My Two Cents: Callahan/Holz Relationship Interesting Next Step For Titans Offense

Nick Holz and Brian Callahan have been friends since high school and they've both bounced around the NFL for several years. Now they are working together as head coach and offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans in a unique situation that has to work to fix the team's struggling offense.

NASHVILLE — Brian Callahan didn't call plays on game day when he was the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, but that was no big deal. Even Bengals head coach Zac Taylor raved about Callahan's role with the team — and how much he'll be missed after getting hired as the Tennessee Titans' coach last month.

Callahan is bringing the same offensive set-up to Tennessee in his first head coaching job. He's the man in charge, but he's also going to call plays on game days. His new offensive coordinator, Nick Holz, will play a role very similar to the one Callahan had in Cincinnati.

Just with opposite spots.

Holz will be a big part of every aspect of the offense as coordinator, and he'll do everything “besides calling the plays,” he said Wednesday when he met with the local media for the first time. "I’m just like a regular offensive coordinator, I just won’t call the plays.''

This arrangement doesn't happen a lot in the NFL, but often enough. Will it work for the Titans? We'll have to wait and see, of course, but at least Callahan has been through this before. He and Holz have a bit of history —  they grew up together as kids in California and spent a year together in Oakland working with the Raiders. 

But they're friends too, and they've talked often about football — and football strategy — throughout the years.

And now, finally, they're together under the same roof. 

"We've only worked together one year, but he's got a lot of history in the NFL,'' Callahan said. "It's a little different from maybe what you're used to around here, having an offensive head coach that's calling the plays with an offensive coordinator by title. who's not calling the plays. 

"It's a system that I know is important, and I know it works. It's his job to keep all the offensive parts moving in the times I'm not available. I'm incredibly excited to have him as part of this staff. He's worked with a lot of coaches and a lot of schemes.''

Holz turns 40 next month, and he's already seen a lot in the game. He's had college stops at Nebraska (2007) and Stanford (2008-11) and was the offensive coordinator at UNLV in 2022. In the NFL, he's worked with the Raiders for 10 years, and was the passing game coordinator in Jacksonville last year.

He's excited about finally being a coordinator, even if he isn't calling plays. They've talked a lot about the set-up, and he's fine with it. He's thrilled to finally work alongside Callahan, whom he's known since high school.

"It's always interesting when you're friends with somebody and then you get put into roles where you get to see them work,'' Holz said of his year in Oakland with Callahan. "You don't really know until you're under fire together. You could see right away how detailed and how professional he is.''

Callahan and Holz are both thrilled with the offensive staff that's been put together, highlighted by offensive line coach Bill Callahan, Brian's father who's ''been a head coach in this league and is the best offensive line coach in the business,'' Brian said. 

Callahan said the sharing of ideas will be paramount among the staff, and Holz will coordinate all of that every hour of the week. For a Titans offense that ranked near the bottom of the league last year, getting better is first priority.

Moving forward in 2024 will start with second-year quarterback Will Levis, of course. Callahan and Holz are both excited about working with him as they get to know him.  

"I hadn't really watched very much of him, but I started watching him when I was with the Jags," Holz said. "The first thing that jumped out is the arm talent and the second thing that jumps out is the toughness. We talk about quarterbacks, the three things we're looking for are decision-making, accuracy and toughness, and we saw all of that."

There's still a lot to be determined about the Titans' offense, of course. They need to fix an offensive line, add some weapons and solidify a roster that's likely losing veteran free agents Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry. It's only February, so we'll a long way off in seeing what their new offense looks like.

But it will be, without question, a collaborative effort. And both of them are excited to get working. 

“We want to run good plays into good looks,'' Holz said. We really want to see guys playing with great speed, detail, and execution. those are the three things we start with right there. Effort and toughness, we're going to stand for all of those things. 

"I'm not going to try to be Brian. We're different people in that regard'. As each goes, we'll see what I can take off of his plate, and we're have an open dialogue all the time. I'm not going to try to be Brian. We're different people in that regard''

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