Brian Callahan may have tried to take on too much in his first season as the Tennessee Titans' head coach. Callahan and ownership might need to reevaluate the game plan moving forward. Everything's on the table following Sunday's embarrassing home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Callahan was an offensive coordinator who didn't call plays during his five-year run with the Cincinnati Bengals. That was the responsibility of Zac Taylor, the Bengals' head coach, while Callahan's job involved game planning during the week and communication between Joe Burrow and Taylor during the game.
Callahan excelled in that role and the Bengals' offense was a well-oiled machine for the better part of his five-year tenure.
All of that knowledge is still in Callahan's head, but there have been too many times this year when he has gotten away from his game plan. The first-year head coach has consistently looked overwhelmed. His team is sloppy and undisciplined. The Titans aren’t improving. In fact, they’re arguably coming off their two most embarrassing losses of the season.
Despite reaching the Jaguars' 27-yard-line-or-better on four occasions, the Titans managed just six points against the 32nd ranked defense. Keep in mind, they did that without starting quarterback Will Levis turning the ball over at any point. That's not what owner Amy Adams Strunk had in mind when she hired Callahan to modernize the offense.
Callahan's offense has been effective at times. They've topped 400 yards or scored 30-plus points in four of their 13 games this season. They are, however, far too inconsistent as the league's 30th-ranked scoring offense.
The Tennessee #Titans have had more 30+ point games (2) in 11 games under Brian Callahan than in their previous 41 games (1).
— Mr. Positivity (again) (@jlomas72) November 25, 2024
Ultimately, one of the biggest problems for the Titans this year has been their red zone offense. When it comes to scoring touchdowns within the opponent's 20, the Titans are sixth-worst in the NFL, scoring on just 47% of their red zone possessions.
Between the red zone woes and Callahan's struggles to stay patient and stick with his game plan, one thing Callahan and those above him might want to consider is lessening his game-day responsibilities so he could focus on becoming a better head coach. One potential avenue is stripping him of play-calling duties and giving those responsibilities to the offensive coordinator (whether that is Nick Holz or someone more experienced).
Callahan's offense has generally been a well-designed one, but execution and timing have been recurring issues. The execution part may arrive with timing (or better players), but the situational play calling has been consistently poor and indicates that perhaps Callahan has too much on his plate.
If the Titans decided to add a play-calling OC that shares similarities with Callahan's playbook, it would allow the offense to keep some continuity into the offseason while also potentially helping the team play smarter in crucial situations.
Adams Strunk has proven that poor results are unacceptable and change is inevitable when things are going poorly. This is a move that could make her more comfortable with Callahan's direction while also helping the Titans improve in an area where they need to be better.
Callahan currently looks like an offensive coordinator masquerading as a head coach. Part of his appeal was that he calls his own plays, but the Titans may need to re-assess. How Callahan coordinates the offense won’t necessarily matter until he improves as an actual head coach, one that makes quality decisions on a down-to-down basis.