Brian Callahan's latest comments illustrate Titans' new analytical approach

Tennessee Titans President of Football Operations Chad Brinker has a lot of influence over the direction of the franchise. The few handful of times Brinker has spoken with the media, he's emphasized the importance of analytics in this new era of Titans football.

Brinker is spearheading that movement, but Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan have echoed the importance of analytics over the last eight months, but it's been hard to pin down exactly which analytics the Titans value specifically.

Analytics is a broad term that can include everything from evaluating injury risk to identifying worthy late-round draft prospects, but Callahan mentioned one specific analytic metric that will directly impact how he calls plays this season.

On Wednesday, Callahan made comments about Expected Points Added, or EPA. So what is EPA and how will it help the Titans make better decisions? (Here is the video set to play when he makes his comments):

"Throwing the ball is always going to net you a higher EPA [than running the ball], that's just how it usually works. But you try to make sure that when you are running it, you are running the right schemes into the right looks, that you are not necessarily forcing it into bad spots. It's never perfect, trust me, there's a million plays over the course of a season that you wish you didn't run into that particular look, or you ran the other way, or you saw the pressure. But you try your best to avoid negative plays and you try your best to generate explosive ones, and if you are in that box then you are usually going to be flirting with a positive EPA percentage most of the time. At the end of the day all that means is that when we run the ball we are running it well enough and not taking zero yard gains or tackles for loss. You are moving forward, and that is the general process."

What is EPA?

EPA, or Expected Points Added, is a way to measure the effectiveness of any individual snap. Plays that generate positive EPA move the offense closer to scoring points. The higher the EPA is on any given play, the more likely it is that play will lead to points.

How EPA will change play-calling

Using EPA to help decide play-calling tendencies is a better, more analytical way to call an offense. Callahan seems eager to use any advantage he can find to his benefit, and he isn't afraid to buck tradition to do it. That is a breath of fresh air for a Titans offense that was archaic and ineffective throughout 2022 and 2023.

The influence of EPA suggests Callahan will place emphasis on effective play calling.