In a recent article from NFL.com, Tennessee Titans OC Todd Downing has been named as a head coaching candidate to watch this offseason.
Every GM reading this article can just stop reading here, and if you are lucky enough to land Todd Downing as your new HC, congratulations on an excellent hire.
Alright, bye!
For every Tennessee Titans fan still reading, WE DID IT.
Cross your fingers Tennessee Titans fans.
If you have followed anything I have said about the Tennessee Titans offense over the last year and a half, you will know that I am not a fan of Todd Downing as an offensive coordinator.
It is hard to decide which one of his traits makes him the most unappealing as an OC, from his lack of success, his willful ignorance about which players can do things well, his track record of making everyone he coaches worse, and the list goes on and on.
It should go to Todd Downing! 34 points on THAT Dolphins defense?!
— Ran GMC(arthon) (@jlomas72) January 3, 2022
Some team needs to hire him as the HC ASAP https://t.co/BDn3ignoy0
With Mike Vrabel seemingly unwilling to fire the conductor of this train wreck of an offense, the only way out seems to be if Todd Downing gets hired as a head coach for another franchise. As nonsensical as that seems, there is apparently some buzz about him in league circles.
Here is a quote from that article:
"“Downing also kept the offense on track for the No. 1 seed last year when Derrick Henry missed half the season because of injury. Vrabel has already groomed two head coaches in the OC spot — Matt LaFleur and Arthur Smith — by training them how to set a culture, and Downing would be similarly equipped for the job.”"
I have no words to describe what a slanted viewpoint this is. I would argue that the reason why the offense survived is that Jon Robinson found D’Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard off of the scrap heap in the middle of the season.
Since then Foreman has become the starting running back for the Carolina Panthers and Dontrell Hilliard was the Tennessee Titans leader in touchdown receptions for the first half of the season.
Finding those diamonds in the rough while the defense developed into the elite group that it is, propelled the Titans to the top seed in the AFC.
A quick word to all the Tennessee Titans fans out there, don’t mess this up for the rest of us. Everyone’s effort should now be put into gaslighting the rest of the NFL and their fan bases into thinking that Downing would be anything other than a massive mistake as an HC.
In fact, let’s put a positive spin on this and remind everyone that the last time the Titans had a bad OC take a job as an HC it was Matt LaFleur going to Green Bay, and that worked out for everyone. The Tennessee Titans promoted Arthur Smith who was instantly one of the best OCs in franchise history and the Packers got an HC who led them to a 1-seed last season.
Granted, the team that hires Todd Downing might also need an MVP-level QB…but I am sure that will be easy to find. It is the culture that matters!
Good luck to Todd Downing in his coaching interviews and I sure hope that a team like the Indianapolis Colts doesn’t come knocking this offseason and steal such a talented individual from this franchise.