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Speaker 1: They've been backing Tennesseeans for nearly eighty years. So please
Speaker 1: to welcome Titans head coach Brian Callahan here to the
Speaker 1: audio podcast studio at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park.
Speaker 2: Tough Monday, Yeah, just tough Monday, and you're calling what
Speaker 2: it is?
Speaker 1: Your press conference? What it is? Your press conference was
Speaker 1: pretty tough. So just to touch on a couple of
Speaker 1: things from that. At your press conference, you were not
Speaker 1: willing to say who the starting quarterback will be at
Speaker 1: Indianapolis this weekend. You said you take a couple of
Speaker 1: days to decide. So between today and tomorrow, what are
Speaker 1: some of the factors that will go into the decision
Speaker 1: about picking the starting quarterback for Sunday's game?
Speaker 2: You know, I think the first and foremost is what
Speaker 2: gives us the best chance to win a game, because
Speaker 2: that's all I really care about at this point is
Speaker 2: try to put ourselves in the best position to go win.
Speaker 2: And what that looks like, you know, what is it?
Speaker 2: What does it mean for the team. You know what
Speaker 2: what what that decision doesn't doesn't isn't just solely for
Speaker 2: you know, one or two players. I mean that kind
Speaker 2: of decision affects everybody. It's staff, that's coaching, that's players,
Speaker 2: the whole the whole pot's affected by who is under center.
Speaker 2: And so I'm gonna take We're gonna take a take
Speaker 2: a deep breath and take a look at the game
Speaker 2: one more time. Remove remove any emotion from it, because
Speaker 2: obviously those things can be emotional in the moment, and
Speaker 2: make sure that you know, whatever decision we make is
Speaker 2: is the best one for a football team. It gives
Speaker 2: us the best chance to win.
Speaker 1: When you make the decision, Is that something you plan
Speaker 1: to announce it your media availability at the start of
Speaker 1: the practice week on Wednesday?
Speaker 2: Not likely, not like that to announce that. Yeah, there's
Speaker 2: not a real reason to for and for this particularly
Speaker 2: and it doesn't really it gives it gives a little
Speaker 2: bit at least competitive advantage away to announce that straight
Speaker 2: away on a Wednesday morning. So I'll probably keep that
Speaker 2: one close to the best for the remainder.
Speaker 1: Of the week.
Speaker 3: Fair enough, Yeah, all right, let's move on to some
Speaker 3: easier topics here. Taja Spears. He got back on the
Speaker 3: scene in a big way against the Cincinnati Bengals. He
Speaker 3: had ninety two yards from scrimmage. He had two touchdowns.
Speaker 3: Could you see that coming in practice last week?
Speaker 2: Absolutely good? I thought Taja is really you know, he's
Speaker 2: had it up and down year with some injuries and
Speaker 2: been out of the lineup and nothing that was.
Speaker 1: Any he was too serious, but just sort of took.
Speaker 2: A momentum from him to some degree, and to see
Speaker 2: the way he's practiced the last three weeks, and really
Speaker 2: the way he's played in the last two games has
Speaker 2: been a product of his practice consistency. He's been really
Speaker 2: good in the practices over the weeks, and Tony Pollard
Speaker 2: has missed significant practice time due to his injury, and
Speaker 2: so he's gotten a lot of reps in opery. I
Speaker 2: think you're seeing the effects of that. On Sunday. He's
Speaker 2: kind of back to the Taj that I was hoping
Speaker 2: to see a lot of. And he's had two really
Speaker 2: good games. I thought, just doing things the way they're
Speaker 2: supposed to be done and playing with a bunch of
Speaker 2: effort and energy and making plays with the ball in
Speaker 2: his hand and so that was good to see and
Speaker 2: hopefully that continues in again just due to Tony's fighting
Speaker 2: through some things too. We need him to play, you know,
Speaker 2: a pretty significant role like he did yesterday and he
Speaker 2: answered the bell.
Speaker 3: So do you see him continuing to take the lion's
Speaker 3: share of the snaps or do you think that is
Speaker 3: the hope? I guess that he and Tony Pollard share
Speaker 3: those a little bit more evenly over the last three
Speaker 3: games of the Sea would like.
Speaker 2: Them to share, you know, close to even. It's probably
Speaker 2: not going to be totally even. Again, a lot of
Speaker 2: that depends on how Tony feels and you know, and
Speaker 2: then the game got a bit, you know that we
Speaker 2: had to start to throw a little more and so
Speaker 2: we let Taj take more of that just because you know,
Speaker 2: Tony's been been pretty banged up. So I'd like to
Speaker 2: see that be a little more even for both of them.
Speaker 2: I think they both can help our offense, and they
Speaker 2: both have really unique skin sets, and that's kind of
Speaker 2: what I've envisioned all along. And then Tony comes in
Speaker 2: and plays fantastic and he shows he can handle the
Speaker 2: sort of lead back role, and then Taje' sort of
Speaker 2: in and out with some injuries, and so there was
Speaker 2: never any consistency to how I would hope initially it
Speaker 2: was going to go. And you know, I said, and
Speaker 2: it's been really hard to not give the ball to
Speaker 2: Tony because he's all arguably been maybe our best offensive
Speaker 2: player over the course of the season, at least consistency wise.
Speaker 2: He shows up every week. So but yeah, I think
Speaker 2: it's that we're best when those guys are both fresh
Speaker 2: and rolling at a at a at a good rate.
Speaker 2: So hopeful to kind of get that back to close
Speaker 2: to even ish.
Speaker 3: Let's switch gears a little bit and talk a little defense.
Speaker 3: The Bengals converted ten of thirteen third downs on Sunday.
Speaker 3: What has led to some of the defense's third down
Speaker 3: difficulties lately?
Speaker 2: You know, I think a lot of against Jacksonville, we
Speaker 2: had quite a few you know, third and shorts, you know,
Speaker 2: high percentage conversion down in distances, and that was just
Speaker 2: they they sort of nickel and down and got themselves
Speaker 2: in manageable spots and then converted.
Speaker 4: Uh.
Speaker 2: And then this week I think it was more just
Speaker 2: you know, the Joe Burrow factor, him just extending He
Speaker 2: extended a couple of those plays found some found some
Speaker 2: lanes and bought some time for guys to get open.
Speaker 2: So I think a couple of times there we were
Speaker 2: we were covered well and then you know, he did
Speaker 2: his thing and that's hard to count for sometimes, and
Speaker 2: we had to do better job plastering on on receivers
Speaker 2: as the play gets extended. But that was probably the
Speaker 2: biggest issue this past week.
Speaker 1: Luke Gifford went out and is now in concussion protocol.
Speaker 1: James Williams went in for him at the linebackers spot
Speaker 1: seven tackles. How did you evaluate his performance against the Bengals.
Speaker 2: It was good, I think twofold. I think it's one
Speaker 2: fair to I need I do need to probably acknowledge
Speaker 2: how well Luga Gifford was playing in that game. I mean,
Speaker 2: he was really playing. He's played last week and and
Speaker 2: his his snaps this week. He was playing a brand
Speaker 2: of football that that was a guy that was trying
Speaker 2: to show he can play linebacker at this league. He's
Speaker 2: not just a special teamer and he's been fantastic. So
Speaker 2: it's a bummer that he got He got putting in
Speaker 2: the protocol and then James came in. I thought early
Speaker 2: you know, you see him settling, trying to settle in
Speaker 2: some he was a little bit out of place on
Speaker 2: a couple of things, and then you could see the
Speaker 2: game kind of moving a little fast to start, and
Speaker 2: then he settled in and I thought he'd finished the
Speaker 2: game much much better than he started. So that was
Speaker 2: good to see. I mean, that's his first significant snaps
Speaker 2: at linebacker, and as a young player's rookie, to get
Speaker 2: a chance to do that is great. And then you
Speaker 2: hope as he gets you know, you get your sea
Speaker 2: legs under you a bit, and you get used to
Speaker 2: what it feels to actually play in the game, and
Speaker 2: you start to improve. And I think that's what's happened
Speaker 2: with a lot of our young players right now, is
Speaker 2: the improvement due to being thrust into roles that maybe
Speaker 2: weren't necessary anticipated to start.
Speaker 1: James Williams safety at Miamia, Florida seventh round pick, converting
Speaker 1: to linebacker. Is he about where you thought he would
Speaker 1: be in that conversion right now?
Speaker 2: I think he's maybe a literally bit ahead of that, even,
Speaker 2: you know, just to see him be able to take
Speaker 2: meaningful snaps at linebacker in a spot that is difficult
Speaker 2: to transition. I mean, he look at him, it was
Speaker 2: a massive safety. When you look at he's big. He's
Speaker 2: a big dude. But I do think he's I think
Speaker 2: he's come a long way, you know, I think he's
Speaker 2: I think Frank Bush does a great job with those
Speaker 2: linebackers in general, and to see him make that transition
Speaker 2: and then continue to be more and more comfortable. He's
Speaker 2: really grown on special teams and that's where it starts,
Speaker 2: and he's started to make plays on special teams. He's
Speaker 2: not just out there doing his job. He's actually making
Speaker 2: plays on special teams. And to see him get some
Speaker 2: meaningful defensive snaps, I mean, he just you can tell
Speaker 2: he's got all the traits in the world to be
Speaker 2: a good player and got a chance to see a
Speaker 2: little bit of it last week.
Speaker 3: All Right, we've let too much time pass without talking
Speaker 3: about Devandre Sweat because the play of the game was
Speaker 3: him taking that ball from Joe Burrow and running down
Speaker 3: the field thirty yards. It was incredible. There were so
Speaker 3: many things about that play that just make it so
Speaker 3: much fun to watch. What stood out to you, Brian Callahan,
Speaker 3: I mean.
Speaker 2: The stiff farm was was pretty remarkable. That was and
Speaker 2: then just you know, the athleticism for a man his
Speaker 2: size is pretty impressive. I mean, he's he's a definition
Speaker 2: of rumbling and bumbling and stumbling down the field. But
Speaker 2: I thought that was just it was just great effort
Speaker 2: on his part, the awareness to go get the ball,
Speaker 2: as you know, Joe's kind of on top of a body,
Speaker 2: so he wasn't down, and to go get the ball
Speaker 2: out of his hands and then you know, get a
Speaker 2: return and positive ard drive. It was awesome. I've not
Speaker 2: seen guys do that very often, so that was cool.
Speaker 2: But I think the coolest part for me is when
Speaker 2: you watch what happens when he's on the sideline and
Speaker 2: just how excited the team is and how much energy
Speaker 2: they have. And that was a really awesome moment in
Speaker 2: the early part of the game that I was like, Oh,
Speaker 2: might this might be our day to day? Early in
Speaker 2: that game with the way we had started it out, was.
Speaker 3: There a player or coach who got the most excited
Speaker 3: for him.
Speaker 1: In that moment? Oh?
Speaker 2: Man, I mean then people were going going wild on
Speaker 2: the sideline, So I'd have to go back and look
Speaker 2: at it again. But yeah, I can't. I can't have
Speaker 2: top my head think of somebody. It was pretty much
Speaker 2: pandemonium on the sideline. I had to get get out
Speaker 2: of the way because I'm trying to get ready for
Speaker 2: the next offensive play, and everything sort of converges like
Speaker 2: right on top of me, and I sort of run
Speaker 2: out the back and try to get away from all
Speaker 2: the the melee inside of jumping around and slapping heads
Speaker 2: and all that stuff.
Speaker 3: So it was cool to see.
Speaker 1: It was pretty fantastic. It was when we realized he
Speaker 1: had the ball and he was running towards our broadcast position.
Speaker 1: It was like, that's to Andre Sweat and he weighs
Speaker 1: three hundred and sixties. Sure yeah, sure, yeah, he wastes
Speaker 1: a lot and look at him go and look at
Speaker 1: him go.
Speaker 2: He was he was moving, he was moving. He looked
Speaker 2: pretty natural with that ball in his hand.
Speaker 1: He did he is he going to end up on
Speaker 1: the goal line package at some point just.
Speaker 2: Led Jeff Lee block for Big Sweat.
Speaker 3: Oh, I'd take that.
Speaker 1: So how good was Simmons block on the on the
Speaker 1: Pollard touchdown?
Speaker 4: Uh?
Speaker 1: Is great?
Speaker 2: I mean he did his job on I mean he
Speaker 2: was in there for what three three goal on plays
Speaker 2: and did his job on all of them. So credit
Speaker 2: to him for going both ways there and playing a
Speaker 2: little offense and and getting unloaded as a fullback. But
Speaker 2: it's good to have him. I mean, he's a big
Speaker 2: he's a big, strong dude, and and have him lee
Speaker 2: block and probably open some holes is a good thing
Speaker 2: for us on the in the low red zone.
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Speaker 1: welcome you back for more of our conversation with Titans
Speaker 1: head coach Brian Callahan.
Speaker 3: Coach, what are the challenges of ending the season with
Speaker 3: three straight AFC South opponents?
Speaker 2: You know, it's an anytime you play divisional game, they
Speaker 2: mean more accounts for more, regardless of what our record is,
Speaker 2: regardless of what their records are. Their divisional football games
Speaker 2: and you every year you want to be able to
Speaker 2: win the games in your division. We've got one, we've
Speaker 2: lost two, and we got three to play and we
Speaker 2: have a chance to hopefully finish with a winning record
Speaker 2: in our division. That would be great. That's the goal.
Speaker 2: See if we can't win three divisional games and you
Speaker 2: look back and you go, well, we played pretty well
Speaker 2: in our division. And all you have to do in
Speaker 2: this league is take care of your divisional games first
Speaker 2: and to give yourself a chance, because you just to
Speaker 2: get into the playoffs, you got to win your division.
Speaker 2: And so you want to play well against these teams.
Speaker 2: You know, obviously Jacksonville's out of it and he's still
Speaker 2: fighting and Houston has already clinched the division. So that
Speaker 2: is what it is. But they're important games and we
Speaker 2: want to win them.
Speaker 1: All right. So you did not see Anthony Richardson at
Speaker 1: quarterback for the Colts on October thirteenth. You'll see him
Speaker 1: this weekend. What's it like preparing for the second year
Speaker 1: quarterback out of Florida.
Speaker 2: Well, you see, you see his talent. You see why
Speaker 2: he got selected where he was selected. He's got a
Speaker 2: huge arm. He can really throw the ball, down the field,
Speaker 2: and he's really a unique athlete. I mean he's with
Speaker 2: the ball in his hand and him running the football,
Speaker 2: and the challenges that pose is it's a whole different
Speaker 2: style you have to get ready for, and you have
Speaker 2: to play dispand branded football with the quarterback run game.
Speaker 2: That's something that we've not been great at this year.
Speaker 2: So we're gonna have to be on top of those
Speaker 2: things in this game. And then you know, when you
Speaker 2: get a chance to get him down, and you've got
Speaker 2: to get him down, and you got to get him
Speaker 2: on the ground because he can he can break runs
Speaker 2: at any point, whether it's in the drop back pass
Speaker 2: game or the quarterback league game. He's got the ability
Speaker 2: to create explosive plays and you've got to respect that
Speaker 2: part of it. And I know he's he's had his
Speaker 2: ups and downs as a passer this year, but he's
Speaker 2: very capable of winning football games. And he's got really
Speaker 2: high end talent and so we got to be on
Speaker 2: top of making sure that talent doesn't get a chance
Speaker 2: to show itself.
Speaker 3: On Sunday, running back Jonathan Taylor is back. Do the
Speaker 3: Colts try to pair Taylor with Richardson a little bit
Speaker 3: and make that their running back duo.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they do a good job. I mean I think
Speaker 2: I think Taylor had another one hundred yard game again
Speaker 2: against a pretty pretty dang good defense in Denver. And
Speaker 2: he's been a fantastic back in this league really ever
Speaker 2: since he's stepped into it. So he's he's dangerous, he
Speaker 2: can he can hit home runs, and he's big and physical.
Speaker 2: So it's a challenge. And then you pair that, you
Speaker 2: got to be ready and able and disciplined enough to
Speaker 2: defend the quarterback run game with the with the red
Speaker 2: zone and all those things. It's a it's a challenge.
Speaker 2: They do a really good job packaging those things together
Speaker 2: with those two players, and it makes defending the run
Speaker 2: very challenging.
Speaker 1: You will see another piece dropped in to the defense
Speaker 1: into Forrest Buckner. What does he kind of add to
Speaker 1: all that?
Speaker 2: You know, I think he's the kind of the core
Speaker 2: of their the core of their defense. You know, I
Speaker 2: think he's got uh, he's a he's a he's he's
Speaker 2: really hard to block in the past and pass protection,
Speaker 2: he can disrupt in the run game. He's he's a
Speaker 2: fantastic player. And you can see how much they miss
Speaker 2: they have missed him, and I know how much of
Speaker 2: an impact he has when he's in the lineup because
Speaker 2: they're just a much better defense with him there. He's
Speaker 2: just he's an impactful player. And anytime you have impact
Speaker 2: volunteeriorty lineman, you know, that makes life hard for offenses.
Speaker 2: And and he's one of those guys that really challenging
Speaker 2: to go up against every time you play him because
Speaker 2: he can make plays in the run game and the
Speaker 2: pass game, and he's disruptive when he rushes the passer.
Speaker 1: What's the challenge of going against a Gus Bradley defense.
Speaker 2: You know, they're always very well coached. That's the one
Speaker 2: thing about these defenses and going against Gus over the
Speaker 2: years is they're they're very sound, they're well coached, and
Speaker 2: Gus has a great feel for, you know, how to
Speaker 2: deploy the scheme. You know, it's not an overly complicated scheme.
Speaker 2: He's not exotic, but he's got just enough to keep
Speaker 2: you off balanced. He he can he pops pressures in
Speaker 2: in spots where maybe you don't expect it. He'll change up.
Speaker 2: When you think you're going to get a particular look,
Speaker 2: he changes it. He's very aware of what they do
Speaker 2: and how they do it and what it presents to
Speaker 2: the offense, and does a great job of mixing those
Speaker 2: things together. So I've always had a ton of respect
Speaker 2: for Gus. They've always been hard defenses to play against,
Speaker 2: and they're always really well coached and disciplined in their approach.
Speaker 2: There's not a whole lot of easy yards when you
Speaker 2: play against Gus.
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Speaker 1: Bran Callian, thank you so much, we got it. Thank you,
Speaker 1: Thank you for joining us for the o t p