callahan also talked about potentially moving J.C. Latham to right tackle in the offseason. So we're going to talk about that as well on tomorrow's show. Latham to right tackle in the offseason. So we're going to talk about that as well on tomorrow's show. But for right now, all of those things, all of these comments that we're getting from Brian Callahan, oh, we're going to play both quarterbacks. We want to see more, right?

You know, we just want a full evaluation that we don't already have. Yeah, right. We want to see them play. They're going to rotate. I want to see some young guys play. They're going to be young guys who get opportunities. They're going to play young players who aren't as good as the players above them. They are going to rotate quarterbacks. They are tanking. They are tanking this game. And you know, at the end of the day, Brian Callahan, think about what we talked about to open the show.

The report that Brian Callahan is safe for 2025. And then he comes out on Monday after another loss and says, we're going to rotate quarterbacks. Not just play the guy who's the best. Not just play who I think gives us the best chance. No, we're doing it to see guys play. Not win. Not have the best chance to win. We want to evaluate. I'm going to play young players. See those guys play. Brian Callahan would not come out there on Monday and say the things that

he said that we just talked about and he didn't feel safe in 2025. And if he's safe in 2025, and he's making all these decisions right now, it is obvious that a meeting was had. Brian, here's what we want to do. We need a quarterback. We want one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Your job is safe,

but we need you to lose these last two games. We need, maybe not before Jacksonville, but right now, the way it looks, I guarantee a conversation was had, and he said that he had hard conversations with Amy Adam Strunk, Chad Brinker, and Rand Carthon. And I guarantee you that those conversations were, look, you're coming back in 2025. We're not going to fire you,

but you need to have a better team out there next year. How do we do that? We need better quarterback play. How do we get better quarterback play? We got to draft one. I think the Titans will probably draft one and sign a veteran free agent. I think both of those things happen.

But it's pretty clear to me that the entire organization is on board with tanking this last game. And that's why Brian Callahan made those comments that aren't about putting the best team out there. They're about playing young guys and evaluating for the future. Oh, so you're telling me that your main goal for this week against the Texans is to look forward to the future? That is just another way to say they are tanking!

And you couldn't say that if you thought you were going to get fired. If Brian Callahan thought that he was about to get fired in a week, he would not have said that. So the report that came out over the weekend, the way that Brian Callahan talked in his press conference, it all points to the same direction. They are tanking, and everyone from the top all the way to the bottom is on board. That's what we learned from this press conference.

So to me, it's pretty clear. I'm certain that there will be people who disagree because in this day and age, there are always at least someone there will always be someone who disagrees. There is no such thing as consensus. But I mean, I don't think you have to be some sort of expert to read between the lines here

and look at the timeline of events to figure out exactly what the mentality of the Titans franchise is. They know they need a quarterback and they're willing to tank to go get one. The Houston Texans are going to help them do it as well. We'll talk about that right now. Titans fans! Let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about the report over the weekend I thought was very important. We talked about some of the things that Brian Callahan had to say in his press conference and why I think it's clear

that everyone is on board with tanking in the Titans organization. But again, the Houston Texans are going to help the Titans do it. Alright, they're going to help them on their way. Before I tell you how, I do want to thank you again for making Locked on Titans your first listen. For your second listen, check out Locked on NFL.

I'm the host of Locked on NFL for the Locked on Podcast Network. It's about to be playoff time. The Titans season will be over. Get caught up on all your NFL ongoings with me over at Locked on NFL, free all year round, all platforms, all of that. But D'Amico Ryans, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans head coach, came out and said on Monday,

quote, that everybody has to be ready to go and that's where we are. Everyone will be out there playing. No rest for the starters this week when the Texans take on the Titans. That is phenomenal news. That is the best news that we might get this entire week. The Texans are going to play their starters. And look, I thought that this is what would

happen anyway. I have been saying since Wednesday, the Texans are going to play their starters because what you can't do is you can't lose 31 to two where you get completely shut out on offense. Then let your starters rest and then go into the playoffs and think you're going to win. Football does not work like that. It doesn't. So my position all along is because the Texans have no momentum, because the Texans played so poorly, because the Texans got beat by the Titans last time at home in Houston. The Texans will not only play their starters because they need to build momentum towards the playoffs

and remind themselves they can play good football, but they also need to adjust their offense without Tank Dell now that he's out for the season. Their patchwork offensive line needs to play together. And they're going to want to get revenge. There is a clear hatred between the Titans organization and the Texans organization. It is clear. It is obvious.

So even if, even if the other factors weren't playing, the Texans would probably play their starters against the Titans because the animosity between those franchises has risen after the Titans wore the Houston Oiler throwbacks. You got owners talking crap about each other in interviews. So, this is a huge favor to the Titans, though. Because if the Titans played the Texans' backups, it's definitely a closer game.

I'm not going to tell you that the Titans are going to win, but it definitely would be a closer game, and it would give you the scaries, for sure. The Texans' starters wanting revenge against the Titans with 11 days of rest from when they played last to when they're going to play the Titans. I don't care that it's on the road. That's magnificent. That is incredible.

So starters, motivation, playoffs, and revenge, extra rest, like all of it. The Titans are going to wear the Oilers uniforms again, so you know that there's going to be even more extra motivation there the Titans are rotating quarterbacks they're prioritizing young players over their better players like this is a magnificent scenario for the Titans to lock in their tank and not only is the situation fantastic but from Brian Callahan's comments the reports we got over the weekend,

it appears that the Tennessee Titans are on board with the tank. So everything right now is set up perfectly for the Titans to lose this football game and secure their draft position. They could be no lower than the second pick if they lose this game.

And we want to add an additional layer onto it to get you excited, to get you fired up. The New England Patriots going to play the Buffalo Bills at home in New England and the Bills are resting their starters. Because their draft position is completely locked. And they have been playing incredible football. Literally, they just won 40-0 over the Jets.

Or it ended up being 40-8, whatever. It was like a massive blowout. So it's the opposite. The Bills have been playing incredible all year long. They can afford to rest their starters and lose the game because their position is locked in as the two seed. They go on the road. They play a New England team that is not very good. But, Drake May is not bad.

And New England has played some okay football here and there. So, I feel very hopeful that the Tennessee Titans will finish the season with the number one pick, number two at minimum, and the Texans and the front office and Brian Callahan all appear headed towards that as well. But that is going to do it for me today, folks. Again, on tomorrow's episode, we are going to talk about my opinion

on drafting a quarterback, number one, and why I'm perfectly fine with that. We're going to discuss the offensive tackle position going forward as it seems the Titans are open to moving JC Latham, which may be the right thing to do at this point. And we'll talk about the young guys that I want to see out on the field to help the Titans secure the tank. All right. But with that being said, that is going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.