Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans MUST NOT HIRE Dan Quinn, Brian Callahan Is The MAN & Titans Satisfy Rooney Rule Requirements

Episode Date: January 22, 2024

The Tennessee Titans are now into their second interviews for the open head coaching position and they absolutely cannot hire Dan Quinn who is set to have an in-person interview later this week. The Titans should instead focus on hiring Brian Callahan who can build one of the best and most diverse coaching staffs in the NFL. Finally, the Titans have completed their Rooney Rule requirements and one of the interviews may actually be with offensive coordinator in mind.Follow 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!Jase MedicalEmpower yourself when you purchase a Jase Case, providing you with a personal supply of 5 antibiotics that treat 50+ infections. Get yours today at jasemedical.com and use code LOCKEDON to get $20 off your order.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnfl and use code lockedonnfl for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.FanDuelRight now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED when you place a FIVE DOLLAR BET. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Titans, I'm begging you, please do not hire Dan Quinn. I'll explain why on today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Let's get it. 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. Today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast

is brought to you by FanDuel. Make every moment more. Right now, new customers get 150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet. Visit fanduel.com slash locked on to get started. The Tennessee Titans have scheduled three second interviews. I'm going to break down each and every candidate and what their place should be within the Titans organization.

We are going to start with Dan Quinn and why it would be a disaster for the Titans to hire Dan Quinn as their head coach. Before I get into that, I do want to thank you guys 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, so make sure you get subscribed. Stay subscribed.

It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Shout out to all you guys for getting me to 10,000 subscribers on YouTube. Couldn't do it without you and a special thanks to my everydayers out there. If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one. So get like that. A lot of content coming your way. We got free agency preview, draft preview, cap breakdowns, roster management, all of that along with all of these coaches that may get hired very, very soon. With that being said, we got to dive into this. So the Titans have scheduled three second interviews.

Number one, Brian Callahan. We knew about that on yesterday's show. They also have a second interview with Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, and Thomas Brown, the offensive coordinator from the Carolina Panthers. Now I'm going to start with Dan Quinn because, like I said at the beginning, Titans, please, I'm begging you, do not hire Dan Quinn. I have loved this team with a passion,

like the passion of a thousand burning suns for 25 years. And I don't know if I've ever been as disappointed in the team as I will be if they hire Dan Quinn. Here's the reality. Number one, he's a defensive coach. I have made it very clear that I want an offensive coach for this team. It has been 25 years of caveman football. We're going to establish the run and play tough defense. And the passing game,

that's just something we do if we have to. I'm so sick of it. It is an offensive league. Okay? In today's NFL, you want to go with the old phrase, defense wins championships? Okay.

I'll still give you that. But only under this circumstance. You have to have a great offense to get into the dance. If you want a serious shot at winning a Super Bowl in the NFL, you have to have a great offense, period. And then out of the teams with a good or great offense, the team with the best defense finds a way to win. All right, so defense still wins championships, but if you don't have a good offense, you don't have a realistic ticket into the dance to start with. Okay. So I'm tired

of defensive coaches. And you want to look around the NFL playoffs right now, zero defensive coaches. John Harbaugh is a former special teams coordinator. He's a special teams guy for eight years in the NFL. And he coached defense for one year to give him a special teams guy for eight years in the NFL, and he coached defense for one year to give him a better chance to be a head coach the next year before he went to Baltimore. But he's a special teams coordinator. All right, that was where he cut his teeth. He's not a defensive coach.

So look around the NFL. Five out of the last six Super Bowls won by offensive coaches. The only defensive coach, Bill Belichick, the greatest coach of all time. So play the trends, play the odds. And even if you don't care about any of that, give Tennessee Titans fans something different.

So Dan Quinn is a defensive coach. And if you're not Mike McDonald, a young, innovative defensive coordinator, that's the only defensive guy would be okay with. Definitely not Dan Quinn. He would be at the. Definitely not Dan Quinn. He would be at the bottom of the list. Not only because he's a defensive coach, but he's a retread coach. He's already had his chance. He's already had his opportunity. Look, you give Dan Quinn credit. He took the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl. Credit to that. But did anyone notice that

his offensive coordinator was Kyle Shanahan? Who was more important? Who was the better coach? It was Shanahan. And once Shanahan left, did they ever get back to the Super Bowl again? No, of course not. Because the best coach on the staff left. Okay? So I don't want to retread.

Hire someone who hasn't been a head coach before and give them the opportunity to do something fresh. And then finally, I don't want to be ageist, but Dan Quinn is 53 years old. He's 53 years old. In the NFL right now, we are seeing coaches, head coaches,

get younger and younger and younger because the game is changing. Do not hire a 53-year-old defensive coach that is a retread hire. Not to mention, let's get into it. Dallas' defense had good moments, but against any of the good offenses in the NFL, they were awful. And what are you going to face in the NFL? Good offenses.

And Dallas' defense was predicated on turnovers. All right? And turnovers are fickle. Turnovers aren't something that you can count on year to year. And do the Titans have Micah Parsons and Dexter Lawrence and the best pass rush unit in the NFL maybe? No. So it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

And let me say this. If you fire Mike Vrabel and then just go out and hire an older and worse version of Mike Vrabel, then what are we doing? Again, if the Titans hired Dan Quinn, it would be a very low point in terms of faith that I have in this organization to get things right. I would be distraught.

No way around it. It would be the same old, same old. Nothing has changed. No new direction. It would just be an absolute death blow to my spirits with this team. So, I'm just telling you, they can't do this.

They can't. So Dan Quinn got a second interview, and I am just hoping and wishing and praying. Again, I don't care if it's the seven gods. I don't care if you still believe in Zeus, Allah, Buddha, Jesus Christ. I don't care. Whoever it is that you believe in, pray to them right now that the Titans do not hire Dan Quinn

because it would be a disaster. Okay? Now, they have two other second interviews. One of them we know about and it's Brian Callahan. And my God, Brian Callahan has to be the man for the job. And we're starting to hear some whispers

that there's a good chance that he is. So I'm going to explain why Brian Callahan has to be the man for the job, and we're starting to hear some whispers that there's a good chance that he is. So I'm going to explain why Brian Callahan is the man for the job and go over the latest news here in just a moment. Before I do, though, do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Look, the NFL regular season is over, but we got the conference championship. We got the big game right around the corner.

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Make sure that you visit FanDuel.com slash locked on and make your first bet a layup. It's Fanduel, official partner of the NFL. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about why the Titans should not hire Dan Quinn. But now I got to tell you that Brian Callahan is the man for the job. Before we dive into it, thank you guys again 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. It's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Make sure you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. Can't thank you guys enough for getting me to 10,000 subscribers. Love you all so much. Live my dream every day, and it's all because of you guys enough for getting me to 10,000 subscribers. Love you all so much. Live my dream every day and it's all because of you guys. Never forget that I'm very thankful for all of you. But with that being said, Brian Callahan is the man for the job. And we're starting to hear some

whispers that that may very well be the direction that the Tennessee Titans go. I live in fear every day at this time of year because breaking news happens all the time. I drop the episodes every night at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, consistent for you guys to know when and where you're going to get your Locked on Titans podcast.

But Brian Callahan may be hired by Monday night. You could be listening to this at 11pm Eastern time on Monday night and Brian Callahan could be the Tennessee Titans head coach. And I hope so, ladies and gentlemen. Because again, he is the man for the job. Number one, quarterback experience. He has worked with some excellent quarterbacks from Matt Stafford to Peyton Manning who vouches for him heavy. Joe Burrow, of course, has worked with Derek Carr as well, but he is known as a quarterback

whisperer. There is nothing more important right now for the Tennessee Titans than to develop and get the most out of William Donovan Levis. All right? So that is number one. Okay? And he is intimately involved with the construction of the Cincinnati Bengals offense. Everyone's worried about play calling, this and that.

And I get it. I get it. But Callahan is literally building the Bengals offense from the ground up. Okay? It's Callahan who is doing that. And ask Zach Taylor. Go listen to what Zach Taylor, the Bengals head coach, has to? It's Callahan who was doing that. And ask Zach Taylor. Go listen to what Zach Taylor, the Bengals head coach, has to say about Brian Callahan.

He says he is the one doing the game planning. He is the one installing the offense and setting the foundation. And you talk about play calling. Zach Taylor dismissed concerns about Brian Callahan as a play caller because every play call that Zach Taylor was making, he talked about with Brian Callahan as a play caller because every play call that Zach Taylor was making, he talked about with Brian Callahan. I believe there's been some debate about this. I believe that Brian Callahan will call the plays for the Tennessee Titans,

which I think is important. And some people are worried. But even if he doesn't, he is intimately involved in the process. And when we talk about having an offensive-minded head coach who can install a system and keep continuity and keep things going and create cohesion, that is exactly what you're talking about. So I do think that Brian Callahan will call plays

if he's hired as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. But even if he doesn't, that doesn't dissuade me from liking the hire of Brian Callahan because it is going to be his offense and his installation and his game plans. Everything that he did for Joe Burrow in the Bengals offense, he's going to be able to do that for the Titans and more. Okay, so Callahan is having his second interview on Monday and we are hearing whispers that he may very well be the man for the job.

Buck Rising, a local radio host, media guy in Nashville. If you're from the area, you probably know who I'm talking about. If you don't, you don't. That's fine too. But he's been dropping little nuggets saying Callahan's his guy. Replied to a tweet on Monday saying he's been hearing it's a strong possibility that Callahan is the head coach, is the guy they're going to hire. I think that it's clear in a way, not only from those whispers, but also from the Titans' actions here, that Callahan is

their number one candidate. I 100% believe that. They have to seal the deal. We talked about the competition for Brian Callahan on yesterday's show with the Carolina Panthers, who I think also are going to go hard after him and have a second interview scheduled with him. I have to hope that Brian Callahan never gets to that second interview with the Panthers. I have to hope that the Titans never have that second interview

with Dan Quinn. We have to hope that. Callahan needs to be the guy. And not only because of his general accolades and his general qualifications to be the head coach, but also as I've said all along, the biggest allure for Brian Callahan outside of him being a quarterback-centric coach is his ability to put together a coaching staff. A man

who has lived and born and grown up, lived and born, was born and lived and grew up in the NFL as the son of an NFL head coach and an NFL life coach and his father, Bill Callahan. We have talked about potentially bringing Bill Callahan over from the Cleveland Browns

to be the assistant head coach, but also help the offensive line because Bill Callahan is renowned as one of the best offensive line coaches in NFL history. Not only that, but if you go back in time, and I got to give credit to Pretty Boy Kelly on Twitter for this one. But if you go back in time, in 2011, Bill Callahan, Brian's dad, was a coach for the New York Jets. Then Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak tried to hire Bill Callahan away from the Jets. It was blocked by the Jets and it wasn't allowed,

but that shows right there that the Callahan family and Mike Munchak have a strong professional relationship. And who just recently was reported to be interested in coming back to coach in Tennessee? It was Mike Munchak, who is also regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches of all time. And where do the Titans need help the most?

The offensive line. So if Brian Callahan is hired as the head coach for the Tennessee Titans, and he brings his dad to be the assistant head coach from Cleveland. And he brings Mike Munchak back to the franchise to coach the offensive line. We are absolutely cooking, folks. We have a quarterback whisperer,

and we have two of the greatest offensive line coaches of all time. How could you possibly find a more perfect outcome for the Titans? How? And I'm going to be 100% honest with you guys. The last two days, Sunday and Monday, as this Brian Callahan stuff has started to kind of come together, I felt butterflies. Like, I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Like, I'm so excited. I have been one of the only media members, whether it be local, whether it be podcast, social media, I've been one of the only Titans voices to color all this positively. When I am always told that I'm the negative Titans fan and the pessimistic Titans fan, don't you guys see the optimism and the hope that's building here?

Like, a quarterback you can build around, cap space, draft picks, a modernized front office, a quarterback whisper, great offensive line coaches. Like, this could be and should be one of the greatest and most monumental offseasons in Tennessee Titans history. Like, I really do think we're going to look back at this and be like, that was the moment where the team got serious. After 25 years, this team decided to finally be serious.

And I'm just, again, I have butterflies. I'm like so excited for what is about to happen if this takes place. And it's not only Brian as the head coach, Bill as an assistant head coach, Mike Munchak as an offensive line coach, defensive coordinator. Maybe, maybe the Titans are interviewing Dan Quinn with the idea of hiring as a defensive coordinator

on Brian Callahan's staff. I would be okay with that. I don't want Dan Quinn as the head coach. I would be okay with him as a DC. But a guy like Chris Shula from the Rams. A guy like Ezra Evro, the defensive coordinator from the Carolina Panthers who that was the only bright spot on that team last year was their defense. He is a young gifted coach. Like.

If the Titans can combine. Some of those offensive coaches. We just talked about. With one of these defensive coordinators. That I just dropped the name on. I mean we are cooking with gas. And not only that. But offensive coordinator. Thomas Brown.

The former offensive coordinator from the Panthers, who also is getting a second interview with the Titans that took place on Monday. And I'm going to explain why I think all of this stuff is connected and why Thomas Brown would be a perfect fit with the Tennessee Titans. And within that conversation, I'm going to explain where the Tennessee Titans are at with the Rooney Rule as well. So we're going to dive into all that in just a moment. Before we do though, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by GameTime.

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Lowest price. Guarantee. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. I explained to you why the Titans should not hire Dan Quinn as their head coach. And then I explained why they should be hiring Brian Callahan as their head coach. But there is a third candidate who got a second interview with the Tennessee Titans. I'm going to tell you who it is, why it makes sense, and give you an update on where the Titans are at logistically with the Rooney Rule. Before we get into all that, again, thank you guys for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. But I also want to let you know that Locked On has launched

the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. It's called Locked On Sports Today. It's here for you 24-7 covering the top sports stories of the day with local experts from Locked On, plus our national shows covering every league, like Locked On NFL. I host the Thursday version of Locked On NFL, so if you guys would go check that out, I would appreciate it as well. But make sure you go to Locked On Sports today on YouTube

and subscribe to the first ever National Sports 24-7 streaming channel. So, Dan Quinn, Brian Callahan, and Thomas Brown. All right. Thomas Brown was the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. He will have an in-person interview with the Tennessee Titans in their second round on Monday. And I know. I know what everyone's going to say.

I know what everyone says in the comments. Why would they want anyone from the Carolina Panthers? Especially on the offensive side of the ball where Bryce Young looked terrible, wasn't maximized, and was a disaster. I get it. I get it. On the surface, on the surface, that makes a lot of sense, and I understand.

But let me say this. As I have cautioned everyone for the last few weeks, just because a team is bad does not mean every coach on the staff is bad. All right? Right? A lot of you guys defend Mike Vrabel. Well, if you were a fan of another team,

you could say, Mike Vrabel lost 21 games in the last two years. He's not a good coach. See how you just can't always do that. All right? Thomas Brown was a running backs coach and a tight ends coach with the Rams.

So you have an offensive line specialist with Bill Callahan and Mike Munchak. You have a quarterback specialist with Brian Callahan. Now you bring in Thomas Brown who is a running back and a tight ends specialist. Former college running back himself. Also Thomas Brown is a run game specialist. He was a run game coordinator and an assistant head coach under Sean McVay in Los Angeles.

And it has been widely reported and rumored that Thomas Brown did not get his say with Carolina. He did not get to do what he wanted to do. All right? When things started going bad. Frank Wright pulled the play calling duties away. They were at odds the whole time on how to run an offense. Because Frank Wright didn't come from the McVay.

Shanahan style of offense. That's not where Frank Wright came from. So there's a philosophical difference there. But. Brian Callahan. Who. who worked with Zach Taylor, who is a Sean McVay guy, would mesh a lot better with Thomas Brown, who is a Sean McVay guy.

Do you see how those two connect better and there would be more cohesion between the coaching staff and what they want to do than Frank Reich and Thomas Brown would have together? That pairing never made any sense. And Thomas Brown, again, a run game specialist. So where Brian Callahan is a passing game specialist and a guy who's worked on passing the ball more often, now you have Thomas Brown who has a great understanding of the run game. So offensive line specialist, quarterback specialist, running back specialist, tight end specialist, pass game specialist, run game specialist,

all of those things molding together like a fantastically balanced basketball team. How could you not be incredibly excited about that? So, do I think that Thomas Brown getting a second interview with the Titans means he's going to be their head coach? No. I think that Brian Callahan and Thomas Brown, who are both having in-person interviews on Monday, might be doing that interview together. It might be, hey, you two are our pairing going forward.

How do you want to be? Does this work? Like, I think there's a great chance that those aren't two separate interviews. They're an interview together. So, I really like Thomas Brown as the offensive coordinator for the Titans, not the play caller as the offensive coordinator

with Callahan calling the plays, but I think it's just such a great pairing and balancing of all these different talents and these specialties. The big thing that I continue to say is Brian Callahan's ability to put together a great coaching staff has to taste like pure, clean, cold water to the Titans after being in that coaching staff desert that Mike Vrabel put them in. That was Mike Vrabel's biggest downfall, is his inability to hire talent on the coaching staff.

He cared more about blind loyalty, which he said publicly, might I add, than he did the talent on his coaching staff. That is not what we're doing here. Okay? So that's why Brian Callahan needs to be the guy, and that's why Thomas Brown would be a great offensive coordinator. But now the question becomes, when can the Titans hire somebody? When can this happen?

Well, for those who want to be up to date on this, I really hate talking about it. It gives me a nasty taste in my mouth, but the realities are the realities. The Titans had an in-person interview with David Shaw on Sunday. That's the former Stanford head coach. Maybe he's still there. I don't follow college football coaching enough to tell you.

But David Shaw was a former coach with Jim Harbaugh for a long time at Stanford, was the head coach at Stanford, a well-respected guy. And I think maybe David Shaw could be the defensive coordinator for the Titans as well. That could make a lot of sense under our Callahan head coaching leadership. But David Shaw, in-person interview with the Titans on Sunday,

and then Thomas Brown, in-person interview with the Titans on Monday. You have to have two in-person Rooney rule, in-person interviews with minority candidates to satisfy the Rooney rule, the Titans have done that. So going forward, from the time you hear me say this, the Titans have satisfied the Rooney rule and they can hire whoever they want. And I'm telling you, let's hope that the Titans hire Brian Callahan very soon.

Because if not, he's going to go to Carolina and like I told you guys yesterday, David Tepper has way deeper pockets than Amy does. And you can say whatever you want about it, but the reality is, most of you guys watching

this, you're taking the job that pays more. That's just the truth. So, let's help the Titans seal the deal. Let's hope relatively soon I'm here telling you who the Tennessee Titans head coach is and let's all hope that it's Brian Callahan

and not Dan Quinn. But with that being said that is going to do it for today's show. I'm going to be back with you guys tomorrow of course but as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland,

and this was Locked on Titans.