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Of course the Tennessee Titans should try to hire John DeFilippo

By Will Lomas

BLOOMINGTON, MN - JANUARY 31: Carson Wentz #11 and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on as teammate Nick Foles #9 passes the ball during Super Bowl LII practice on January 31, 2018 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Philadelphia Eagles will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on February 4th. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, MN - JANUARY 31: Carson Wentz #11 and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on as teammate Nick Foles #9 passes the ball during Super Bowl LII practice on January 31, 2018 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Philadelphia Eagles will face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on February 4th. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee Titans could use more offensive brainpower on the staff.

The Tennessee Titans already have their head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator of the future on staff. However, that doesn’t mean that there is no place for another voice in the quarterback room.

In a league that values aggressiveness and innovation, having another smart offensive mind on staff is never a bad thing. So when the news came out that John DeFilippo was being fired by the Minnesota Vikings, of course everyone wanted their team to sign him.

For the Titans though, his addition would be very valuable for more than one reason. It could also help him quickly rebound and find another coordinator job.

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What job should he get?

At a certain point assistant coaching titles are more about public perception than an actual title. Dick LeBeau was the assistant head coach with the Titans, but that was likely just an honorific used to garner him more respect around the league and to the fans.

So when looking for coaches that have titles that seem vague, I went back to the old mainstay Tom Moore.

Titans fans know Tom Moore from his time as offensive coordinator with Peyton Manning in Indy and maybe even remember him from his 2012 stint as offensive consultant with the Titans. Let’s focus on that title “offensive consultant”.

That would be a great way to describe a coaching who has proven himself to be above positional coaching, but isn’t going to be a play caller on a team.

If I was hiring DeFilippo, I would designate him as an “Assistant QB coach and Offensive Consultant” that way people would associate him with quarterback play (his calling card) without limiting him to a standard title that the Titans already have filled.

What should he do?

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I think his time in Minnesota showed that maybe he isn’t quite ready to call plays yet. With that loaded offense he had some nice concepts and was figuring out ways to set his players up for success early, but ultimately the teams were inconsistent.

What he has historically been best at is coaching up quarterbacks. He helped adjust Derek Carr to the NFL quickly after coming out of Fresno State and then made his way to Philadelphia where he was the QB coach for two years.

Again, there he helped adjust Carson Wentz from North Dakota State QB to NFL QB and after just a year of adjustment, ultimately ended up guiding a combination of Wentz and Nick Foles to a Super Bowl win.

Now, he had help with Doug Pederson as the HC, and probably more with Frank Reich as the OC. Still, there is no doubt that he had a hand in that team’s success and he was highly valued in the organization.

So, in Tennessee he should be a QB coach who also helps design plays and work through game plans with Matt LaFleur. I would think of him as an “assistant OC” with a focus on QB play.

Why would he sign with the Tennessee Titans?

There is going to be a lot of buzz that he might go back to Philly or that he could go to Indy, but I think that would be a bad idea for him. In both of those places, I think people would think that he was just riding the coattails of the men in front of him.

I don’t think that is fair criticism, but I think people would see the story like this:

-He was a promising OC candidate when he had Pederson or Reich above him.

-When he didn’t have those guys in Minnesota he was fired after less than a year.

-Then he had to go back with one of those other two to succeed.

While the job with the Titans wouldn’t have a coordinator title, it would be a great way for him to impress people. The Titans offense is slowly finding ways to score more points and in the second half of the season they have looked erratic, but they had some nice highs.

So, if DeFilippo came to Tennessee and the team evened out and finished 2019 with a nice scoring total then he would quickly be in line for another OC job or even the Titans OC job if LaFleur moved on.

I think it makes sense for all parties to reach a deal, but I certainly don’t even know if the Titans will consider this. It would work out best for everyone, but with all eyes focused on the playoffs Mike Vrabel may be afraid to add a coach so late in the year.

Could the Titans wait until after the season? Maybe, but I think DeFilippo will quickly have a new job the only question is where.

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