Titans Muscling Up on Football Analytics: ‘This Is Not My Father’s NFL’
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk on Wednesday announced the hiring of coach Brian Callahan, then also reorganized the team's hierarchy with a bold quote that is creating positive buzz for fans of a team hoping to recover from consecutive losing seasons.
"This is not my father's NFL," Adams Strunk said in a press release. "As our league continues to evolve in areas like analytics, sports science, and technology, football organizations have become more complex and multifaceted. I want our football operation to be at the forefront of the NFL as teams continue to find new competitive advantages."
Adams Strunk wants the club to move out of the dark ages and will institutionalize performance analytics as a priority. Ran Carthon was promoted to Executive Vice President/General Manager and Chad Brinker leveled up from assistant general manager to President of Football Operations.
"Ran Carthon makes the Tennessee Titans a destination for the league's top talent," Adams Strunk said. "By expanding his role to include full roster control and oversight of the coaching staff, our organization will now benefit more completely from Ran's unique ability to build and lead a championship-caliber football team."
Brinker is taking on a new role within the organization. He will oversee the day-to-day operations of various football departments, including salary cap management, analytics and strategy, communications and information systems, and team operations, which cover security, video, equipment, and grounds. In addition to these responsibilities, Brinker will continue to provide scouting evaluations of top talent in both college and the NFL.
"In this new role, Chad will blend his executive experience with his strengths in football and scouting to ensure our football operation continues to innovate and grow as new opportunities emerge," Adams Strunk said. "Chad's oversight of these areas will allow Ran to focus his full attention and energy on building and leading a championship football team."
According to an ESPN survey of NFL teams published in December 2022, the Titans were considered the least analytically advanced team in the league.
According to the team's website, the Titans have added at least one person to their analytics team since the author of the ESPN survey claimed the Titans had only one person in the entire department.
Walder released an updated list last August that included Sarah Bailey on the Titans analytics team. The Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars were identified as the teams with the most staff.
Analytics are playing an increasingly important role in the NFL, impacting strategy, personnel decisions, and ultimately game outcomes. Teams such as the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills have been on the cutting edge by utilizing advanced metrics in decisions like going for it on fourth down and draft-day decisions.
Adams Strunk declaring her desire to see the Titans become more collaborative in leadership and to embrace new tools are positive signs as the team brings in an offensive-minded head coach.
Related Titans stories
- TITANS DAILY PODCAST: The Tennessee Titans are set to hire Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan as their next head coach. We need to get to know him better, so AllBengals.com publisher James Rapien joined the "Titans Daily Podcast'' to tell us all about him. CLICK HERE
- TITANS HIRE CALLAHAN: Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk and newly promoted Executive Vice President/General Manager Ran Carthon officially announce the hiring of Brian Callahan. This is Callahan's first head coaching opportunity. CLICK HERE
- 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
- 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
