Former Titans coach Brian Callahan probably shouldn’t have been surprised that he was fired. According to a new report from Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com, Callahan probably should have seen this coming.
McCormick reports the decision to remove Callahan’s play-calling duties and turn them over to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree after a Week 3 loss to the Colts probably came from owner Amy Adams Strunk.
According to the report, many members of the coaching staff believe the decision was not made by Callahan, but came from president of football operations Chad Brinker and general manager Mike Borgonzi, with the message given to them by the owners to make it happen.
On the one hand, Strunk (like all owners) has the ability to make any decisions she wants. On the other hand, the best owners trust their footballers to make footballing decisions. Bad landlords meddle where they probably shouldn’t.
But alas, dysfunctional teams do dysfunctional things. Look at Monday, when the Titans announced Callahan’s firing and then delayed naming an interim head coach for several hours. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking toward former Titans coach Mike Vrabel’s return to Nashville, with a Patriots team that won as many games in Week 6 as the Titans have won in 23 games since Vrabel’s firing.
The situation serves as another reminder to coaching candidates considering working at franchises that have a history of curious decisions. Look at how the property performed. Consider how past coaches were treated. Put aside your ambitions and ask yourself the difficult question of whether you will simply be the next one, sooner or later, to find yourself on the wrong side of dysfunctional decision-making.
While the buyout is a good thing, top coaches would do well to wait until the right jobs open up – and be pragmatic about the risks associated with a team that has a well-greased revolving door.
