Titans Latest Team To See HC-GM Misalignment Backfire

The steady Titans descent leading to Brian Callahan's ouster was certainly predictable given recent organizational decision-making. Owner Amy Adams Strunk has fostered an unstable environment, and the power structure left standing still invites questions. The impulsive owner, as is the case with several other dysfunctional organizations, remains the common denominator during this nosedive.

Tennessee went 4-19 under Callahan, the coach Adams Strunk insisted upon when not bothering to explore Mike Vrabel's trade value. Linked to such a trade effort late in the 2023 season, the Titans bailed on that plan due to Adams Strunk not wanting to potentially miss out on some of the 2024 cycle's candidates while dealing with Vrabel trade negotiations. The result: a 23-game head coach. Callahan matched Ken Whisenhunt's tenure for the franchise's shortest for a full-time HC in 50 years.

Callahan did not appear deserving of a third season, and it took one of the most bizarre collapses -- Week 5 in Arizona -- in recent NFL history to give the Titans their win. The team's 83-point total represents the fewest points through six Titans/Oilers games since 1983. With Cam Ward development paramount, Tennessee's power structure pulling the plug makes sense. Though, Ward will debut next season -- barring an unexpected decision to retain Mike McCoy and Bo Hardegree -- with a third play-caller in 18 games. Not ideal for quarterback growth. Ward has nowhere to go but up, by his own admission, ranking dead last in QBR (by a wide margin) and EPA per play.

Although eventful due to the past two Tennessee iterations' performance, Callahan's tenure will be rather insignificant in the grand scheme. Adams Strunk's 10-plus-year run as controlling owner has included more notable impulse firings, with that list starting with Vrabel and GMs Jon Robinson and Ran Carthon. How the owner has operated will make hiring the next coach more difficult, regardless of any positive perception the Chad Brinker-Mike Borgonzi power duo generates around the league.