The OTP | Week 16 with Brian Callahan

Published Dec 17, 2024, 2:31 AM
Mike Keith and Amie Wells visit with Titans with Head Coach Brian Callahan each week on the OTP, presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans.

This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans. When it's game day for your health coverage, trust Farm Bureau Health Plans to draw up a winning play for you. They've been backing Tennesseeans for nearly eighty years. So please to welcome Titans head coach Brian Callahan here to the audio podcast studio at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park.

Tough Monday, Yeah, just tough Monday, and you're calling what it is?

Your press conference? What it is? Your press conference was pretty tough. So just to touch on a couple of things from that. At your press conference, you were not willing to say who the starting quarterback will be at Indianapolis this weekend. You said you take a couple of days to decide. So between today and tomorrow, what are some of the factors that will go into the decision about picking the starting quarterback for Sunday's game?

You know, I think the first and foremost is what gives us the best chance to win a game, because that's all I really care about at this point is try to put ourselves in the best position to go win. And what that looks like, you know, what is it? What does it mean for the team. You know what what what that decision doesn't doesn't isn't just solely for you know, one or two players. I mean that kind of decision affects everybody. It's staff, that's coaching, that's players, the whole the whole pot's affected by who is under center. And so I'm gonna take We're gonna take a take a deep breath and take a look at the game one more time. Remove remove any emotion from it, because obviously those things can be emotional in the moment, and make sure that you know, whatever decision we make is is the best one for a football team. It gives us the best chance to win.

When you make the decision, Is that something you plan to announce it your media availability at the start of the practice week on Wednesday?

Not likely, not like that to announce that. Yeah, there's not a real reason to for and for this particularly and it doesn't really it gives it gives a little bit at least competitive advantage away to announce that straight away on a Wednesday morning. So I'll probably keep that one close to the best for the remainder.

Of the week.

Fair enough, Yeah, all right, let's move on to some easier topics here. Taja Spears. He got back on the scene in a big way against the Cincinnati Bengals. He had ninety two yards from scrimmage. He had two touchdowns. Could you see that coming in practice last week?

Absolutely good? I thought Taja is really you know, he's had it up and down year with some injuries and been out of the lineup and nothing that was.

Any he was too serious, but just sort of took.

A momentum from him to some degree, and to see the way he's practiced the last three weeks, and really the way he's played in the last two games has been a product of his practice consistency. He's been really good in the practices over the weeks, and Tony Pollard has missed significant practice time due to his injury, and so he's gotten a lot of reps in opery. I think you're seeing the effects of that. On Sunday. He's kind of back to the Taj that I was hoping to see a lot of. And he's had two really good games. I thought, just doing things the way they're supposed to be done and playing with a bunch of effort and energy and making plays with the ball in his hand and so that was good to see and hopefully that continues in again just due to Tony's fighting through some things too. We need him to play, you know, a pretty significant role like he did yesterday and he answered the bell.

So do you see him continuing to take the lion's share of the snaps or do you think that is the hope? I guess that he and Tony Pollard share those a little bit more evenly over the last three games of the Sea would like.

Them to share, you know, close to even. It's probably not going to be totally even. Again, a lot of that depends on how Tony feels and you know, and then the game got a bit, you know that we had to start to throw a little more and so we let Taj take more of that just because you know, Tony's been been pretty banged up. So I'd like to see that be a little more even for both of them. I think they both can help our offense, and they both have really unique skin sets, and that's kind of what I've envisioned all along. And then Tony comes in and plays fantastic and he shows he can handle the sort of lead back role, and then Taje' sort of in and out with some injuries, and so there was never any consistency to how I would hope initially it was going to go. And you know, I said, and it's been really hard to not give the ball to Tony because he's all arguably been maybe our best offensive player over the course of the season, at least consistency wise. He shows up every week. So but yeah, I think it's that we're best when those guys are both fresh and rolling at a at a at a good rate. So hopeful to kind of get that back to close to even ish.

Let's switch gears a little bit and talk a little defense. The Bengals converted ten of thirteen third downs on Sunday. What has led to some of the defense's third down difficulties lately?

You know, I think a lot of against Jacksonville, we had quite a few you know, third and shorts, you know, high percentage conversion down in distances, and that was just they they sort of nickel and down and got themselves in manageable spots and then converted.

Uh.

And then this week I think it was more just you know, the Joe Burrow factor, him just extending He extended a couple of those plays found some found some lanes and bought some time for guys to get open. So I think a couple of times there we were we were covered well and then you know, he did his thing and that's hard to count for sometimes, and we had to do better job plastering on on receivers as the play gets extended. But that was probably the biggest issue this past week.

Luke Gifford went out and is now in concussion protocol. James Williams went in for him at the linebackers spot seven tackles. How did you evaluate his performance against the Bengals.

It was good, I think twofold. I think it's one fair to I need I do need to probably acknowledge how well Luga Gifford was playing in that game. I mean, he was really playing. He's played last week and and his his snaps this week. He was playing a brand of football that that was a guy that was trying to show he can play linebacker at this league. He's not just a special teamer and he's been fantastic. So it's a bummer that he got He got putting in the protocol and then James came in. I thought early you know, you see him settling, trying to settle in some he was a little bit out of place on a couple of things, and then you could see the game kind of moving a little fast to start, and then he settled in and I thought he'd finished the game much much better than he started. So that was good to see. I mean, that's his first significant snaps at linebacker, and as a young player's rookie, to get a chance to do that is great. And then you hope as he gets you know, you get your sea legs under you a bit, and you get used to what it feels to actually play in the game, and you start to improve. And I think that's what's happened with a lot of our young players right now, is the improvement due to being thrust into roles that maybe weren't necessary anticipated to start.

James Williams safety at Miamia, Florida seventh round pick, converting to linebacker. Is he about where you thought he would be in that conversion right now?

I think he's maybe a literally bit ahead of that, even, you know, just to see him be able to take meaningful snaps at linebacker in a spot that is difficult to transition. I mean, he look at him, it was a massive safety. When you look at he's big. He's a big dude. But I do think he's I think he's come a long way, you know, I think he's I think Frank Bush does a great job with those linebackers in general, and to see him make that transition and then continue to be more and more comfortable. He's really grown on special teams and that's where it starts, and he's started to make plays on special teams. He's not just out there doing his job. He's actually making plays on special teams. And to see him get some meaningful defensive snaps, I mean, he just you can tell he's got all the traits in the world to be a good player and got a chance to see a little bit of it last week.

All Right, we've let too much time pass without talking about Devandre Sweat because the play of the game was him taking that ball from Joe Burrow and running down the field thirty yards. It was incredible. There were so many things about that play that just make it so much fun to watch. What stood out to you, Brian Callahan, I mean.

The stiff farm was was pretty remarkable. That was and then just you know, the athleticism for a man his size is pretty impressive. I mean, he's he's a definition of rumbling and bumbling and stumbling down the field. But I thought that was just it was just great effort on his part, the awareness to go get the ball, as you know, Joe's kind of on top of a body, so he wasn't down, and to go get the ball out of his hands and then you know, get a return and positive ard drive. It was awesome. I've not seen guys do that very often, so that was cool. But I think the coolest part for me is when you watch what happens when he's on the sideline and just how excited the team is and how much energy they have. And that was a really awesome moment in the early part of the game that I was like, Oh, might this might be our day to day? Early in that game with the way we had started it out, was.

There a player or coach who got the most excited for him.

In that moment? Oh?

Man, I mean then people were going going wild on the sideline, So I'd have to go back and look at it again. But yeah, I can't. I can't have top my head think of somebody. It was pretty much pandemonium on the sideline. I had to get get out of the way because I'm trying to get ready for the next offensive play, and everything sort of converges like right on top of me, and I sort of run out the back and try to get away from all the the melee inside of jumping around and slapping heads and all that stuff.

So it was cool to see.

It was pretty fantastic. It was when we realized he had the ball and he was running towards our broadcast position. It was like, that's to Andre Sweat and he weighs three hundred and sixties. Sure yeah, sure, yeah, he wastes a lot and look at him go and look at him go.

He was he was moving, he was moving. He looked pretty natural with that ball in his hand.

He did he is he going to end up on the goal line package at some point just.

Led Jeff Lee block for Big Sweat.

Oh, I'd take that.

So how good was Simmons block on the on the Pollard touchdown?

Uh?

Is great?

I mean he did his job on I mean he was in there for what three three goal on plays and did his job on all of them. So credit to him for going both ways there and playing a little offense and and getting unloaded as a fullback. But it's good to have him. I mean, he's a big he's a big, strong dude, and and have him lee block and probably open some holes is a good thing for us on the in the low red zone.

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Coach, what are the challenges of ending the season with three straight AFC South opponents?

You know, it's an anytime you play divisional game, they mean more accounts for more, regardless of what our record is, regardless of what their records are. Their divisional football games and you every year you want to be able to win the games in your division. We've got one, we've lost two, and we got three to play and we have a chance to hopefully finish with a winning record in our division. That would be great. That's the goal. See if we can't win three divisional games and you look back and you go, well, we played pretty well in our division. And all you have to do in this league is take care of your divisional games first and to give yourself a chance, because you just to get into the playoffs, you got to win your division. And so you want to play well against these teams. You know, obviously Jacksonville's out of it and he's still fighting and Houston has already clinched the division. So that is what it is. But they're important games and we want to win them.

All right. So you did not see Anthony Richardson at quarterback for the Colts on October thirteenth. You'll see him this weekend. What's it like preparing for the second year quarterback out of Florida.

Well, you see, you see his talent. You see why he got selected where he was selected. He's got a huge arm. He can really throw the ball, down the field, and he's really a unique athlete. I mean he's with the ball in his hand and him running the football, and the challenges that pose is it's a whole different style you have to get ready for, and you have to play dispand branded football with the quarterback run game. That's something that we've not been great at this year. So we're gonna have to be on top of those things in this game. And then you know, when you get a chance to get him down, and you've got to get him down, and you got to get him on the ground because he can he can break runs at any point, whether it's in the drop back pass game or the quarterback league game. He's got the ability to create explosive plays and you've got to respect that part of it. And I know he's he's had his ups and downs as a passer this year, but he's very capable of winning football games. And he's got really high end talent and so we got to be on top of making sure that talent doesn't get a chance to show itself.

On Sunday, running back Jonathan Taylor is back. Do the Colts try to pair Taylor with Richardson a little bit and make that their running back duo.

Yeah, they do a good job. I mean I think I think Taylor had another one hundred yard game again against a pretty pretty dang good defense in Denver. And he's been a fantastic back in this league really ever since he's stepped into it. So he's he's dangerous, he can he can hit home runs, and he's big and physical. So it's a challenge. And then you pair that, you got to be ready and able and disciplined enough to defend the quarterback run game with the with the red zone and all those things. It's a it's a challenge. They do a really good job packaging those things together with those two players, and it makes defending the run very challenging.

You will see another piece dropped in to the defense into Forrest Buckner. What does he kind of add to all that?

You know, I think he's the kind of the core of their the core of their defense. You know, I think he's got uh, he's a he's a he's he's really hard to block in the past and pass protection, he can disrupt in the run game. He's he's a fantastic player. And you can see how much they miss they have missed him, and I know how much of an impact he has when he's in the lineup because they're just a much better defense with him there. He's just he's an impactful player. And anytime you have impact volunteeriorty lineman, you know, that makes life hard for offenses. And and he's one of those guys that really challenging to go up against every time you play him because he can make plays in the run game and the pass game, and he's disruptive when he rushes the passer.

What's the challenge of going against a Gus Bradley defense.

You know, they're always very well coached. That's the one thing about these defenses and going against Gus over the years is they're they're very sound, they're well coached, and Gus has a great feel for, you know, how to deploy the scheme. You know, it's not an overly complicated scheme. He's not exotic, but he's got just enough to keep you off balanced. He he can he pops pressures in in spots where maybe you don't expect it. He'll change up. When you think you're going to get a particular look, he changes it. He's very aware of what they do and how they do it and what it presents to the offense, and does a great job of mixing those things together. So I've always had a ton of respect for Gus. They've always been hard defenses to play against, and they're always really well coached and disciplined in their approach. There's not a whole lot of easy yards when you play against Gus.

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Bran Callian, thank you so much, we got it. Thank you, Thank you for joining us for the o t p

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