By TERESA M. WALKER
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans fired Brian Callahan on Monday after a 1-5 begin to his second season, making him the primary NFL head coach ousted this season.
Chad Brinker, the Titans’ president of soccer operations, mentioned group officers had prolonged conversations with controlling proprietor Amy Adams Strunk and common supervisor Mike Borgonzi earlier than assembly with Callahan on Monday morning to inform him that Tennessee was making a change.
“Whereas we’re dedicated to a affected person and strategic plan to construct a sustainable, successful soccer program, we now have not demonstrated adequate progress,” Brinker mentioned in a press release. “Our gamers, followers, and neighborhood deserve a soccer group that achieves a regular we aren’t presently assembly, and we’re dedicated to creating the arduous selections mandatory to succeed in and keep that commonplace.”
The Titans didn’t instantly say who can be interim coach. They host former Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel and his New England Patriots (4-2) on Sunday.
Callahan went 4-19, which featured a 10-game skid.
He turns into simply the second coach fired through the season by this franchise since relocating to Tennessee in 1997, becoming a member of Ken Whisenhunt. Whisenhunt had a 3-20 document when fired in November 2015, with a stint that additionally included a 10-game skid to finish the 2014 season.
The Titans had mentioned they needed to see enchancment this season with Callahan going into his second season as a first-time head coach and with a rookie quarterback in Cam Ward. But Callahan needed to hand off play-calling duties after dropping to 0-3 and the offense struggling.
Even the change in play-caller didn’t assist.
The Titans have scored solely 83 factors and are averaging 3.94 yards per play. Solely the 2019 Jets, the 2018 Payments in Josh Allen’s rookie 12 months, the 2009 Browns, the 2009 Raiders in JaMarcus Russell’s final season and the 2007 49ers have scored fewer than 84 factors and 4 yards per play via six video games previously 20 seasons.
Of the 241 NFL coaches who’ve coached not less than 20 video games or extra for the reason that NFL-AFL merger in 1970, Callahan ranks 237th with a .174 successful proportion. The one coaches with worse successful percentages have been Jim Ringo (.130), Marty Mornhinweg (.156), Chris Palmer (.156) and Rod Dowhower (.172).
The Titans knew that this could be a rebuilding 12 months, and Brinker mentioned in the beginning of coaching camp that enchancment was the one signal they have been on the lookout for. They’ve performed not less than seven rookies in every sport this season, led by Ward, the No. 1 draft choose.
Callahan was employed in January 2024 for his work with quarterbacks together with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, additionally a No. 1 choose, in 2020.
However Ward is the most-sacked quarterback within the NFL, with 25 already, together with a pair of video games with six sacks every, following a 20-10 loss to the Raiders.
This marks the fourth time in five years {that a} group that picked a quarterback with the No. 1 choice fired the coach through the season.
Callahan joins Matt Eberflus (Chicago, 2024), Frank Reich (Carolina, 2023) and City Meyer (Jaguars, 2021) in that group. Hue Jackson additionally was fired by Cleveland in 2018 and former Titans coach Jeff Fisher by the Rams in 2016 in the identical state of affairs.
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