Titans Coach Defends Assistant

The Tennessee Titans had a bad coaching performance against the Detroit Lions.

Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan heads to the locker room at halftime with a 17-3 lead over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tennessee Titans are sticking with their staff after many fans were calling for the job of special teams coordinator Colt Anderson following the team's disastrous 52-14 loss against the Detroit Lions in Week 8.

During the game, the Titans allowed 262 yards on returns alone, including three of 70 yards or more. One of those returns resulted in a 90-yard touchdown from former Titans wide receiver Kalif Raymond.

It was a pitiful performance, and if Anderson were fired, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise. However, head coach Brian Callahan is going to stay with what he knows, keeping Anderson in favor of appointing someone else to the position.

"He has the experience and the wherewithal to understand where the special teams issues are," Callahan said via team reporter Jim Wyatt. "Those guys have great special teams experience, and they understand what they are looking at, and we have to do a better job all the way around. But those guys know special teams."

Anderson, 39, played in the NFL from 2010-17 as a special teams ace for the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. In 2020, he became the assistant special teams coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, where he met Callahan. When Callahan was hired by the Titans as the head coach, he brought Anderson over to be part of his staff.

The job can be hard for a first-year coordinator, and that could be part of the reason why Anderson is still with the team. However, the Titans have to show some kind of improvement in the second half of the season, not just on special teams, but everywhere else. Otherwise, the Titans may end up firing Callahan and his whole staff when the season comes to an end.

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