Brian Callahan, with a 5-Year Contract, Takes Over Titans Rebuild
NASHVILLE — New Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan, showing an enthusiasm for football that brightened an otherwise gloomy Thursday, called his first head coaching position an incredible honor and responsibility. He promised to partner with general manager Ran Carthon and build a team that is resilient and relentless.
"I want to establish a culture of high standards and clear communication," said Callahan, 39, who signed a five-year contract to help lead a makeover of the Titans. "Everyone is going to be held to a high standard. I want players, coaches, and staff members who wish to be held to the highest standard possible."
In a 40-minute Q&A with reporters:
- Callahan said that there was an instant connection with Ran Carthon, the recently promoted executive vice president/general manager. Owner Amy Adams Strunk said that during their first Zoom interview, Callahan and Carthon hit it off so quickly that they dispensed with traditional questions and got into player evaluations.
- Callahan confirmed that he will call the offensive plays next year and that he already had met with quarterback Will Levis, praised his physical skills, and looked forward to working together.
- In creating a character for the organization, Callahan quoted Liverpool soccer coach Jurgen Klopp: When you agree on a common idea and work toward it together, you can accomplish something very special.
- And he was rallying Titans fans to make Nissan Stadium one of the most feared venues in the NFL.
Callahan takes over the Titans after five successful seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterback whisperer for the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow.
In the audience Thursday at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park were Callahan's wife, Allyson, and their daughter Norah and son, Ronan, as well as two of his former coaches — Mark Panella and Patrick Walsh — who mentored him as a high school quarterback and young assistant coach.
"(Patrick) gave me my first coaching and teaching job in 2008. So, I felt like it was important that he be here for this," Callahan said. "He came all the way from California, took the redeye last night to be here, so thank you. He's one of my closest friends and incredible mentors, and again, I would not be sitting here in front of you without his love, support, and guidance, and he's always been there for me.
Here are the highlights of Callahan's remarks and his answers to reporters' questions.
On partnership with Ran Carthon
"From the moment of our first Zoom meeting, I felt an unbelievable connection to the people in the room. And that was Anthony Robinson, Chad Brinker, Ran Carthon was in there, Burke (Nihill) was in there, Bryce (Wasserman) was in there.
"The connection from the get-go was incredible and I knew that it was going to be a place that I wanted to call home. It felt like that from the very beginning. I'm thankful that they felt the same way. I was about to make an impassioned plea to Ran as our meeting was concluding on Monday evening, and it turns out I didn't have to do that."
On dealing with losing
"A lot of adversity in those early years (in Cincinnati). We didn't quite have the roster to compete with some of the teams we were playing against. But we saw, in those dark days, the core of what our team was going to be.
"There's a lot of players there in that first and second season that are still there now and that were there for sort of the glory of it. But I learned that when that adversity strikes, consistency — Zac (Taylor) was an incredibly consistent leader — we just kept hammering the message and we believed in what was happening even though the wins weren't taking place.
"There wasn't the tangible evidence that this is what's happening, but we felt it, we saw it in the locker room. We knew, at some point, as we kept building our roster, that we were going to be a really good football team. Our players believed it, our coaches believed it and those are good lessons to be through some of those lean years. 0-11 was not a fun place to be. But we learned a lot from it. And really, the foundation of what our team became two years later was a lot of guys that went through that process. So you learn a lot about people.
"So, you learn the most when things aren't going very well. Everyone can be positive when you're winning a bunch of football games. Those are probably credible, intense learning experiences for me."
On organization standards
"Everyone who walks in the building should share the same feeling: There’s an incredible excitement about what’s ahead.
"Everyone wants to be part of something bigger than themselves" – from high school to pros, it's a critical part of being a great football team.
On Will Levis
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him. Can’t wait to get to work with him. He’s got a lot of really special physical talents that I’m excited to go see if we can make better," Callahan said. "Everything about him so far has been fantastic, and I’m excited to get to go further down into it.
"I thought that Will (Levis) was a really good player coming out of college, and I thought when you watch him play this year, you saw, really, growth. I mean, you saw him learn. The NFL is hard. It's hard on quarterbacks. It's particularly hard on young ones. And so, I saw a lot of really positive things, some of the throws, some of his competitive instincts that he put on tape, were really impressive. I'm excited to dive more into that and how can he get better from year one to year two and keep putting him in position to have success so we can score some points on offense."
On getting the best from a quarterback
"Communication. Being able to hear what quarterbacks are comfortable with, what they like. The offense is always going to have enough plays. There's always going to be enough scheme.
"And so, you want to know what the quarterbacks feel great about. And Jake (Browning) was incredible with his ability to communicate what he liked, we put it in. We'll put those things in for him so he could have success.
"And that's part of what fosters a great quarterback room is the communication between myself, the coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and the quarterbacks in the room, is knowing what they like and what they do well.
On defense
A lot has been made of Callahan's offensive genius, but as a head coach, he'll have to lead all three phases, including the defense. Here's how he addressed his defensive philosophy.
"There are a lot of things you can talk about defensively. We're working through what that's going to look like for us by the types of people we're going to bring in. But 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 that in the covered structure game and the pressure package game, where it makes it really hard on an offense. And so I know it gives me problems.
"I know the hard defenses to game-plan against, and those are the things that I'm looking for in the style of defense we're going to play. Without getting too far down a bunch of characteristics that don't mean much until we put the pads on. But that's what I look for is what makes it hard for me as an offensive coach. That's the style of defense that I'm looking for."
On building a staff
The Titans have already requested an interview with Ravens defensive back coach Dennard Wilson as a defensive coordinator candidate, but Callahan is preaching a slow and steady approach to the hiring process.
"The process won't be rushed. We're going to get the right people. We're going to find great teachers. We're going to find people of high character, great communicators, and guys who coach with great energy and passion. And so that's what we're looking for."
Related Titans stories
- TOM BREW COLUMN: Now that Ran Carthon basically has total control of all the big decisions with the Tennessee Titans, it's on him to get it right. His first big move, hiring Brian Callahan as his head coach, looks like a good one. This much we know: They're both ready to get to work. CLICK HERE
- CALLAHAN'S COACHING EDUCATION: Once upon a time, Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan was a backup quarterback warming the bench with the greatest high school football program ever. He never did play much, but the coaches who nurtured him say he was always a brilliant student of the game. CLICK HERE
- CALLAHAN GETS EMOTIONAL: New Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan got emotional talking about his time with the Cincinnati Bengals. He took a long pause before thanking team owner Mike Brown and coach Zac Taylor for the opportunities with the organization. WATCH HERE
- PEYTON MANNING ON CALLAHAN: Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning is raving about his former collaborator and the Tennessee Titans' new coach. He's a "great hire." CLICK HERE
