Titans HC Brian Callahan has been better than advertised
The Tennessee Titans hired head coach Brian Callahan to oversee an explosive offense. Through three games, that hope has come nowhere near reaching fruition, with the offense rightfully shouldering the bulk of the blame for the team's first winless start since 2009. Heading into Week 4, the Titans are ranked 29th in total yards (260.3), 28th in passing yards (159.3), 20th in rushing (101.0), and 28th in points scored (16.0) per game.
Never mind reaching the ever-elusive 30 points, the Titans haven't scored 20 in a single contest. Starting quarterback Will Levis leads the league in turnovers (8) and pick-sixes thrown (2). Levis is also tied for fourth-worst in turnover-worthy-play-rate with five risky decisions, according to Pro Football Focus' charting.
The advanced stats indicate that Callahan is doing a fine job executing the Titans' offense, however, placing more blame on the execution of the players.
Explosive Play Rate
One of Callahan's objections this season was to spearhead an offense that generates more explosive plays (10-plus yard runs and 20-plus yard passes). You may be shocked to find the 0-3 Titans are doing that at a fairly high level. The Titans currently 12th in explosive play rates at 9.3 percent, according to data collected by Football Insights.
That strongly indicates the Titans are an inconsistent unit. Callahan is calling an effective offense. Execution, poor decision making by Levis, and a lackluster offensive line that's leaking pressure have been far bigger issues than the design of Callahan's offense or his play-calling efforts. Not to mention three special teams gaffes that have directly led to pints for the opposition in every game this season.
Levis has been sacked on 15 occasions, second-most in the league. His pressure-to-sack rate of 31.9 percent is also second-worst among all full-time starting quarterbacks, trailing just Baker Mayfield (36.1). Tennessee's pass-block-win-rate (PBWR) is a 29th-best 43%, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
The receiving trio of DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd have largely been as advertised, too. All three veteran wideouts have averaged between 2.6 and 2.8 yards of separation, per Next Gen Stats. In Sunday's defeat to the Packers all three of Hopkins (3.1), Boyd (5.11), and Ridley (4.27) created well above the league-average separation mark of 2.96.
The lack of consistent success in the passing game could be chalked up to the leaky offensive line, and/or Levis creating his own pressure and not always trusting his reads.
Despite all that, Callahan's offense is still generating explosive plays at a higher rate than 20 rival offenses, including AFC Championship Game favorites Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, that counts for style points and nothing more, and the Titans need real victories soon, not moral ones. The Bills and Chiefs are a combined 6-0 and the Titans hold the top position in the waiver wire.
Callahan's offense certainly hasn't been perfect. Making second-half adjustments is a current area of weakness for the first-time head coach and play caller, who's team is minus-34 in second-half scoring margin.
The explosive play data offers a hint into why the Titans appointed Callahan.
Now if everything else could come together...
