This admission from Tennessee Titans coaches foreshadows a potential philosophical reset
Anyone who's followed Tennessee Titans football under coach Brian Callahan knows that "efficiency" isn't a particularly new buzzword.
Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?
- On July 23, 2024, in kicking off the start of his first training camp as coach, Callahan said: "I would like to see an efficient offense."
- On Aug. 10, 2024, after the Titans' first preseason game, Callahan said: "Efficiency can take you a long way."
- On Sept. 4, 2024, heading into Week 1 of the season, Callahan was asked about quarterback Will Levis' biggest area of growth. He said: "When to be efficient and when to complete the ball versus when to take a shot downfield."
- On Oct. 13, 2024, following a disappointing home loss to Indianapolis, Callahan said: "You've got to be able to throw it and throw it with some efficiency, and we've not done a good enough job of that."
- On Nov. 27, 2024, Callahan was about Levis' "rewiring" process. He said: "There's a lot of things about (rewiring) that are more about efficiency and doing the little things right, the small things right over time."
The list goes on, but the point is clear: The Titans care about passing efficiency. They want their quarterbacks to take the easy completions on first and second down. The offense is built around the willingness to rely on checkdowns and dump-offs and moving on for the next play.
So now it's Aug. 2, 2025. Here's offensive coordinator Nick Holz after being asked about the new emphasis for the quarterback room with Cam Ward taking over after last year's struggles with Levis as starter.
"We just want to take from a play standpoint, we want to take more completions," Holz said. "There are completions on every play, especially on first and second down. We want to keep the ball in play and stay efficient. From quarterback play, that’s what we’re looking for in that regard."
Well that's certainly not a change.
In fairness, Callahan has talked about the adjustments that need to be made to the philosophy. Before the Titans' in-stadium practice on July 26, he talked about adjusting away from a philosophy that always favors 12-play and 15-play drives because of how small the margin for error is in those situations and adjusting toward an offense that encourages more explosive plays.
But at the core, efficiency is still the goal. And Holz went on to explain that while the philosophy may not have changed, the way the coaches are going about doing their jobs ― and the experience they have in their jobs ― is changing.
"I think we are more detailed in how we’re asking for it," Holz said. "I think we’ve grown as coaches. We talk about eliminating negative plays and managing the situation. I think probably as a philosophical whole from the start of the offseason program, we’ve done a better job of kind of how we want it to look and how we do those kinds of things. I’m sure it’s a little bit of the same message, but we’re trying to improve how we do it too."
Holz was a first-time offensive coordinator this time a year ago. Callahan was a first-time head coach and play-caller. Much in the same way that there's an expectation that second-year players like JC Latham, T'Vondre Sweat and Jarvis Brownlee are supposed to get better at their jobs between Year 1 and Year 2, that same expectation can be put upon the coaches.
If Holz's assessment is accurate, and the coaches are capable of doing a better job of wholesale teaching their philosophies this time around, keep an eye out for the Titans in 2025 finally being able to fulfill the promises of 2024.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.