New Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan said something on the most recent episode of the Official Titans Podcast (OTP) that should get fans pretty excited about August football.
For years, preseason games have been fool's gold for Titans fans because the starters have been kept in bubble wrap. The unfortunate players who did play were nearly always destined for the chopping block no matter how well they did in those games.
However, that will change this year after Brian Callahan said he will play the starters during August's preseason games. Notice the wording there, "games," hence plural. We aren't just talking about three handoffs in the final preseason game like most years.
When Mike Keith asked Callahan to discuss why he thinks the preseason games are important, this is what the new coach said:
"I think preseason games are important. I've learned some important lessons over the years. Last year we were going to play out starters , we had been a kind of slow starting team out of the gate and that was one of the things that we thought might help us playing in the preseason more...So I believe in those guys playing some in the preseason. I think it helps you get ready for the opener so that the opener isn't the first time that you have been tackled or the first time that you have been hit at game speed."
If you are skeptical that Callahan might just be talking about some starters and not most or all of the starters, the following quote was pretty telling.
"Obviously we weren't going to put our guys out there without Joe , it just didn't make sense "
That would imply that Will Levis is going to see action, and if Levis is on the field, it would make sense for his starting receivers to be on the field as well.
That doesn't mean that DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd are all going to play every snap before Levis comes out. The reality is that there will probably be some filler players in the mix (for lack of a better word), so you might see Hopkins and Boyd on a play with Jha'Quan Jackson as the "Z" receiver on one play. Then they might go off and it might be Ridley at "Z" with Treylon Burks at "X" and Chig Okonkwo or Kyle Philips lined up in the slot.
Callahan will mix and match.
If there was more carryover from the last season, perhaps playing the starters throughout the preseason wouldn't be as necessary, but think about how many players could be positively impacted by playing in the preseason. Levis could utilize those live reps with several different starters and role players.
Those who play extensively will receive a chance to prove that they know the playbook and can handle the plays in real-time without needing a coach in their ear like they could have at training camp.
On the sidelines, Callahan will get experience calling plays and making adjustments based on conversations that he and Levis are having. That'll be new for him too, considering he's a first-time head coach that didn't call plays in Cincinnati. Those live reps will get Callahan and the offense on the same page ahead of Week 1 so that they can quickly communicate and break down what they are seeing and decide on a plan of attack quickly.
There are a lot of positive things that could come from this shift in thinking, but at the very least, Titans fans are guaranteed to have a better product in the preseason this year. That is something that everyone should be on board with after how negative the last two campaigns have been for the franchise, both pre and regular season.