Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans NEW ERA BEGINS, Brian Callahan LOVES Will Levis & Dennard Wilson for Defensive Coordinator

Episode Date: January 25, 2024

It is a new era of Tennessee Titans football as Brian Callahan was introduced and he credited Ran Carthon and Will Levis as major reasons for him wanting to take the job! Also, Callahan spoke on his offensive philosophy and it is a breathe of fresh air for Titans fans everywhere for a coach to prioritize the passing game in this way. Finally, Callahan also discussed his defensive philosophy and backed it up with his first interview request for defensive coordinator -- Dennard Wilson.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

A new era began for the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, capping off one of the best weeks in franchise history. I'm breaking it all down 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. Brian Callahan's introductory press conference took place on Thursday, and I loved everything he had to say. I'm going to go over my favorite quotes, talk about what he had to say about the offensive side of the ball,

the defensive side of the ball, and the Titans have already requested an interview with a defensive coordinator candidate. I'm going to go over all of that on today's show. Before we get into it, 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. Make sure you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your

team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Next week, our first show, we are going to dive into what a perfect coaching staff would look like under Brian Callahan. Of course, we got to get into free agency, the draft, cap management, roster decision, so much to discuss on the show. Make sure again that you stay with me here every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content for free. But with that being said, again, Brian Callahan had such great things to say. But what I want to start with is actually a quote that came from Rand Carthon.

And I think it really symbolizes what the next era of Tennessee Titans football is going to be about. And at the same time, I think it's a shot at Mike Vrabel at the end of the day. Callahan said this, but he said it came from Rand Carthon. I think it's a shot at Mike Vrabel at the end of the day. Callahan said this, but he said it came from Rand Carthon. It's hunting at the same time isn't the same as hunting together. I mean, that is poignant right there. Again, Rand Carthon, hunting at the same time isn't the same as hunting together. With Brian Callahan, we will hunt together.

The hunt begins, Tennessee Titans fans. A new era. Again, this is one of the most exciting weeks in Tennessee Titans history. In my 25 years as a fan, I have never been so excited for what the future holds. To see this team modernized. To see what Callahan had to say. And I think what gets me most excited here is the principles that Brian Callahan and Rand Carthon are going to build this team on. And their connection and their relationship is going to be at the center.

And that's why I got so excited when I heard this from Brian Callahan. He said, instant connection with Ran and I. We see building a team. We see the culture of the building the same. His energy and passion for the Tennessee Titans made me believe in him. That is what made me want to be here, standing in this room. Thankful I get to be here because a lot of this is because what Ran presented

as we started this process. He's an excellent communicator. He's an outstanding person. He earned my respect immediately. And Ran, I can't wait to get going. We want a partnership. Ran and I will build a great one that I don't have any doubt about. That to me is the starting point,

is the personalities to mesh and fit and build the partnership with a vision towards building a football team that has the ability to have sustained success. We're going to work really hard together. We're going to hunt together. Ladies and gentlemen, the hunt has begun. I mean, I don't know how you could not be

incredibly excited about hearing that. The collaboration, the connection, that is what good NFL teams are built on. And I think what gets me even more excited, we're seeing teams around the NFL right now hiring coaches who, it may not have been their first choice. It may not have been their top guy.

We're seeing coaches take jobs that it may not been, may have been their top job. It may not been the number one place that they wanted to go. But we don't have to worry about that with the Titans and with Brian Callahan because it is obvious that the Titans had Callahan as their top option and Callahan had the Titans as his top option. And he says it right here.

Quote, you felt the atmosphere here. You felt the intensity. They want to be great. Walked into my interview and that is what stood out. That is where I want to be. I want to be a part of that. I want to be with people like that. Not about the football part. It

was the people in place that made it the perfect fit for me. If you could feel how I felt after that first Zoom meeting, I was about to call Rand like, all right, man, let's get it done. You can talk to whoever you want to, but I want it done now. That's how I felt. It was very important to me that this is the place I wanted to be. So not only the connection, the collaboration, what this means for the team going forward, but the fact that Brian Callahan wanted the Tennessee Titans just as much as the Tennessee Titans wanted him. And it's something that Amy Adams Strunk,

the controlling owner, talked about to kick off the press conference as well as that they wanted Brian Callahan. And to know that Brian Callahan wanted the Titans just as bad, I don't know how that could not make you want to run through a wall because it had me fired up on Thursday listening to those quotes. So if you want to really parse it down here, Rand Carthon was the major selling point

to get Brian Callahan here. He wanted to work with Rand Carthon and he expressed that multiple times throughout the press conference. So people wonder, would a coach want to come work with Rancar Thon? Yeah, not only did he want to, that was the number one selling point. But the other side of this is the quarterback, Will Levis.

And some people tried to make Will Levis seem like a detriment to getting the best head coach. Like coaches wouldn't want to come work with Will Levis. Well, I got news for you, ladies and gentlemen, you don't take this job if you don't have faith in Will Levis. And Brian Callahan talked about that as well. He said, quote, about Will Levis, I called Will a few days ago after I got the job. And then I saw him here today. He was working out and I got the chance to catch up with him. I've really enjoyed getting to know him. Can't wait to get to work with him. He's got a lot of special physical talents that I'm excited to go and see if we can make better.

Everything about him so far has been fantastic. Will Levis, that part is attractive. I thought Will was a really good player coming out of college, and when you watched him play, you saw growth. You saw him learn. I saw a lot of positive things. Some of the throws, some of his competitive instincts were really impressive. I have been telling you all,

Will Levis has elite quarterback traits, two of them physically, arm strength and release quickness. Those are undeniable elite physical traits. And he's got elite competitive toughness. If you want to argue those traits, then do it with a wall because it's obvious in college with the Titans in his rookie year. Am I saying Will Levis is an elite quarterback? No, I'm saying he has elite traits,

which are things you can build on. So it is a new era of Tennessee Titans football. I am as excited as I have ever been. Rancart Dawn and Will Levis were major selling points here and Rancart Dawn, and Will Levis were major selling points here. And, Rancart on, Brian Callahan and Will Levis are the three men that will lead us into the new era of Tennessee Titans football. Could not be more excited,

but we got a lot more to talk about because Brian Callahan had some amazing things to say about his offensive philosophy, what he wants in offensive line, wide receivers, and we got a defensive coordinator candidate request. Can't wait to go over that with you guys before we get into it though. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp Online

Therapy. All right. Sometimes we all need the opportunity to get something off our chest, big or small. Certain things can really start to get to you. It's important to let that out, especially to someone who's unbiased on your life. So today I want to say how I really feel about something. You might even be thinking the same thing this week. And I just want to point out, Mike Vrabel has not gotten a head coaching job. The Panthers and the

Falcons went other directions. He got beat out by Dave Canales and Raheem Morris. And it's not even about Mike Vrabel. It's that all of these national media outlets were crapping on the Titans for letting him go, saying Vrabel's going to get hired right away. He's such a top-tier candidate.

Well, I guess not. Okay, okay. Now that I got that off my chest, I want to let you guys know that identifying topics that allow you to be authentically upset, sad, excited, is very, very important.

Look, I know that sports teams and stuff like that, we all have bigger problems, so it's just a general point. But the thing is, it's important to get these things off your chest every once in a while. So if you're thinking about starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be flexible, suited to your schedule.

Visit betterhelp.com slash locked on to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash locked on. Also want to let you guys know that today's episode

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It is a great day. It is a great week. To be a great week to be a Tennessee Titans fan. We're hearing about the collaboration. We're hearing about the connection that is going to be built with this team. Obviously, Brian Callahan wanted the Titans as much as the Titans wanted him. Will Levis and Rand Carthon were major selling points. All of the things that you want to hear.

But I want to kind of drill in a little bit deeper to some of the more specific things that Brian Callahan had to say in his press conference. He talked about his offensive philosophy. He talked about what he wants from wide receivers, what he wants from the offensive line, things that are very important to the Tennessee Titans rebuild. Before we get into them, though, do want to thank you guys again for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen each and every day.

Do want to 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. Make sure you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day. And look, guys, you know like I know, watching the Mike Vrabel Tennessee Titans offense was,

I mean, we got two good years. Make no mistake about it. Even 2021, I guess you could say was okay. But Todd Downing made you want to pull your hair out even when the points per game were at 24. But three out of Mike Rabel's six years, 27th are lower in scoring. The Tennessee Titans have never had a 4,000-yard passer since they moved to Tennessee. Brian Callahan has had a 4,000-yard passer since they moved to Tennessee. Brian Callahan has had a 4,000-yard passer basically every single stop of his entire career.

Okay? So that is incredibly encouraging on its own. But listening to what Brian Callahan had to say about his offensive philosophy, what he wants from his team, it was great. So number one, he said the two qualities that he wants people to see

when they turn on the film for his football team is relentless and resilient. And I love, love those words. But here's what Callahan had to say specifically about his offensive philosophy. Quote, put the players we have in great positions. Let them be able to find their roles, define what those roles are for them, and put them in matchups that we feel are to our advantage. Great detail in the passing game. Route definition. Route spacing.

We want to be able to complete balls at a high percentage. That is always going to be the goal. The run game, we still want to be physical. Don't get that twisted. That has been a part of the Titans' identity for a long time, and it will continue to be. We will be a physical football team, and we'll be able to run the ball when we need to to win football games.

Balance is ideal, but we're going to do what it takes to win each Sunday. And I really, I really want to focus on that last part because that really stood out to me during the press conference. He said, talked about balance. You absolutely want to be balanced. Everybody wants to be balanced. But if we got to throw a bunch to win a game, if we got to run a bunch to win a game,

that's what we're going to do. We're not going to try to have balance more than we're going to try to win. And in my opinion, that was the problem with Mike Vrabel. Think about that first Houston game. The one against Case Keenum, where the Titans ran Derrick Henry into the middle of the line of scrimmage

over and over. Derrick Henry had the worst running back performance statistically since 1951. 20 touches for 10 yards. The Titans did not adjust. The Titans did not care about what was going to win the game and attacking a terrible Houston Texans pass defense. The Titans just said, we run the ball. We're running the ball.

We're going to keep establishing the run. There was no sense of adjustment. There was no sense of doing what is best to beat the team in front of you. It was, we're staying balanced. That is over with. That is over with. Breathe that in, Titans fans. Do you smell that fresh air?. You smell that fresh air?

You smell that fresh offense? I mean, this is why I said it was so important to hire an offensive coach. We cannot have this archaic, antiquated, old-school view of offense where we're balanced, we're established in the room. He said it. Hey, we got to be physical. And you got to be able to run the ball when you have to. That is still part of the NFL. You have to be able to run the football.

But you cannot be so committed to the run that you cut off your nose to spite your face. So I loved hearing that from Brian Callahan. It was absolutely the number one thing that stood out to me. But other things that stood out is what he said about individual positions. And he talked about wide receiver. And he said, you got to have selfless guys who are a huge part of the run game. But here's the part he said, they run routes together to get guys open.

They work in tandem together. That's a characteristic. As far as physical traits go, you want guys who are big, strong, and can catch the football. And if you're looking at this wide receiver group in the draft, or you're looking at the wide receiver group that could be available in free agency, what is it a lot of? Big, strong, physical football players who can catch that also have speed. So, I love hearing that from Brian Callahan.

But more importantly, probably, is the offensive line. Okay? And Callahan was asked very directly about the Titans' protection issues. And here's what he had to say. Love the answer. He said there's a lot of things that go into protection. Some of it starts off as simple as you got to go win. You got to win against tight coverage.

Protection is an everybody problem. I love this. The quarterback has to get rid of the ball on time. They have to work through their progressions quickly. To say it's specifically the offensive line that needs to fix the protection problem, I don't agree with that. It's a holistic offensive issue. If you have protection problems and there's a lot of ways that you can help weaknesses, highlight strengths,

everybody is involved in the process. Looking for guys that are great at pass pro, guys that can anchor, guys that have great length. Schematically, you can help a ton, but we got it there. Wide receiver, big, strong, catch the ball, offensive line, pass pro oriented, guys that can anchor, have great length. He is telling you what he is looking for in players at the biggest position of need on the offense, wide receiver and offensive line. And I love the part where he's like, this is an everybody problem. We can play to guys' strengths. We can hide weaknesses. We can do that schematically as an offensive coach.

Mike Rabel's like, well, we're limited, so we can't have a drop-back passing game. Just can't do that. Got to eliminate it out of the playbook. They were not creative enough to work with what they had. And while the talent on the offensive line was poor, again, as I said all year,

coaching was culpable as well. There could be better coaching to help. So, I love hearing those answers from Brian Callahan, whether it be the philosophical stuff about the organization, whether it be about what he wants from offense at certain positions, just excellent across the board, but that wasn't it. Brian Callahan also answered questions about what he wants from defense, about what he wants from defense, right?

So excited, can't talk. And he backed that up with his first interview request for a defensive coordinator. I'm going to tell you who it is. Go over that quote in just a moment before we get into it. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by PrizePix. PrizePix is daily fantasy sports made easy, folks. It's so fast, so easy, so simple, and at the end of the day, so much fun.

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up to $100. It's PrizePix Daily Fantasy Sports Made Easy. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, breaking down Brian Callahan's introductory press conference for the Tennessee Titans. We talked about some of his big philosophical answers that point to the new era in Tennessee Titans football

and why you should be so excited about that. We dove into some of the specifics that he talked about on offense, certain positions. Now, we got to go over to the defensive side of the ball, talk about the coaching staff. We got our first request for a defensive coordinator. I'm diving into all that before I do. Thank you guys again, of course, for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first to listen each and every day. I also want to let you know

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All right, guys. We heard about the offense. We heard the big philosophical stuff. I want to read this quote to you that Brian Callahan had to say about his defense and what he's looking for in his defense.

Because let's be honest, we've all been focused on the offense. What's Callahan going to do on offense? But the big question becomes, like it would be if you hired a defensive coach, what are you going to do on the other side of the ball? So what is Brian Callahan looking for on defense?

Here's what he had to say. At the end of the day, you got to have a very flexible and adaptable defense. You still have to be physical. You still have to run and hit. You have to tackle well. You have to force errors. There's a lot of things you can do in the coverage structure game and the pressure package game that make it really hard

on the offense. I know what gives me problems. I know the hard defenses to game plan against. Those are the things I'm looking for in a style of defense we're going to play. I mean, that is an excellent answer. As one of the better offensive coaches in the NFL, you know, man, this defense is tough to go against. Man, they do things that make it difficult on us. Having the, sorry, having the humility to not only admit, yeah, there are certain defenses that give me problems. There are certain defenses that are really hard to game plan against. There

are certain defenses that make it tough on me to admit that and not only admit that, but then again, to admit that and not only admit that, but then again, have the humility and be humble enough to say, not only can I admit that you give me problems, but I want to hire you. I want you to be on my staff. I want to pay you for giving me trouble. That, I'm sorry, that is a release of ego that we were not getting the last six years.

It's not, I want to go hire a guy whose offense gives me problems. It's, I want to hire my buddy. And look, you're going to have buddy hires in the NFL. You're going to have buddy hires all over the world. When you get a chance, there's a Drake lyric, one of

us goes in, and then we all go through it. Alright, the whole goal of life is to get on and bring your people with you. You know, who doesn't want to do that? So of course you're going to have nepotism and buddy hires all around the NFL, but another saying that I like is, get better friends. And at the end of the day, Brian Callahan has better friends than Mike Vrabel does. But to have the ego or the lack of ego to say, hey, I'm not just going to hire my buddy.

I'm going to hire that guy over there who made it really tough on me to do my job. That is huge, man. Like, that is, again, a breath of fresh air for this franchise. And again, Brian Callahan backed it up. Not only did he say that in his press conference, but he went out and proved it when we got news from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN about the Titans' first request for a defensive coordinator candidate, and it was Denard Wilson, the defensive backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens.

Let me just throw two things out at you. Denard Wilson was with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. Who was the number one pass defense in the NFL in 2022? Oh, the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. Denard Wilson was with the Baltimore Ravens. Who had the best pass defense in 2023? I'll tell you, it was the Ravens. So, we're looking at a guy who has been involved in back-to-back seasons with

the best passing defense, and again, a passing game coordinator who cares more about the passing game and is more focused on the passing game than the run game. A potential defensive coordinator who is more focused on the passing game than the run game. A potential defensive coordinator who is more focused on the pass game than the running game. Do you hear what I'm saying? Do you feel the energy? Do you get the vibes? My God, I could not be more excited about this.

So some more on Denard Wilson. Darius Slay, the cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles, went on record this year and said that he wished the Eagles would have hired Denard Wilson to be the defensive coordinator. Kept him around. He said that everybody loved him in Philly and that they missed him this year. Not only that, you go through the history.

He was a scout for the Bears, Denard Wilson. Rams quality control coach. Moved up to defensive backs coach for the Rams, then defensive back coach for the Jets, then passing game coordinator on defense for the Jets as well as a DB coach. Then he went to the Eagles as the DB coach and passing game coordinator. Then he goes to the Ravens as the DB coach in 2023. He has studied under Mike McDonald,

Jonathan Gannon, Todd Bowles, Greg Williams, Jeff Fisher. Some of the best defensive minds we have seen in the NFL. I mean, and one thing that I want to point out about that quote that I read is he said, a defense is very flexible and adaptable.

So this isn't going to be like a Dan Quinn situation where we're running cover three zone. That's what we do. We're running it. You got to beat it. No, no. Callahan wants a defense that can adjust. It can be malleable that, hey, we're going to run this coverage.

Then next week, we may run more of this coverage. Hey, we're not blitzing this week. Next week, we're going to run this coverage. Then next week, we may run more of this coverage. Hey, we're not blitzing this week. Next week, we're going to develop some pressure concepts so that we're going to blitz a lot more. It's not going to be a team that just lines up and says, we're going to beat you. No, they're going to do what they need to do to beat the offense they're facing that week.

And that is so exciting. The last thing I'm going to say here is, Callahan did say that they were going to take their time putting together a coaching staff. They are in no rush to do it. They want to get the best people as possible, guys who love teaching, who love to come to work. And he was asked about his father and he had a wry smile when he said he's under contract. Not going to talk about that. So interesting, interesting nonetheless. But again, an incredible day for the Tennessee Titans capping off an incredible week.

It's a new era of Tennessee Titans football. I'm going to be back with you guys on Sunday night, Monday morning, to go over a coaching staff that makes sense for Callahan. But as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.