The OTP | Week 1 Recap with Coach Callahan

The OTP | Week 1 Recap with Coach Callahan

[Music] I’m Taylor Zarzer and this is the OTP. Coach, as we look at what just happened against the Denver Broncos, I’d like to start by talking about the competitive fight that you saw from everyone that suited up for the Titans on Sunday. That’s exactly what I was expecting to see. Uh that’s what we’ve seen from our team from the course of training camp through the preseason. I expected them to to play with that kind of effort and that kind of tenacity and to go into Denver uh in that environment against that team who who has high aspirations and and they think of themselves as a a contending football team to go into their place and on opening day and fight the way that we fought um is going to help us win a lot of games down the road and and we didn’t play a clean enough brand of football to win the game. Um but we play with that kind of effort, we’re going to put ourselves in position to win quite a few. Do you believe in finding a bunch of positives in certain games regardless of the outcome of who wins or loses the games and reinforcing positives that happen? Because I know the world wants to ask you about something that went wrong and how you change it, but do you focus on reinforcing something that did go well? Yeah, there’s a balance. I think whether you win or you lose, you you do the same things and we highlight the positives, emphasize what was good. uh and you correct and teach what wasn’t to the standard you expect. And that goes to that goes from technique to execution to communication, all the things that go with winning and losing. We try to point out the good and correct the bad and have the same consistency whether you win or lose. Um, and I think that’s the best way to do it because, you know, they they say that, you know, both praise and uh both both praise and I’m trying to think of the word, but um they’re both false prophets, you know. Ah, yeah, I got you. You know what I mean? Like 100%. Yeah. That is it’s And whenever you whenever you play a game, it’s never it’s never as good as you think you play as bad or as bad. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle and and our job is to purse through that and make sure we’re making the corrections necessary. and then um highlighting the things that we got to keep getting better at. Praise or ridicule probably. However you want to say, however you want to say it. Sure. Forcing turnovers is something uh in one of these rooms that I get to talk to you in uh we talked about last Friday. By the way, I’m really good at going to the wrong room. If we want to start scrutinizing me, sometimes I like to go to the Yeti George room. Sometimes I like to go to the Steve McNair room. I think we were in the Steve McNair room and you said we have to force turnovers against the Denver Broncos. You have to be awfully pleased at getting four. Yeah, that was I mean I think we led the NFL in week one um in total turnovers and that was really encouraging just to see that. We do that in most weeks we’re going to win a lot of games and we didn’t complement our defense and special teams well enough offensively to go score touchdowns. You know, one touchdown in one of those spots would have probably won that game for us. Um so that part is disappointing. We didn’t capitalize, but to see our effort and intensity to go get the ball uh was exactly what we’ve emphasized over the course of of training camp. And to see that come to fruition in the first week was was a critical part of of being in the game that we were in. Special teams, too. Joey Sly put on a pregame, ingame, halftime performance for the ages. I I told Amy Wells this just a moment ago, and I have to tell you this, too, because you used to coach in Denver. In the warm-ups, Denver fans were cheering for him as he was hitting the he was hitting it 10 yards past the crossbar from 60 plus yards. He was phenomenal in his debut. So was Johnny Hecker. Yeah, I think both I think our specialists and you know, we can’t leave out Morgan. You know, Morgan did a great job, too. Uh but those those three guys are are veteran players and and they performed at the level you would expect those guys to play at. I think, you know, I I issued a challenge to Johnny Hecker early in the week. You know, it’s him versus Mims, and Mims is the AFC Pro Bowl returner, and distance and hang time, uh, and directional punting was a critical part of the of the game plan, and I thought he executed that almost flawlessly. We got great coverage from our gunners as well on the outside, but Hecker was fantastic. Sly has been fantastic all through this process for us, and you can see his leg is is a legitimate weapon. And um you know I I was tempted to kick maybe one a little bit further than I normally would in that situation because of the the altitude, but he was fantastic. So really really pleased with the performance of the special teams. Um I think you have to throw Chim D in there as well as a as a rookie dual returner to to rip off a 70 yard return on a on a kickoff and handle the punts and field them and fair catch them and make good decisions uh was was really good to see. Yeah, we have to give Captain Morgan Captain Morgan Cox a shout out. He runs that room. He’s he’s fantastic. Do you think on the Marvin Mims muffed punt, do you think that maybe Van Jefferson andor Bryce Oliver being in his kitchen, if you will, hearing the footsteps, do you think that that impacted 100% was was Van I mean that’s first and foremost is was Johnny’s punt u and the hang time that allowed Van to go cover it. Um but Van had an unbelievable rep. He he he beat the corner clean unabated line to the returner and and that feeling uh is is uncomfortable for returners and and he’s the one that forced that buff and that was that was a huge play in the game. Yeah. And it’s always fun to see a guy that hasn’t been around a team very long like Dorian Ma who recovered that fumble and got the ball back for the Titans. All right, I have a few more shout outs to give here. Olafi Ola Dejio first game in the National Football League. What did you think? I thought he did some really good things. Um he he he rushed hard. He crushed the pocket and that was part of the game plan was to try to keep keep uh Knicks from moving around a lot. Um they moved the launch point a bunch but when when he was in the pocket we kept them in there and Fei was a big part of that and he set really violent edges in the run game and that’s really what he does well. Um and that was good to see. It’s it’s not too big for our rookies. You know, I think I said we had four starters in the game that were rookies and I think I think six maybe of uh six of the nine of the draft class played, you know, significant snaps either on special teams or offensive defense. Seven. So, that’s pretty good. That’s pretty good amount of young players and it wasn’t too big for any of them. Um and that’s a really tough environment to play in and proud to see what what those guys performed like their composure, their poise, um and their play. They all played pretty good for us and and it wasn’t perfect, but it was encouraging. Roger McCreary had an interception. So did Xavier Woods. And I know that Captain Hooker, Ammani Hooker, with his brand new contract with the Tennessee Titans. Really wanted that pick six, but you have to be proud of putting himself in that position. Yeah, those guys in the back end played really well. I mean, they held that passing game in check and then Hook was a big part of it along with Roger. Um to be able to keep everything disciplined. Uh the coverage lanes were restricted. there wasn’t a lot of space down the field. Um, and they forced Knicks into some poor decisions that that ultimately ended up in turnovers. And I was really pleased with the way that they played in pass coverage, all those guys in the back end, but Hook and and Roger as well. Really, really disciplined, coverage, technique, uh, eyes, all those things. That was good to see. Anything else defensively, coach, that we should mention before we transition to offense? I mean, I I I think, you know, Jeff Simmons was was disruptive all day. uh he he played the way we we need him to play. Uh can’t have the penalty at the end obviously. U but outside of that and he was he was a force to be reckoned with and that was really good to see uh from him. Yeah. And you Cody Barton out there in the middle of the defense uh against his old team. Sebastian Joseph Day made some good plays. Devandre Sweat tackle for loss to give the ball back to the Titans. Dinard Wilson’s defense played hard against one of the best teams in the NFL. Yeah, it was I thought Denard did a great job calling it. Um there was there was a good mix. Um you know, I just I wish we just got that that big run on the ground. You know, that the one that popped out. That would have been that would have made a a really nice cap on a really good day defensively. Um but I I was proud of the way they played, the way they fought. Uh there’s some things we got to clean up for sure. Um but but we’re we’re in pretty good position defensively and I like the way that they played. When you bring Helman’s creamy buffalo chicken dip to the watch party, you can cheer too loud or block the TV or be a couch coach and no one will eject you from the game. That’s a hail Mayo. Helman’s the official mayo of the Tennessee Titans. This summer, SeatGeek has your ticket to the best live concerts in Nashville at Nissan Stadium. SeatGeek makes it easy to catch worldconquering tours and highwiders performances from your favorite artists all summer long. SeatGeek has the best seat, your seat for an unforgettable summer. From rock royalty to rap superstars, R&B to country, find it all on SeatGeek, the official ticketing partner of Nissan Stadium. It’s your summer. Make it count. SeatGeek. Hey Titans fans, with a Kroger Boost membership, you’ll score big with double fuel points, free delivery, and lots more. Go to kroger.com/boost for details. Kroger, the official ger of the Tennessee Titans. Tighten up. Now back to the OTP. What did you think of your brand new quarterback in his first game, Cam Ward? I think what stood out the most with Cam was his poise um in the environment. You know, I wasn’t sure what he was going to be like on game day, and I didn’t know how that would feel for him in his first game. his poise, uh his calm demeanor, uh his command of the operation are were all really really encouraging. He made some really nice throws. We got to do a better job helping them. Uh we had too many drops uh from the receivers all the way around. And then the protection got a little bit loose at times. I mean, that’s the that’s the best pass rush in football at the moment. Um you know, they got more sacks than anybody last year, and there’s a reason for it. They got good players, and we didn’t do a great job negating the rush the way that we would have wanted to. But even under duress, uh, Cam never flinched. And I from an opening day, what what do you take from a day that statistically wasn’t as good as you’d want to be? Is the encouragement for what it what it’s got a chance to look like as we keep moving forward. And that part was really, really awesome to see. Yeah. And it stings when it doesn’t go your way. And you probably like that it stings for those guys. It has the fire that you want. I mean, that’s he is a competitor. But also something that I’ve noticed, coach, is just how much he wants from you and how much you seem to appreciate coaching him. Getting on the plane and just seeing him next to you asking questions. That guy constantly wants to do not just what it takes on the field, but away from the field, too. He he’s he’s very driven to be a great player, and that is really fun to be around as a coach. Um he’s receptive to information. He gives you good feedback. We have good conversations. um our relationship just is going to continue to grow. And that was my first time calling plays in a real game with him, right? Um and we’re learning each other, too. That’s that’s a part of this process as well. And you don’t build that relationship as a play caller and a quarterback unless you spend a lot of time together talking about all these things. And um I love his perspective on the game. I love his his outlook on what the quarterback position is. and I’m going to keep coaching him and and keep helping build him and into the the caliber of NFL player I think he’s capable of becoming. It really sounds to me after listening what you said after the game, what you said to the media, what you’re saying right here that what went wrong for the Titans is correctable and it’s correctable with more experience and more reps. Is that accurate? Yeah, that’s the encouraging part of that of that game and it didn’t go the way we wanted to. Um, we we made too many mistakes, but as you said, they’re all things that are very much things that we can control. Um, they have they every team you play in this league is going to have reps where they you get beat. They have good players, too. They pay them a lot of money as well. So, there’s going to be that back and forth, but the things that um I’m encouraged by is that those are all that the issues we had are all very correctable. Um, I think Cam’s only going to get better when it comes to playing the position each week he plays. Um, and that’s an important part of his development is he just has to keep playing along with all the other young players we have out there. Um, that that are going to keep growing and learning, but very encouraged about about a lot of things in the game. Um, I know no one likes to hear that after losses. It’s it’s, you know, every everything’s terrible, but uh there is a lot of really good things to take from that and we got to do a better job of improving those things and we got to do it at a fast pace because we got a good team coming in. Home is at the forefront of all we do. It’s why we’re so committed to caring for the places and spaces in which we work and live. Ashley, the official furniture provider of the Tennessee Titans. Genesis is the first and only official jeweler of the Titans, having earned that title since 2006. 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Meaning, if you have the right kind of culture, it will lead to winning, but you have to lay the culture down first in order for that performance to come. And this off season, it has been a real privilege to see what you’re doing and of course the entire organization is doing to create that culture. Can you give everyone listening just a sense of what that process has been like? Yeah, it’s a it’s a that’s an in-depth uh long probably long-winded answer for most of the time, but to make it short and sweet and to the point, um we’ve improved in a lot of areas and we’ve improved in in the way that we communicate. Um there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the intentionality of it. We’ve improved the connection. Um we’ve improved our leadership. And while I think we we may not have started the way that we wanted to, I think which your your point is correct that that foundation is being laid and it will pay off sooner than later. Um, it wasn’t an immediate week one win for us, but I I think what you’re going to see from our team over the over the course of this season is all the values that that we want to see both from a personal standpoint and a and a football execution standpoint continue to get better and grow because those are the things we’ve been working on for six months. Um there’s a lot of intentionality behind why we do things uh what we do them for and it will show up and that’s but that doesn’t happen unless you’re doing it the way we’ve done it for the last six months and and there’s you know the old brick by brick philosophy where it’s going to take that building of experience. Um but but these guys they’re all in and and they love being around each other. They’re about the right stuff. We work the right way. I have a lot of faith and confidence in our football team and our coaching staff that um we’re going to continue to build this the way it’s supposed to be and that that culture will deliver those wins for us. The Los Angeles Rams are coming to Nashville to play the Titans at noon on Sunday. Tell us about the Rams. They just beat the Houston Texans. Very good football team. Um you know, sort of starts and ends with Matthew Stafford, old uh old friend of mine. Um still playing at an incredibly high level. Uh their defense though is is another really good unit. Um they pressure the quarterback at a rapid rate. They got good young players on defense. Um you know, Puka is one of the one of the premier receivers at this point in the league and a lot of their offense runs through him. Um but it’s well coached. Um they’ve had a history of not beating themselves and they put themselves in great position and and they got a trigger at the at the at the quarterback spot that can go win them a game when they need it. another tough test. Again, a playoff caliber football team that gets to come into our place and we gota we got to play with the same effort and intensity and just better execution to put ourselves in position to to go win in week two. You talked about in the preeason going to Tampa and then Atlanta so you’d see two different things. Was that to prepare yourself to see Denver and then to see the Rams and see two different teams? Absolutely. That was all very intentional. um all the different scheme we saw from those two teams as well as our own. And then you add in Minnesota at the end of the preseason, you know, everything was was built towards giving our team as many exposures to as as many different schemes as possible over the course of training camp. So, um we got some foundation and some things to fall back on when when we face them. Um but the Rams got a unique scheme. They’ve done a really good job there on defense. Their offensive scheme is is usually one of the best in football and um they got another tough test. Have a great week, coach. Thank you for Brian Callahan. I’m Taylor Zarszer. This has been the OTP. [Music]

Taylor Zarzour and Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan recap week 1 against the Denver Broncos

00:00-00:25 – Takeaways from Sunday
09:27-13:48 – Cam Ward Takeaways
14:10-17:01 – Culture
17:01-17:51 – Wrap up

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