Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Brian Callahan ON THE HOT SEAT, Missing Mike Vrabel & Tank Draft Pick Update

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

The Tennessee Titans took another bad loss on Sunday and it is fair to wonder if head coach Brian Callahan is on the hot seat. However, firing Callahan this offseason would not only be a poor decision, but it would leave a stain on the Titans as a franchise. Some fans are missing Mike Vrabel right about now and while Vrabel may have a few more wins, the reality is moving on from him was still the right move for the franchise. Finally, with the Titans loss, they now have moved into a top six selection. Who lies ahead of them and why do they sit where they are? We update the tank!!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!Omaha SteaksFrom legendary steaks to mouthwatering desserts and more, save 50% off site-wide for a limited time at OmahaSteaks.com. Plus, our listeners get an extra $30 off with Promo Code NFL.IceShakerCreated by and used by the Gronkowski brothers, IceShakers has sold over 1 million bottles. They have changed the game with workout bottles, and this is the gift you’ve been looking for… go to IceShaker.com and use the code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout to save 25% on your order.Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.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 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started.Bilt RewardsStart earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to joinbilt.com/LOCKEDONNFL.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 not on the hot seat, but he will be soon. I'll explain 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 Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans Podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked On Titans Podcast is brought to you by PrizePix. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL.

Use the code locked on NFL, all lowercase, to win $50 instantly when you play $5. On today's show, I'm going to talk about why Brian Callahan is not on the hot seat right now, but he certainly will be next season. Also going to answer the question, should the Tennessee Titans miss Mike Vrabel right now? And I'll give you an update on how the Titans tank is cruising along. Before we dive in, 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. You're not going to beat that anywhere else. Remember, I know that we all are disappointed by the season, but I'm always here with you to talk it out. I want to give a shout out to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday if you aren't an everydayer.

You need to be one. But with that being said, Brian Callahan on the hot seat? My answer is a resounding no. Brian Callahan is not on the hot seat right now. And after every single loss, we have to do the same exact thing with the overreactions and all the emotion. And look, when I watch the football games on Sunday, I get emotional about it too. I fire off my fair share of stupid tweets. That's why when people ask me, Tyler, will you ever do a live show where you're live during the game? My answer is always no, because I say some crazy things during the heat of the battle.

And I think that's just part of being a fan. But the immediate overreaction of Brian Callahan has to be fired. Rancar Thon has to be fired. Everybody's got to go. Clean house. It's just, to me, it's all too soon. And it's too over the top, in my opinion. We can have logical conversations about Brian Callahan's viability going forward, but to think

that Brian Callahan is going to be fired this year or fired this offseason, I just think that that's relatively insane at the end of the day, and it lacks foresight, and it lacks hindsight as well, because we all had an idea in our mind of what the Titans were trying to do this past offseason and how they were trying to set things up for the future with the understanding that this may not be the best season. I didn't have the Titans making the playoffs this year. I didn't have the Titans as a contender this year. Now, I expected them to be better than they are. I'd certainly admit that, but at the end of the day, we knew that this would be somewhat of a

transition season for the Titans with a ton of new pieces. So with that in mind, think about what the ownership's idea was supposed to be. I'm sure that these conversations about where the team is at, where the roster is at, what needs to happen going forward. I'm sure that the owner was privy to all of those conversations as well. So we all have to have a reasonable amount of patience here as to what's going on. And I think that again, not only would it be a bad idea to fire Brian Callahan after one season, just from a football standpoint of now you've got a new system and it's another offensive coach for Will Levis. And now you're changing things up after just one year and all the things that come with that. But also from an organizational standpoint,

how would the Titans be viewed as an organization to potential coaches if they just did Brian Callahan like that? You have to consider what the ramifications would be for the organization standing amongst good candidates. Look at Carolina right now. Think about the Carolina Panthers. Does any good coaching candidate want to go there? No, they do not.

You do not want to see all of the things that people said about Miss Amy after she fired Mike Vrabel. She's emotional. She's reactionary. All that after having Mike Vrabel for six seasons. I don't think that's a reactionary move whatsoever. It's not, you know, that would actually, firing Brian Callahan right

now or after the year would actually confirm those things like, oh yeah, she actually is like that. You know what I mean? So I just think it would be a terrible look for the organization along with a football mistake to fire Brian Callahan right now.

But, but, with all that being said, it is my opinion that Brian Callahan will be on the hot seat immediately starting next season. It's one thing to be a rookie head coach. It's one thing to be new. All of that, you get your honeymoon period, absolutely. But if this team makes similar mistakes to what they made this year, next year, then the conversation becomes realistic in my opinion.

And I think that Brian Callahan could be one of the top coaches in the odds on FanDuel for first coach fired next season. It's not going to happen this season. It's not going to happen this offseason, and it shouldn't. But if he comes out next year, right now the Titans lead the league in penalties per game. There have been at least three games where coaching was the primary reason that the Titans lost, not their roster. I would say the Colts game.

I would say the Packers game and then this Jaguars game right here. They are coaching losses at the end of the day. Maybe you could add in the Commanders loss as well. I think that's viable. Now, the Packers are a really good football team, but they have Malik Willison. So, like, three or four losses are on the coaching staff primarily.

Keeping Colt Anderson employed and hiring him in the first place and letting him go out and talk to media, that is embarrassing. And just the preparedness of the football team mentally and then some of the game plans that the Titans have employed, like trying to run the ball down the Jacksonville Jaguars throat when they're one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Like, all of those factors to me are issues with the coaching. NFL. Like all of those factors to me are issues with the coaching. And it's fair to wonder whether Brian Callahan is just an offensive coordinator and not an actual head coach. Can he lead men?

Can he put together a sound game plan? Can he manage the game properly? Those are things I'm worried about. But again, you don't fire a guy after his rookie season with those issues when he's a 39 year old guy who's never even called plays at the NFL level before. That would be a mistake. And the final thing I want to leave you with here is my guy Will Lomas at JLomas72 on Twitter, one of my favorite content creators out there, he had a good tweet. And he said,

No one gets frustrated with the Titans more than I do, but you can't burn everything down now. You hired a first-time coach who is also calling plays and put him in charge of a team that had won six of their last 24 games. There have been close games the first month of the season, some bright spots, Houston, New England, Minnesota, Miami, and low points too. It takes time, and he adequately points out,

go look at the early years of Dan Campbell's Lions and Kyle Shanahan's 49ers. Now, like with the Josh Allen comparisons for every quarterback out there who's not good his first two years, Dan Campbell and Kyle Shanahan, it's not like you can point to them and say, hey, every bad coach is going to turn into a good coach because of those guys. But it does remind us that we need to have a little bit of patience, and that's why, no, Brian Callahan is not on the hot seat right now.

But he certainly will be next year, and it makes certain Titans fans wonder, what would the Titans be if they still had Mike Vrabel as coach? And I'm going to answer that question right now. if they still had Mike Vrabel as coach? And I'm going to answer that question right now. Before I get into it, though, I do want to tell you guys about Ice Shaker.

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That's right, $50 instantly. When you play just $5, it's PrizePix. Run your game. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. It's kind of a talk it out Tuesday. You could call it some talking points here. We talked about Brian Callahan and his status as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. There is plenty to be concerned about, but firing Brian Callahan this offseason is just not a realistic solution.

However, a lot of Titans fans at this moment in time are wondering did the Titans make a big mistake firing Mike Vrabel? A lot of Titans fans in my comments constantly, constantly, you wanted to fire Mike Vrabel. You deserve this. Okay, well, you have to be sad too.

So it's not like you get to be happy. I hope you're not happy that the Titans are having a terrible season. That would be a weird thing for a Titans fan. But I just want to have the conversation. So we'll start. I put a poll up on Twitter. How many wins do you think the Titans would have right now if Mike Vrabel was the coach?

Feel free to let me know down below. Hit me up on Twitter at TicTacTitans. Let me know your answer. Do you think they have less wins than they have now? Do you think it's the same? Maybe four to five, six or more? Where do you end? For me, I think the Titans would be at four to five wins.

That's where I would have the Titans if Mike Rabel was still the coach. They would have four to five wins. I think a couple of these games, the Colts game, this game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, I think the Titans would have won those two games. I don't think it would have changed what happened with Green Bay because Matt LaFleur is a better head coach than Mike Vrabel. Matt LaFleur is a better football coach than Mike Vrabel is.

I don't think it would have changed the Minnesota game, the beatdowns by Buffalo and Detroit. Buffalo smoked the Titans when Mike Vrabel was the head coach the last time they played. It was, what, 41-7, something like that. I think what happens is, so I'll say, you know, two wins is what I would say if Mike Vrabel was the coach, and they'd be 5-8, right, right now.

That's not going to get you into the playoffs in the AFC. Look at the AFC wildcard with Denver and with Baltimore and with the Chargers. 5-8, the Titans wouldn't be doing anything particularly fun. You would just have experienced two more better Sundays. That's really what it comes down to. And that kind of leads me into my overall point. No, I don't miss Mike Vrabel.

No, I don't feel remorse over wanting the Titans to fire Mike Vrabel. Better than this is still not the endgame. Having two more wins this year is not the endgame. That doesn't make things better. The reason Mike Vrabel was fired is because he would have not taken the Titans with this young roster to anywhere better than where they currently are at. Two more wins and what? A worse draft pick? They still wouldn't make the playoffs.

They still wouldn't be contenders with this roster. playoffs. They still wouldn't be contenders with this roster. So Mike Vrabel in year seven as a head coach, his seventh year as a head coach, would be a better head coach than Brian Callahan in his first year as a head coach. That's clear. And all last season, if you're honest, I said the entire time Mike Vrabel is a good coach he is not the right coach and maybe Brian Callahan isn't the right coach either maybe that's what we find out and next year at this time

we all look around and say man they didn't get it right with Brian Callahan but it was still time to move on from Mike Vrabel let me remind you as the tweet that we just read from my guy Will Lomas, six and 24, or six games in the last 24, six and 18 in the last 24 games

for Mike Vrabel. This excellent, all knowing, incredible head coach that everybody is pining for again. 6-18 in his last 24. 7-10 season. 6-11 season. The last two years. Not only that,

the Titans were near the top of the league in penalties last year. They were top two in the NFL in pre-snap penalties. So it's the same problem that Brian Callahan has right now. Mike Vrabel had last year with the pre-snap penalties. The special teams for the Titans last year were terrible too. Is it as bad as this year? No. But it was terrible then. And remember how you felt.

If I could just put everybody in a time machine and remember how you felt watching Ryan Stonehouse get blasted two times in a row and snap his leg in half. How you felt about Mike Vrabel keeping Craig Aukerman around for his entire tenure. You were freaking out. You were all freaking out about it, just like you are right now. It's not that different. Not only that, but the inability to hire good coordinators,

good assistant coaches. Like, we're doing this thing now because things are going bad with Brian Callahan. We're doing this thing where we recolor everything with Mike Vrabel. Like Mike Vrabel was John Madden. He's not. It's the same thing I said when they fired him. They didn't just fire John Madden. Mike Vrabel had a huge list of problems.

And again, if Mike Vrabel was coaching this team, how many more wins do they have? Not enough to make a difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs. It's not like the Titans have a playoff contending roster that if you had Mike Vrabel coaching the team, they would all of a sudden be great and have a winning record. We're talking about the difference in a couple of wins. Mike Vrabel is a good head coach. He's not great. And the Titans were right to move on to him. On from him. Did they get it right with Brian Callahan?

Who knows? Maybe not. But it was still the right move to move on from Mike Vrabel. So yes, Mike Vrabel in year seven would be a better coach than Brian Callahan in year one. You got me. Duh. It's Mike Vrabel in his seventh year. But the whole idea of what the Titans are doing with moving to Brian Callahan is for the future. You are making an investment in the future of the franchise

that we are going to establish a culture, that we are going to have a head coach and a general manager who want to be partners and work together. We are going to change the culture, that we are going to have a head coach and a general manager who want to be partners and work together. We are going to change the way that the coaching staff and the scouting staff and the front office approach football from a more data-based stance. A lot of things are changing here. A lot of things are changing. So just keep in mind here, changing here. A lot of things are changing. So, just keep in mind here. First time head coach, tons of change on the roster, new approach from the entire organization. There

were always going to be bumps in the road. It was always going to be, you know, darker before it got lighter for the Titans. So, does all this mean that Brian Callahan will be a good coach and work out? No, it doesn't. But the people acting like Mike Vrabel would fundamentally change what this team is. I'm sorry, you've just, you've lost the plot, in my

opinion. And you've completely forgotten what made everybody, all the people who are pissed off in my comments all the time now about Brian Callahan, you were the same people mad about Mike Vrabel last year. It's just the same stuff. So, do I miss Mike Vrabel?

No. No, I do not. And, I mean, I thought he was going to get a job right away because he's such a great coach. Didn't happen either. And the Cleveland Browns, how are they doing with his incredible wisdom? So, I'm just sick of seeing the Mike Vrabel stuff.

That's all that it comes down to. But let's talk about where the Titans are at in their tank job right now because they're not quite as high up on the pick list as you would hope. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandle. Look, get ready to tackle the final month of the NFL season with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook, because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if you win.

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of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about Brian Callahan being on the hot seat. We talked about why I do not miss Mike Vrabel. And to me, that's a grass is always greener type deal, quite frankly. But now let's get into where the Titans tank sits at, because after that loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, you would hope that it would have helped out the Tennessee Titans draft pick quite significantly. They were number seven coming into the week, but even after the loss to Jacksonville, they only move up to sixth. Tough, tough for the Tennessee Titans.

The reality is for them to move up in a significant way in the draft order, they would need teams ahead of them to win games. Like they're not just going to be able to beat them on the tiebreaker. So what is the tiebreaker for draft picks? It is strength of schedule, the combined record of your schedule. And right now, the Tennessee Titans, as what happened last year when they had the same record as the Giants and the Chargers,

the Titans' strength of schedule is not something that helps them. It's not. So the Titans are sixth right now in the draft order. Their strength of schedule is 5-0-9. The teams in front of them that have the same record, the Jags, 3-10, the Panthers, 3-10, the Patriots, 3-10, all of them have strength

of schedules in the 400s. Jags are 4-89. Panthers are 484. Patriots are 459. The Titans aren't even close. The Titans, I mean, 489, I guess. That's quite a ways off. That's quite a ways off. So what impacts that? Again, it is the strength of schedule of the opponents that you've played. The Titans would need people that they've played to lose games while the people that the Jags and the Panthers and the Patriots have played to win games, making their strength of schedule harder. The Titans easier.

The easier the strength of schedule, the higher you are in the picks. So the Titans are just in a tough spot from that standpoint. Now, the two teams at the very top, coincidentally, are the two teams that need quarterbacks. The Raiders are 2-11. The Giants are 2-11. Now, I don't think the Titans are catching them, but they don't need to because those teams are going to take quarterbacks.

I would love to see Sanders with the Raiders and then Cam Ward with the Giants. I think that's the cleanest fit prospect the team. Cam Ward with the Giants. I think that's the cleanest fit prospect, the team. Cam Ward probably closer to Josh Allen with his mobility and his body size. Maybe Brian Dable could get the best out of him. Sanders, maybe they hire Deion Sanders as the head coach to go with the Sun. That would be pretty cool for story purposes, I admit.

But I don't think the Titans are getting close to those guys. Now, coincidentally enough, their strength of schedules are even better than the Titans. The Raiders are 536, and the Giants are 546. Remember, the Titans 509. So if the Titans could get close to those guys, if those two were to win games and the Titans don't, then the Titans would have a good chance to beat them out for the first pick,

but I just don't think that's likely. So it's the Patriots, the Panthers, the Jaguars. They're all 3-10. The Titans are going to need a couple of those teams to win to move them up the board. My number one prospect in this draft that I want is Abdul Carter, the edge rusher out of Penn State. That is my number one pick for the Titans. I have cooled a little bit on the wide receivers. As we get closer to draft time, I get more information

and see more clips and all that stuff. I don't do a lot of college scouting during the season. I'm too focused on the NFL football at hand with covering the NFL for locked on. But as we start to get more information on the draft, I'm less excited about the wide receivers and more excited about the edge rushers Abdul Carter, Mikel Williams uh those are two guys that I really really like for the Titans but to ensure that they can get their hands on them

they need to be a little bit lower so that's what we're looking for from here on out. After the Titans lost that game to the Jaguars, man, my confidence is rattled in a way that I don't think can be repaired this season. I'm not going to expect the Titans to win any of their games going forward. I have a hard time believing that and seeing that. So hopefully the Panthers, who are playing better football, the Patriots coming off a bye, the Jags, I don't have a lot of faith in either.

They were terrible yesterday. The Titans were just even worse. So I don't know if they're going to be able to pass up Jacksonville, but maybe the Patriots and Panthers get a couple wins down the stretch and the Titans can get into the top four. We know that the Jaguars aren't going to take an edge rusher because they have Trevon Walker and they have Josh Hines-Allen. It's one of the only spots on their team that's actually good.

So maybe they go with an offensive lineman. Maybe they go with Will Johnson, the cornerback out of Michigan. That would make some sense. Maybe they go with Travis Hunter as well. That would make a ton of sense for Jacksonville, although I would hate to see that. But either way, the Titans are going to need a little bit of help if they actually want to get higher than number six overall.

So we'll be interesting to see, but we'll have to keep our eye on that through the last month of the season. But that's going to do it for me today, folks. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed, throw a thumbs up on the video, throw a Titan up down in the chat. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.