New Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh (right) shares a laugh with All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons after Saleh’s introductory press conference on Thursday. TERRY MCCORMICK

In his introductory press conference on Thursday, Robert Saleh exuded some of the leadership vibes the Tennessee Titans have been craving ever since firing Mike Vrabel two years ago in the midst of their four-year fall from grace.

Saleh comes in as the Titans new head coach after two successful runs as defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers with a failed four-year term as head coach of the New York Jets in between.

His plan to exert that leadership not just throughout the coaching staff and the locker room, but throughout the entire Titans organization that has been a been a rudderless ship in recent years, having gone through three head coaches and three general managers since 2022.

“You know, the second you walk into this building, there’s going to be a standard; there’s messaging; there’s an expectation of what we do the second we walk into the building,” Saleh said. “I’ll say it a million times that the objective of life is to go to bed better than when you woke up. And if you don’t have that intent, if you don’t have that mindset, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Or doing your teammates in the service.”

There were more than a dozen Titans players on hand to hear that message, including All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, who Saleh has hired former New York Giants coach Brian Daboll to mentor as the Titans new offensive coordinator.

“In terms of just a player, making sure that we support him with the proper defense, proper run game. When you look at all the great quarterbacks in the history of this league. And I’ll just use Tom’s example. Tom Brady, the greatest of all time. His first few years was QB under center and handing the ball off. Now I’m not saying that’s what we’re going to do,” Saleh said. “But he was backed by an elite defense and an unbelievable run game and a system that allowed him to just kind of move the sticks on third down, be great in two minute, be efficient in the red zone and score points. And so, for Cam, the best way to develop a quarterback is to give him a defense, to give him a team that doesn’t make him feel like he doesn’t have to be Superman, at least early on.

“There’s going to be a time whereas Cam continues to develop, where you can put this entire organization on his shoulders and lead it to a win. But asking that of a young kid, I think is unrealistic. And so, building a structure for him that doesn’t ask him to be Superman 60 plays a game will be at the front of our minds.”

Saleh does come with some question marks, as his tenure with the Jets ended after just five games in 2024 and a 20-36 record overall. It was a situation Saleh said he learned a lot from, and he is optimistic it will lead to better success this time around.

“There’s no handbook to a first time at anything you do doing, you know? And, but what I would say, the proper question would be, what didn’t I learn?” Saleh said. “You know, and there’s so much to gain from anytime you’re in the chair as a head coach, and there’s so many learning experiences that I had so, I can sit here and talk to you for the next four hours about all those different things. But I can assure you that there was tremendous growth, through the opportunities that I had with the Jets, and, through that growth, I think I’m more prepared now than I’ve ever been, to this position.”

General manager Mike Borgonzi, who headed up the coaching search along with team executives Chad Brinker, Dave Zeigler, Reggie McKenzie and Dan Saganey, said Saleh’s leadership characteristics were what he and the organization were looking for as they went through some 18 candidates before landing on Saleh.

“Ultimately what we wanted was a leader for this football team that could build a winning culture and connect the entire building. We were looking for a leader with high character, integrity and humility, a leader with a high football IQ and great teaching skills,” Borgonzi said.

Saleh said the ultimate goal is to win a championship, but the first task will be having the right mindset and approach throughout at Saint Thomas Sports Park.

“It doesn’t matter who it is, if you’re an employee of this organization or you are part of that locker room, the expectation is that you’re finding ways to get better. And, and that’ll always be at the front of everything we do,” Saleh said.