Sometimes, the teacher needs to become the student. Now is one of those times.
Brian Callahan is the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. From 2019 to 2023, he served as the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals under head coach Zac Taylor.
When he arrived in Tennessee, Callahan, like his mentor, assumed the play-calling duties for the offense. After being outscored 94-51 to start the 2025 season, Callahan turned over those duties to his quarterbacks coach, and the Titans quickly responded by winning their first game of the season.
The decision not only benefited the team but also freed up Callahan to become more involved in other aspects of the game.
“I’m having more conversations with players, understanding some of the things that they think and feel,” Callahan explained. “I’ve actually enjoyed stepping back and looking at some other things that maybe I didn’t have the time and energy to put into it because of other responsibilities. It’s been productive.”
With Taylor calling the plays, the Bengals have been outscored by a count of 156-85. Since Jake Browning took over the starting duties after the Joe Burrow injury in week 2, that margin is a whopping 113-37.
After a 3-14 showing last season, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll decided to turn over play-calling responsibilities to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. The Giants are off to a 1-4 start this year, but have at least been competitive in most of their outings.
Yet another successful example of a coach handing over play-calling responsibilities is in Detroit, where head coach Dan Campbell assumed the duties during the 2021 season and then turned them over to Ben Johnson the following season. After going 3-13-1 in 2021, the Lions are 40-16 since.
Unfortunately, the lessons seem to be lost on Taylor, who continues to cling stubbornly to the play-calling moniker. While he claims to rely on his assistant coaches, Taylor obviously does not trust any of them enough to hand over that responsibility.
”I rely on them as much as I think any play-caller in the league [relies] on anybody else,” Taylor said. “So I feel very comfortable. It’s a fair question. We scored three points in three games in the first half. I totally understand that, but right now, that’s going to remain the same.”
It is almost as though Taylor is writing his own coaching epitaph. As he himself pointed out, Cincinnati has scored three points in the first half of three straight games, yet he feels “very comfortable.”
The Bengals will have a new quarterback under center Sunday in former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco. Maybe this is the change Cincinnati needs to turn its season around. If not, the spotlight will be back on Taylor.