The offense was pitiful. Their rookie quarterback, whom they took No. 1 overall this year, looked overmatched. And their “unpredictable” owner watched it unfold alongside a bunch of family members.
So Titans head coach Brian Callahan was fired Monday, a day after an ugly 20-10 loss to the Raiders in Vegas that dropped them to 1-5 on the season, and 4-19 in his year-plus tenure in Nashville.
“I think this is a lot like the Mike Vrabel situation. It’s Amy acting alone,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said on “Stillman and Co.” in explaining why Callahan was fired. “One thing that’s common with every one of these moves … is Amy doesn’t like being embarrassed. She had a huge family contingent at that game in Vegas.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she needs her pound of flesh after they have the worst record in the league (last season),” Breer added. “It’s just all of these different moves seem to depend on A) her own personal emotions and B) whoever the last person she listened to is.”
Vrabel was fired after the 2023 season, during which the Titans went 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. But the Titans had winning records during each of Vrabel’s first four seasons, and they made the playoffs in three straight years, reaching the AFC Championship game in 2019-20 before going one-and-done in the following two postseasons.
After taking a year off, he was hired by the Patriots, with whom he won three Super Bowls as a player, and has New England at 4-2 behind second-year QB Drake Maye. The Patriots visit the Titans this Sunday.
“There was that feeling of embarrassment and the potential that that embarrassment could get worse six days later with Mike Vrabel coming to town, which I think influenced the move,” Breer said.
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Strunk was noticeably absent from the Titans’ press conference on Monday discussing Callahan’s firing, with president of football operations Chad Brinker saying he was “representing her” alongside GM Mike Borgonzi.
The Titans are fortunate not to be joining the Jets as winless, as they were gifted a 22-21 win in Week 5 over the Cardinals, whose running back, Emari Demercado, dropped the ball before crossing the plane of the end zone, resulting in a fumble and a touchback.
Cam Ward, the Titans’ rookie quarterback, has completed just 55 percent of his passes in six games with 1,101 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Ultimately, Callahan’s firing did not stun those around the NFL, according to Breer.
“Based on where things were and based on how things have gone over the last few years in that organization and based on how the team looked, I don’t think anybody was blown away because I think Amy’s now got a reputation of being an unpredictable owner capable of these sorts of things,” Breer said.
Before hiring Borgonzi, who’s in his first year with the team, Strunk fired GM Ran Carthon after just two years.
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