In Sunday’s 20-12 opener, Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan proved he is entirely unfit to call plays. The defense played well. The rookie QB did his best. The coach on the sideline? He’s the real problem.
Forget the wishy-washy explanations given in his press conferences. Callahan coached this game like a 12-year-old playing Madden. The Titans coach was conservative through almost the entire first half, choosing to give his rookie first-overall pick, Cam Ward, time to grow into the game. This decision, in and of itself, seemed acceptable. The problems started just before the half when he gave the game away.
After just one game, it’s easy to see that Cam Ward is undeniably the future. That he got sacked six times (and lost a fumble), managed just 112 passing yards, and completed only 42.9 percent of his throws is worth noting. None of that excuses what happened.
Ward took hits not because of his own work, but because the game plan didn’t protect him. Yes, rookie woes are expected. Injuries, which there were several of, can’t be avoided. Callahan’s poor choices made them worse.
Ward also didn’t receive any help from his Titans teammates, who dropped at least six passes on the day. Two of those drops came on chunk plays during the final drive when the Titans could have still tied the game. Three drops were committed by veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
The team also had 131 yards in penalties accepted on Sunday against the Broncos. The offense mustered 133 yards total for the game. Even with the four turnovers the Broncos gave them, it’s impossible to win a game with only two more offensive yards than penalties. All this after Callahan spent an entire offseason emphasizing not turning the ball over, even calling out just last week how well his team did in the preseason in this category. The entire team was undisciplined and poorly coached.
With under a minute before halftime, Callahan opted for three straight pass attempts from his own 7-yard line. That’s not aggressive thinking, that’s suicide. It led to a sack and near safety on third down. The Broncos scored a touchdown after getting a short field, which gave the momentum shift that cost the Titans the game.
The Broncos only had two timeouts left. A competent coach, especially one calling plays for a rookie QB with a 6-3 lead, knows you run out the clock and regroup after halftime. Callahan instead handed Denver gift-wrapped momentum. Rookie Chimere Dike saved some face for his coach by returning the ensuing kickoff 71 yards and setting the Titans up for a long field goal to end the half.
The second half wouldn’t improve for the Titans or Coach Callahan. Late in the third quarter, rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor made a spectacular catch on the sideline. The catch was ruled out of bounds, but replays showed Ayomanor’s elbow clearly touched down in bounds first. Fans, even safety Amani Hooker on the sideline, quickly pointed out that the elbow touched first.
Yet Coach Callahan decided not to challenge the play, even doubling down in the post-game press conference that it was the right decision. His statement that even with an elbow down, Ayomanor needed a foot in bounds for it to count was jaw-dropping. Nearly 24 hours later, at his Monday Titans press conference, Callahan admitted his mistake and tried to reassure the press and fans that he did indeed understand the rules.
The entire sequence is surreal and mind-boggling. Having a head coach mangling fundamental rules is inexcusable.
If Callahan had no idea how to do his job, 2024 confirmed it. Under his play-calling, the Titans went 3-14, and it put Tennessee in position to snag Ward with the first overall pick. That’s the team’s worst record since 2015, when they went 3-13. They earned that record not because of scheme, but because of consistent discipline and playcalling failures.
There were legitimate questions from fans and media alike around whether Callahan could handle the play-calling duties before the 2024 season started. While officially holding the title of Offensive Coordinator at his previous gig in Cincinnati, he never actually called the plays. Head Coach Zac Taylor called plays. Callahan claimed he’d learned the ropes from him, but it turns out “learning” was overstating it.
Many defended the new Titans coach last season, stating injuries, a terrible offensive line, and sophomore QB Will Levis were holding the team back. Those excuses weren’t there anymore last Sunday.
This year, most analysts expected the offensive line to improve, ranking them in the mid-20s (shout-out to Mike Clay at ESPN, who ranked them 5th for some reason). They gave up six sacks. Ward, while he held the ball too long on occasion, played well enough to win the game. Lastly, an injury to RT JC Latham caused some disruption late in the game, but it was clear that scheme, not skill, was the issue.
Here’s the clear fix: stop letting Callahan call plays.
Let him be the coach he is supposed to be: mentor, motivator, culture-setter. Bring in someone who actually knows how to call an offense with experience. Maybe let OC Nick Holz call plays, although he’s never done it before either! The only coach on the staff who has called offensive plays is Senior Offensive Assistant Mike McCoy. It doesn’t matter if it’s McCoy or someone they bring in, put the football in better hands, stat.
Coaches on other teams, like Denver and Carolina, have made this move before. Even headliners like Brian Daboll gave up play-calling this year because things went south in 2024. You don’t need a head coach who does it all if they’re going to screw it up. That’s why you pay to have an offensive coordinator on your staff to begin with.
If Callahan can swallow his pride enough to heed this advice, he still has a future on this team. Right now, however, he’s dragging the franchise down. He’s coaching like someone who’s in over his head, and that’s not fair to the guys trying to play.
Cam Ward’s debut deserved better. His dad’s exasperation in the stands mirrored the fans’ frustrated feelings. The root of the problem wasn’t a bad performance by Ward; it was bad coaching.
In a perfect world, Callahan would step back from play-calling immediately. In the real world, the Titans might have a new coach after their bye week.
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