Titans Daily Podcast: Get to Know Brian Callahan with AllBengals.com Publisher James Rapien
NASHVILLE — It looks like the Tennessee Titans have found their man. Reports are saying that Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is going to be the next coach of the Tennessee Titans.
Callahan, 39, has been the Bengals' offensive coordinator for the past five years, and has worked closely with All-Pro quarterback Joe Burrow in getting to a Super Bowl. He's also worked with other quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford, Rich Gannon and Derek Carr before that.
Callahan is replacing Mike Vrabel, who was fired after a second straight losing season. The Titans went 6-11 this year, and were 7-10 in 2022 with a season-ending seven-game losing streak. Vrabel was 6-18 in his final 24 games as the Titans head coach.
To find out more about Callahan, we had James Rapien of AllBengals.com join our "Titans Daily Podcast'' this morning. He's been covering the Bengals for years and knows Callahan well. You can watch the entire 12-minute podcast below.
Here are some of the highlights:
— on Brian Callahan, and the type of coach he is.
"You mentioned him being 39 years old, but what stands out to me is his experience. It's the fact that he's coached a ton of great players, from Peyton Manning to Joe Burrow. He's helped Derek Carr become a franchise quarterback and he's helped Matthew Stafford in Detroit. He grew up around the NFL game. His dad Bill coached the Raiders. He remembers Jerry Rice and (Tim) Brown and Rich Gannon. ... That's what you're getting with Brian, someone who knows the game in and out.''
— on making adjustments to succeed
"He's patient, and he's a good teacher. From an offense standpoint, I've watched him and this staff adjust the offense based on the personnel. Titans fans saw it a few years ago (in the playoffs). This offensive line was awful, and had nine sacks in the divisional round, but they still found a way to get to Super Bowl LVI, and I think Brian Callahan was a big part of that.
— on working together with Zac Taylor to run the offense
"He's as important as anyone in that building — outside of Joe Burrow, of course — in getting this offense together, ready and making sure it flows on game-day at a high level. The day-to-day offensive duties, those are handled by Brian. Now Zac calls the plays, but that doesn't mean that Brian isn't putting together game plans, doesn't mean that Brian isn't the one working with Joe that he likes this and doesn't like that. Brian handled a lot of that stuff, and over the past five years he's learned how to do the day-by-day. He's as ready as he can be. I think he will be fine. That's the least of your worries when you're talking about an offensive-minded culture.
— on this current Titans team being similar to where the Bengals were five years ago, and handling a young quarterback like Will Levis.
"Joe came in during 2020, the COVID year, so they didn't get to work with Joe until training camp, which was weird. There was no preseason. Sometimes coaches overthink, but these guys put their players in position to succeed. They went back and looked at LSU tape to see what Joe was most comfortable with. They'll do the same with Will Levis. I bet they'll look at Kentucky tape, and look at tape from this year.
— on running the ball along with having an exciting passing game.
"They'll throw it, but they'll want to run it too. I have Tyjae Spears in a (fantasy) keeper league, and I'm smiling about that.
— on the kind of person Brian Callahan is.
"He's someone that's going to be honest with you. He's pretty up front about everything, even when things are going wrong. As a person, he's always been a great guy and I've never heard anything otherwise. He's a great offensive coordinator and it's a big loss for the Bengals. I think Titans fans are really going to enjoy Brian Callahan.''
Watch the ''Titans Daily Podcast'' here
Here is the full ''Titans Daily Podcast'' from Tuesday, Jan. 23
Related stories on Brian Callahan
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Brian Callahan has worked with some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and most recently has helped turned Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow into a star. He's the next head coach of the Tennessee Titans, and his first job will be to turn Will Levis into that same kind of star. This is a great hire for the Titans. CLICK HERE
- TITANS HIRING CALLAHAN: The Tennessee Titans are hiring Brian Callahan as their next head coach to replace Mike Vrabel, according to multiple reports. Job One in the rebuilding effort could be the continuing education of quarterback Will Levis. CLICK HERE
- WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT CALLAHAN: "Obviously, the work that he's done with Joe Burrow has certainly been noted. But it's not just that. The fact that he got Jake Browning this year to play as well as he did certainly played into it." CLICK HERE
- MEET THE NEW COACH: Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan is an NFL legacy, the son of a coach. But his career is one of his own making. CLICK HERE
