by Jim Wyatt
Back on January 9, when the Titans parted ways with Mike Vrabel, the team immediately began the process of searching for his replacement.
During the process, the Titans interviewed 10 head-coaching candidates, starting with Zoom interviews. Three interviews were conducted in-person, including one with Brian Callahan.
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk noticed something special about Callahan.
During the interview process, she also noticed a unique connection between Callahan and Titans Executive Vice President/General Manager Ran Carthon.
“He exceeded all of our expectations,” Adams Strunk said of Callahan. “It was clear how the meeting quickly shifted from your standard interview to a player-breakdown session, that he and Ran had a very special chemistry between them. Honestly, watching that interaction unfold made us even more confident that he was our next head coach.”
The Titans announced him as the team’s next head coach at a press conference on January 25 at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park.
Callahan arrives in Tennessee with 18 years of coaching experience, including 14 in the NFL. Callahan served the past five seasons as offensive coordinator with the Bengals.
On Thursday, Carthon spoke about the connection with Callahan, and their vision.
Earlier in the week, the Titans announced Carthon’s duties moving forward will expand to include all areas that impact the football team, including roster control, personnel decisions including draft and free agency acquisitions, oversight of Callahan and his coaching staff, scouting and more.
Carthon will work with Callahan to find the players that fit.
“The one thing that stood out to us with Cally was just his ability to not only know what he wants, but be able to articulate that in a clear and concise manner,” Carthon said. “And what that would allow us to do is allow our players to understand what their roles are and go out and execute and play fast, which is what we’re going to do. But the only other side of that, as a scout, as a personnel guy, it gives us the ability to know what we’re going out to hunt for.
“One thing that we keep talking about here, as our group, is hunting at the same time isn’t the same as hunting together. Under Brian Callahan, we will be going out and ‘hunting together.’”
Callahan said he’s all in on making it work.
“They want a partnership,” Callahan said. “I think Ran and I are going to build a great one, that I don’t have any doubt about. And so that to me is the starting point, is the personalities to mesh and fit and build a partnership with a vision towards building a football team that’s got the ability to have sustained success. And I can’t answer more of that, maybe they can chime in. But that, to me, was the biggest part—that we’re forming a partnership and a relationship that we’re going to work really hard together. I love Ran’s line—you say it one more time, Ran, about hunting. Hunting at the same time isn’t the same as hunting together. And, yeah, we’re going to hunt together.”
Callahan, 39, interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs last offseason, but ultimately returned to Cincinnati.
He was a popular target in head coaching searches again this offseason, with visits planned for Carolina and Atlanta after his visit to Tennessee.
But Callahan never left Nashville, as the two sides came to an agreement.
“I do want to point out, really most importantly though, that there was an instant connection, with Ran and I,” Callahan said. “We see building a team. We see the culture of building the same, and that’s an important part of this entire process. His energy and passion for the Tennessee Titans made me believe in him. And that’s what made me want to be here, standing in this room and I’m, again, thankful that I get to be here because a lot of that is because of what Ran presented as we started this process. He’s an excellent communicator, and he’s an outstanding person. He’s earned my respect immediately and, man, I can’t wait to get going.”
It’s been since the 2019 season since the Titans last won a playoff game.
The past two seasons, the Titans have finished 7-10 and 6-11, with losses in 18 of the past 24 games.
Amy Adams Strunk envisions better days ahead.
“I expect us to build a team that is going to have sustained success and bring Lombardi trophies to the city of Nashville,” Strunk said. “I am confident that we have put the right pieces in place to bring that goal to life and build a future that Titan fans will be proud of.”
