Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans SECRET REASON Brian Callahan Not FIRED, Interim Head Coach Path & Future Candidates

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

The Tennessee Titans DID NOT fire Brian Callahan and it looks like he will continue to be the team's head coach....for now. Tyler has a very specific theory on why that is and it is all about petty revenge. However, it is likely the Titans do fire Callahan later in the year and if that happens, there are a few paths for interim head coach. One includes Jon Fassel taking over, another puts Mike McCoy in the big chair and then there is a version where Dennard Wilson gets an on-task interview. Finally, when the Titans look for outside candidates at the end of the season, there is a long list of names that would make sense to be the next head coach. Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitans TicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=asc Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitans Follow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod Subscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videos Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!5-Hour ENERGYEnough with boring, flavorless caffeine, it’s time to give your caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5-hour ENERGY®️ shots. Get the favorites you love or be bold and try something new in-store and online at https://www.5hourENERGY.com or Amazon today.  DoorDashWith DoorDash Streaks, you save every Saturday you order — stack it up all season and you could save up to $250. Order this Saturday. Keep the streak alive. Fuel your gameday — only with DoorDash. Terms apply. Promo period through 11/18. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at https://monarchmoney.com/lockedonnfl for 50% off your first year. UpsideDon’t let this offer drive on by, download the free Upside app now using my limited time promo code TOUCHDOWN for a limited time 25 cent per gallon bonus! Offers vary by user and location, Go to upside.com for terms and conditions.Click Here to download the app: https://getupside.onelink.me/zlLr?af_xp=custom&pid=barrington&c=barrington_lockedon25&deep_link_value=promo&deep_link_sub1=lockedon25&af_dp=upsideapp%3A%2F%2FSquareTo learn more, go support your favorite neighborhood spot and see what Square has been up to in your neck of the woods. And then if you have extra time, check out https://square.com/go/lockedonnfl.PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. GametimeDownload 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.FanDuelRight now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app.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)

The Tennessee Titans did not fire Brian Callahan on Monday. And while that's disappointing, I think there's a secret reason why they decided to wait. And I'll tell you what it is 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. Titans podcast. I am your host Tyler Rowland Titans fans today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by Fandle right now new customers can bet just five dollars and if your bet wins you'll get $300 and bonus bets to use

across the app again the Tennessee Titans did not fire Brian Callahan on Monday and while again that's very disappointing I think there's a secret reason why they waited I'm gonna explain it to you I'm also gonna talk about what the Titan do after they do fire Brian Callahan. There are a couple of different paths they could take for an interim head coach, and they all have different pros and cons. And I'm gonna go over my list of best future candidates that the Titans could look at after the season. Now before we get into all of that, do want to thank you for making Locked on Titans, 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. Speaking of every day,

Shout out to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one. We still have a ton of football to discuss this week. Tomorrow, I'm going to be looking at why this was Cam Ward's worst game, but it still wasn't even that bad. We're going to talk about some great performances on the offensive line from this week,

even though that's kind of crazy, to say a lot to discuss. We've got a big game against the Texans this week. And when Callahan does eventually get fired, you want to make sure that you're as informed and as up-to-date. on who could replace him. But we got to dive in because, again, Brian Callahan was not fired on Monday. And it's something that we were all hoping for,

something that some people were even expecting to happen and it simply did not go that way. And again, I think there's a secret reason here or secret logic as to why the Tennessee Titans did not make this move and this is what it is. I think the Tennessee Titans want to save that for before they play Mike Vrable at home. As you guys know, as you should know, if you've been following the NFL or following football for any time,

every single time that a coach is fired during the season, the team plays better the next game. I mean, I'm sure you could go historically and find some examples where that's not the case. But pretty generally speaking, throughout the NFL, if a coach is fired, the team comes out playing with their hair on fire the next game. Now, if you're the Tennessee Titans, do you want that turbo boost? Do you, it's like car racing. And I don't really know anything about cars. I'm not going to act like I do. But I've watched a lot of Fast and Furious movies.

And the Nause boost. You know what I mean? Or, you know, the turbo button. Do you want to use all of your turbo before you're about to go on a tough three-game road trip where you got to go to Houston? You got to go to the Raiders. You got to go to Arizona. Do you want to shoot your shot then and waste that turbo boost that's naturally going to happen

when you fire a head coach? Do you want to use that right now? Or, think about it like this. If you're Amy Adams-strunk and you know that you're going to get that turbo boost for one game after you fire Brian Callahan, wouldn't you rather use it at your next home game that's against Mike Vrable?

Like, we could say what we want. It's just another game on the schedule. It's just a... Well, I personally don't think it's just another game on the schedule. And I think that it's obvious that Amy Adam Strunk does not like public embarrassment, which who does like public embarrassment? Who's a masochist out here that just loves the pain? I mean, name somebody you know professionally personally that loves to be publicly embarrassed. The list is very short. I don't know very many people and I'm not on that list either. Okay? None of you guys like to be publicly embarrassed.

If you get embarrassed, if you make a mistake, if you're wrong, you would rather that be done in private, right? Well, I think that the most publicly embarrassing thing that could happen to Amy Adam Strunk in the Titans organization this year is for Mike Brable to come in and whoop them at home in Nissan Stadium with a New England Patriots team that's not even that good. And Mike Vrable not doing a very good job with that team either.

Look at their penalties, look at their mistackles, look at their offense. Classic Mike Vrable stuff that everybody likes to ignore. But that's not the conversation at hand. point here is, yes, the Houston game is very important to Amy Adam Strunk. She cares about beating Houston, no doubt about it. But she would much rather win at home against Houston than away against Houston. The away game isn't as important. And the Texans may be 0 and 3, but nobody looked at the schedule and said, oh, the Titans are probably going to beat the Texans in

Houston this year. That's not a game that she expects to win. And it's not a game where she'll be publicly embarrassed if the Titans lose. And it's a road game against a divisional opponent that's not that easy to win anyways. And do you really want to fire your coach before you have three games on the road? Usually coaches get fired during the by week so that the team has time to reassess and reorganize. The opposite of that is doing it right before you have a three game road trip with three games out west. So I think the logical reason why Brian Callahan was not fired on Monday and is not going to be fired this week is because the Titans don't want to use that speed boost, that turbo boost that they're going to get from the firing right now.

They'd rather do it against Mike Vrable, a game where they could be publicly embarrassed. And if the Titans win that game, they're going to look like roses, all right? Imagine if they fire Brian Callahan, beat Mike Vrable at home, finally get a home, win in front of the home crowd and I personally think that ticket sales will go up if the Tennessee Titans fire Brian Callahan after the three game road trip before the Mike Vrable game and I think that that Mike Vrable game at home in week seven against the Patriots I think that might be the highest attendance of the year outside of maybe the home opener so you're gonna have the most fans there and here's another reality all of the heat that you're getting from the local fans and

all the booing that happened at Nissan Stadium. And there was a great article that came out today about how Amy Adam Strunk, Burke Nyhill, all the Titans executives. They were with Mike Keith standing in the tunnel as Brian Callahan was going inside, getting showered with hate. Like they were right there hearing it as Callahan was coming in for halftime.

So they are acutely aware of what the fans are doing. So you don't have to deal with that public embarrassment. for three weeks because you're going on the road and then when you come back home what better to energize the crowd get people to come to the stadium than a Mike Vrable matchup with Brian Callahan fire I think it's very obvious why the Titans would wait to fire Brian Callahan and then also Amy Adam Strunk has been accused

of being impatient being emotional being temperamental and having a quick trigger and firing people Well, firing your coach after week three would be the quickest in-season firing that we've seen happen in recent. Like Robert Sala got fired in week five last year. A couple of years ago, there were people fired after week four. After week three is very early and it would continue that narrative that Amy Adams Strunk is emotional and reactive and all that. So not only do you give yourself the best chance to energize your fan base and win an important game by doing it after week six, but you also stem the narrative that you're reactionary

and you're temperamental and you're all of these things. I think the Titans know behind the scenes that Brian Callahan is not going to be the head coach next year. I think they know that. I think they understand that. But I think that the logic here is obvious and I've pointed it out, I've painted the picture for you guys,

and it seems pretty clear, right? It seems pretty clear. So I know that we're all frustrated. I know that we're all disappointed, but this gives Brian Callahan a chance to get things right on a three-game road trip or it gives the Tennessee Titans a better opportunity

to fire Callahan when they can get more return on that investment. All right? And I'll tell you this. If Callahan isn't fired after the road trip and then he loses to Mike Vrable and goes 0 and 7, he's certainly going to be fired then.

But I think that would be more publicly embarrassing for the Titans than doing it before the Mike Vrabble. game. So that's what I think is happening. That's my theory on why Callahan wasn't fired. But trust me, folks, that he is on. And I think right now the Titans know that he's not the coach of the future. And it's all about trying to fire him strategically at the right time to maximize the boost that you're going to get from that firing. But when he is fired, I think there are a couple of different options, a couple of different paths that the

Tennessee Titans could go down to pick their interim head. coach and I think all three of them have their pros and cons. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by Mazda. Mazda crafts cars for those who do more than simply move. Mazda delivers confidence with every ride. They have more I-IHS top safety pick awards than anyone else as of August 2025. Whether it be footwork, breathwork, we know the athletes sweat all the details. Mazda brings that same intention to how they craft every model.

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Use the code locked on NFL at monarchmoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code locked on NFL. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked-on Titans podcast. We talked about why I think Brian Callahan wasn't fired and why I think the Titans are just waiting to do it at the right time, even though they know he's not the coach of the future. But now we've got to talk about what happens after. What is the Titans plan for after they fire Brian Callahan?

whether it's after week four, after week five, after week six, after week seven. The bi-week in week 10 is another logical inflection point, although with the way that the Titans are on and the pace that they're at right now, I don't see how Brian Callahan could make it to the buy week. But regardless, when the Titans do make the move to fire Brian Callahan, they have a few different paths that they could go down for their interim head coach. And again, I'm going to talk about actual real future candidates in the future who the Titans could hire to be their next full-time head coach

at the end of the show. But path number one, path number one is my favorite personal path. It's Bones Fossil, the Tennessee Titans special teams coordinator, becoming the interim head coach. Now, with that, I would have Bones Fossil still being the special teams coordinator. I'm not going to remove him from that duty. One of the main reasons that I like this path is because I think that Bones Fossil, Bones Fossil has the ability to be the full-time head coach

and still be able to do the special teams coordinator stuff just as well as he did. The reality is there aren't as many special teams plays as there are offensive and defensive plays. So I do think that John Fossil would have the bandwidth to be able to be the interim head coach, manage situations, do the game management stuff, follow the different scenarios throughout on offense and defense,

and still be able to manage his special teams units with the level of production that they're getting right now. I think he would absolutely be able to do that and not upsetting the apple cart and not putting too much on somebody's plate. That is one of the main reasons that I love this path, all right? Not only that, but I think that Bones Fossil would energize the players. He's a high energy, high charisma guy.

The players buy into him and look what he has done for the Titan special teams. has done throughout his career in special teams. This is a guy with pelts on the wall. This isn't Brian Callahan who's never called plays, never coached, never played in the NFL. Brian Callahan has no pelts on the wall that he can point to and say, look, I led people to success. And at the end of the day, that matters to people. So, Bones Fossil is someone who can say, I took this special teams unit from the worst in the NFL, last year to if you look at certain metrics like DVOA

if you look at the Titans and pro football focuses special teams rankings and grades the Titans are top five in the NFL or number one if you're looking at DVOA going into the weekend the Titan special teams unit has been awesome this year he has flipped this immediately so if your bones fossil you can stand up in front of the locker room and say I have pelts on the wall

I have success I can point to not in my past, but in this locker room I have made you, you, you, you and you a better football player. And I think that will resonate with not only the special teams players, but the offense and the defensive players as well. Okay? So, not only that, but the domino effect. I think Bones Faso has the time to do the job. I think Bones Fossil has the cachet to do the job, but I also think that that slots everybody else better.

Dernard Wilson can continue just manage the defense. He's got enough on his plate. He's given up 33 points and 41 points in back-to-back weeks. I don't think that DeNard Wilson has time to be the head coach and be the defensive coordinator. Nah, the defense has not played well enough for that to be the case. So, DeNard Wilson can stay doing his job with no extra stuff on his plate, which he's struggling with already. And then Mike McCoy, who is a Titan senior offensive advisor, right now who's a former head coach and was a head coach for the San Diego Chargers who's been a play caller and have some pretty successful offenses in his past

he would then assume the role of offensive coordinator and play caller so you have bones fossil interim head coach Mike McCoy elevates to offensive coordinator and play caller and DeNard Wilson stays his defensive coordinator I think that has a lot of great to it that's my favorite path but path number two path number two is Mike McCoy. And I want to mention Jones Fossil has been an interim head coach for the St. Louis Rams before. After they fired Jeff, or they were in Los Angeles by then, right? After they fired Jeff Fisher, it was Bones Fossil who was the interim head coach for the Rams. So he has experience doing this before, all right?

But path number two is Mike McCoy is the interim head coach. And I'm not saying these guys are going to be the full-time head coach in 2026. I'm just talking about interim status. But again, Mike McCoy has been a head coach before. All right, he's been a head coach in the NFL. He can resume head coach and play calling duties. Or you could make Bo Hardegree, the Titans quarterback coach, be the play caller. He's had play calling duties when he was an interim play caller

when Antonio Pierce got fired last year by the Las Vegas Raiders. It was Bo Hardegree who became their interim offensive coordinator and play caller. So Hardegree has experience doing that. You let Mike McCoy with head coaching experience be the head coach and the play caller. You bump Bo Hardegree from quarterback coach up to offensive coordinator. Let those two dudes figure out who wants to call plays.

I really don't care that much. You leave Bones Fossil with special teams coordinator so that you can ensure that that unit continues to play well. You leave DeNard Wilson as defensive coordinator so that that unit can stay intact and he doesn't get more on his plate. That's a path that I don't like that path. as much as the Bones Fossil path,

but it is a path that makes sense and I wouldn't be upset about it. It's hype, happy, and hate, right? I would be happy about that path. Mike McCoy, head coach, interim, Bowhart, agree, offensive coordinator, Fossil and Wilson, stay in their roles respectively

as special teams and defensive coordinator. I think that is a logical path that the Titans could go down as well. Now, the problem with that is, I don't know if Mike McCoy is going to inspire the line, locker room. I don't know if Mike McCoy can look at the players in the locker room and say

I have made you better like Bones Fossil could. And leadership is what they're going to need the most after having six straight losses and firing their head coach. Leadership is what will matter most. And I think Bones Fossil will give a better leadership

bump than Mike McCoy would. But Mike McCoy may make it better for the coordinators. So that's a path. Now the third path is the one that I hate I don't like this path I don't want to do this path

but it is a possible path they could make DeNard Wilson the interim head coach and the defensive coordinator and what that would be is that would be a tryout that would be an on-task tryout for DeNard Wilson

hey if you think that your head coach material then show us that you can call the defense and be the head coach show us this is what it would look like if you're going to be a head coach in the NFL. If the Titans have serious interest in DeNard Wilson as the head coach of the future for the Titans,

not just interim, but 2026 and beyond, then let him prove it. And he would have to be the defensive coordinator play caller. Maybe not the coordinator. He would hire someone in to help him with that. But he would be the defensive play caller like a Damiko Ryan's is or like a Mike McDonald is, for example, in the NFL. it would be DeNard Wilson as the interim head coach doing a tryout

to show that he can be the head coach and the defensive coordinator, you would elevate either Mike McCoy or Bo Hardigree as the offensive coordinator and the play caller on offense and you'd leave Bones Fossil running the special teams. That is another option. Now, I hate that option the most because I don't believe that DeNard Wilson is ready to be a head coach. He can barely get the defense to produce right now,

let alone as he's also trying to be the head coach and manage the game from all sides. and that doesn't utilize Mike McCoy's experience and him being elevated. So I hate that route, but if the Titans again truly do believe that Dernard Wilson is a head coach candidate for the future, that would probably be their favorite route because they can get a look at him before they actually have to hire him on. So those are the three paths.

Let me know which of those paths you think is the best path for interim head coach. But now let's talk about some guys who could actually be the Titans head coach of the future. I got a long list of about 10 different names that I can't wait to go over with you guys. Do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDool Sportsbook. Look, the NFL season is here folks and Fandle was making sure that you're ready for kickoff with a can't miss offer. Right now new customers can bet just $5 and if your bet wins you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Again, new customers can bet just $5, and if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. I love using Fandle.

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Titans fans. Let's cap off today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. We talked about the reason why I think Brian Callahan was not fired on Monday and what to expect. Then we talked about who could be the interim head coach for the Tennessee Titans after that firing does eventually take place. But now I want to look even further because obviously right now with everything that's going on, a lot of you guys are asking me, you know, who could be the head coach? Who's the next head coach? Who are some candidates?

And again, it's week three, or we just finished week three, going into week four. I just don't have my heart in researching candidates. And honestly, a lot of guys aren't going to truly show themselves as great candidates until the entire season complete. You know, there are coordinators right now that are probably really good options that we don't necessarily realize how great of options they are right now. but I still have a list of 10 names that I think make a ton of sense

for the Tennessee Titans and will be on the list of guys that they consider behind closed doors. Now, before I tell you who they are, thanks again for making Locked on Titans you're at first list. Tomorrow I'm gonna dive into some tape. I've watched the tape.

I'm gonna watch it again before tomorrow's show. I'm gonna tell you why it was Cam Ward's worst game by far but it doesn't mean that it was all bad. He was actually pretty good in the game. We're gonna talk about some bright spots on the offensive line like, Skoronsky, who was an all-pro level player, and I'm gonna tell you about some stuff on defense that has to get cleaned up immediately. But as for, and check out the Tick-Tac Titans YouTube channel, I'm gonna have a Cam Ward film breakdown going over why.

I thought it was the worst week of the season so far for the rookie quarterback. But number one, I want offensive guys. I know that a lot of you are going to say, you wanted an offensive guy with Brian Callahan, and look how it turned out. they would have been better off hiring Mike McDonald all right all right you got me okay sure they would have

but I still believe in the philosophy that I had at the time that if you hire a defensive coach and you get a good offensive coordinator it's not going to be long before that offensive coordinator gets hired as a head coach by somebody else

and then where's the continuity for Cam Ward look what happened with Mike Vrable Mike Vrable, strong defensive coach after Arthur Smith left the offense was a disaster three straight seasons of 27th or lower in scoring Mike Vrable could not figure out his offensive coordinator

and guess what his offense in New England sucks again he cannot figure out offensive coordinator he got lucky with Arthur Smith and since then he has gone 0 for 3 on offensive coordinator hires Todd Downing, Tim Kelly, and Josh McDaniels. Offenses suck. That's the problem with the defensive coach.

Look at D'emico Ryan's right now in Houston. I think that D'Amico Ryans is a good head coach. They have a great defense in Houston, a great scheme on defense in Houston. But because he can't hire a good offensive coordinator to get his offense going, he looks like a putts. That's the problem. He's a good head coach. But without being able to hit on offensive coach,

coordinator, you're a bad head coach on defense. That's the reality. So I still believe the Titans should hire an offensive coach. Cliff Kingsbury, offensive coordinator for the Washington commanders. Look what he did with Jayden Daniels. Look what he's doing right. He scored 41 points with Marcus Mariotta. 30 plus year old Marcus Mariotta. Not even the maestro, who we know. That's impressive. And look, Cliff Kingsbury, his issues in Arizona with the Cardinals, but he did go 11 and

5 that first year. I remember because they slaughtered the Titans in week 1, 38 to 13. And the reality is some of these guys a lot of you guys were saying should have hired Dan Quinn.

Well, Dan Quinn failed as a head coach and then came back and then in a second opportunity, there you go. So failing one, doesn't mean that you'll fail forever. And Cliff Kingsbury will likely be a better head coach in his second attempt than he was in his first attempt.

And we know that that would be ideal for Cam Ward. He would get more RPO action. He would do a better job of supporting Cam Ward than what we're seeing right now. So Cliff Kingsbury is absolutely one of the top candidates this year. Joe Brady. I talked about Joe Brady on yesterday's show. Buffalo Bills, offensive coordinator,

a guy who is skyrocketing right now as a name in the candidate pool look what he's done with Buffalo's offense look what he's gotten out of that offensive line they don't have incredible wide receiver talent but that offense is awesome and yes Josh Allen is a great player but I think Cam Ward's going to be a great player

he just needs better coaching now another name that we got to throw out there that I haven't mentioned yet is I'm trying to remember the first name Josh Grizzard who is the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers three or two straight years now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator

has got hired to be a head coach it was Dave Canales who's with the Panthers then Liam Cohen who is with the Bucks maybe they're all Baker Mayfield merchants who knows but look at the Buccaneers offensive line they're without Tristan Worf's they just lost Cody Mock Luke Godecky

has been banged up and injured they've been using a practice squad player as a starter. They move their starting center to left tackle to try to make things work and guess what the bucks are 3-0 with a patchwork offensive line with a practice squad guy and a starting center playing left tackle

they have three or four backups every week on the offensive line and the Buccaneers offense is still good so maybe not this year maybe it's a little too early for Grizzard but he's a guy who's going to get a head coaching job eventually. Also have to mention Matt Nagy. Matt Nagy is the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs.

There's obviously Kansas City ties with Mike Borganzi. If Borganzi wants to hire his guy, he may want somebody from Kansas City who he knows personally. And again, I'm not high on Matt Nagy. That would be near the bottom of these 10 candidates I'm going over. I don't want Matt Nagy. But at the end of the day, he did look. leave the Chicago Bears to a 12 and 4 record with Mitch Trebisky.

And again, just like I just said, for Cliff Kingsbury, getting a second opportunity, typically you do a better job with your second chance. Now, if you want to look at defensive options, Brian Flores from the Minnesota Vikings, imagine Brian Flores and Mike McDaniel, who's the current head coach for the Miami Dolphins. I think he's going to get fired too,

him and Brian Callahan are racing each other right now to see who can get fired first. But Mike McDaniel, not a good head coach. Mike McDaniel, offensive coordinator, very good offensive coordinator. So if you got Brian Flores, a leader of men, great defensive mind with one of the most creative offensive minds in the NFL,

that's a great pairing right there. And even though I don't want a defensive coach, hard to argue with that as a great pairing for the Titans going. forward two guys with head coaching experience who are some of the most creative and resourceful people on their sides of the football in the NFL if you want to go with a younger guy Jesse Minter who's the defensive coordinator from the Los Angeles Chargers again one of the most revered respective and creative defensive minds in the entire world Jesse Mentor is going to get an opportunity soon he could be the next Mike McDonald

like that is coaching in Seattle right now. Also, some veteran guys, Vance Joseph, the defensive coordinator from the Denver Broncos. He could get a second opportunity. Steve Spagnola, again, Kansas City Connection. I do not want Steve Spagnola, though. He's an older guy. He's had enough opportunities in the NFL.

I would much rather have Flores or Joseph over Steve Spacknola. But, again, Kansas City ties, that could be an option. Now, I got to mention the last two names, Mike McCarthy and John Gruden. Now, a lot of people love John Gruden because he's Gruden, you know what I mean? But I'm sorry. I think the game has passed John Gruden by. I don't think John Gruden really wants to be a coach.

I think he wants to do media. And I know that there are a ton of connections between Green Bay, Brinker, Andy Reed, Kansas City, Borgonzi, Gruden. There's a lot of connection there. But I'm sorry, guys. I just don't think that Gruden is fit to be an NFL head coach anymore. I don't. But I certainly think he'll get an opportunity to have some conversations.

Mike McCarthy is a much more realistic option, in my opinion, to have the Green Bay ties to Brinker from his time there, won a Super Bowl. And let me just say this. A lot of people miss Mike Vrable because he won two playoff games in 2019. But those same people are saying they don't want Mike McCarthy. Well, Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl. so if you're going to rely solely on playoff wins that happened

five plus years ago why is two playoff wins in 2019 okay but winning a Super Bowl in your career doesn't matter make it make sense either the past matters or the past doesn't matter you can't have it both ways

so if you're someone who loves Rable because he won two playoff games in 2019 how can you say Mike McCarthy is a bad option when he won a freaking Super Bowl. Don't be hypocritical. It's that simple. All right. But anyway, those are the 10 names that I think are at the top of the list right now.

I'm not entertaining anybody from college. At this time, Dan Lannning is not leaving Oregon. They have Buku money from Nike there. Somebody said Josh Heiple to me. You've got to be Evolves fan. Heiple's players are wholly unprepared for the NFL because he runs a Mickey Mouse college football offense. We do not want Josh Hyple, stop it.

Get out of here with that, you know? I saw Kirby Smart. Now we're talking about a guy who has an NFL ready system who I would at least consider, but again, I'm not interested really in anybody coming from the college ranks. But with that being said, those are the candidates. Let me know your favorite interim path.

Let me know your favorite future candidate out of the guys we just talked to. That's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Lock. on Titans.