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Why they should fire Brian Callahan after one season
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Why they should fire Brian Callahan after one season

Brian Callahan took over as head coach of the Tennessee Titans a little over 9 months ago. At the time of his hiring, it was easy to buy into the hype and get excited about a young, offensive-minded head coach.

That being said, Callahan’s first nine months went as poorly as humanly possible. Callahan’s tenure has started so horribly that it’s already time to wonder if the team should cut bait after this season.

The Callahan Titans are 1-6 heading into Week 9, and it’s hard to identify any positives. First-year HCs often struggle, but they generally show signs of improvement and growth as the year goes on.

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In Callahan’s case, however, the team looks worse and worse with each passing week. The Titans aren’t just rebuilding; they lose every week in embarrassing and ugly ways. Every game this team plays feels like it’s the first time they’ve met.

Brian Callahan’s offense is worse than his predecessors

Before this season, Callahan was touted as an offensive guru. The coach was credited with aiding in the development of Joe Burrow and helping to design a high-powered Bengals offense.

How did this translate to Tennessee? Well, the Titans are currently 28th in points per game, 31st in passing yards per game, and 30th in yards per game. Offensive guru? Mike Mularkey’s “exotic smashmouth” attacks were much more impressive than this unit’s, as were Mike Vrabel’s.

Callahan also called on his father, legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan. The elder Callahan is touted as one of the NFL’s greatest OL coaches. Surely, Bill was at least successful, right?

No. The Titans still have a revolving door at right tackle, and the team is 25th in sacks allowed per game. Nicholas Petit-Frère and Jaelyn Duncan were atrocious when asked to play, even worse than last year. Leroy Watson IV was brought from Cleveland to Tennessee with the elder Callahan, and he was also horrible.

So far, nothing the Callahan regime has tried to do has worked. And no, this can’t be blamed on a bad roster.

It’s not JUST a list problem

The Titans spent more money than any other team in free agency this offseason, so the “bad team” excuse doesn’t hold up either. Is this roster perfect? Absolutely not. However, it’s not bad enough to blow yourself by 40 points. Callahan showed his inability to manage games, hold players and coaches accountable, or prepare his team.

The Titans were not going to be a Super Bowl contender regardless of the coach in 2024. That’s not to say they had to be a cellar dweller, but that’s where we are.

Continuity is meaningless if the wrong people are in place

Barring a miracle turnaround, the Titans need to cut bait. This front office has already shown that it does not buy into the sunk cost fallacy by trading Hopkins just months after investing a significant amount of money into this team.

This same mindset needs to be in place with Callahan. Continuity is not good if the wrong people are in place. If Amy Adams Strunk wants Titans fans in seats when the new stadium opens, changes need to be made — and quickly.