Titans head coach has a specific mindset heading into Week 1
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan told The Tennesseean of his thoughts about playing 2024 first-overall pick Caleb Williams on Sunday.
“He’s everything a No. 1 pick you would expect to be,” Callahan said Monday. “You have to treat him as such and treat him with that kind of respect. Obviously you have to earn that in this league. He’s got to do it in regular-season games. I just hope it isn’t in the first week.”
Callahan is no stranger to recognizing quarterback talent. After all, he was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019-23. Former Heisman Trophy winner and first-overall pick Joe Burrow was under center while Callahan ran the offense.
The Bengals had the seventh-best offense in 2021 under Callahan, averaging 27.1 points per game. The offense was consistently in the top-10 until Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury in 2023. Still, the offense clicked with Jake Browning under center, having four straight games with over 300 passing yards. The 40-year-old first-time head coach could have his fair share of problems on Sunday.
How can the Titans prepare under Brian Callahan?
Although defense isn't Callahan's specialty, he does know what a good offense consists of. For the Chicago Bears, they seem to have all the pieces of the puzzle. After all, an ESPN prediction did say Chicago would post a 10-7 record and make the playoffs. The trio of newly-acquired Kennan Allen, returner DJ Moore and fellow top-10 pick Rome Odunze round out an impressive pass-catching unit. That's also not mentioning breakout tight end Cole Kmet.
Callahan had a similar unit during his time in Cincinnati. The trio of wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and running back Joe Mixon made some serious noise. That, combined with Burrow running the offense posed a Super Bowl run for at the time. Regardless of the obvious comparisons between the two, Callahan simply enjoys what Williams brings to the table
“I’m a huge fan of Caleb Williams and what he did at USC,” said Callahan, despite being an alum of rival UCLA. “I’ve watched him over the years. Really dynamic player. It’s really fun as a fan of quarterbacks to watch him play.”
Despite the shock-and-awe that Williams creates for fans and even players and coaches, the Titans will have to contain him. They'll plan to use disguise coverages and throw a variety of looks at Williams to show his inexperience in the NFL. As Callahan says, their game plan is a “holistic approach.” For the Titans, they're hoping to have Williams' inexperience show during the Week 1 showdown.
