When Brian Callahan was hired to be the head coach for the Tennessee Titans, one of the first decisions he made in terms of his staff would be the addition of his father, Bill, as offensive line coach. He had previously worked with the Cleveland Browns, but let him our of his contract to be a coach for his son's football team.
Because football and any sport for that matter is a business, it is rare you see an act of kindness like that from one team to another. Even Brian Callahan wasn't sure if it could happen and is “appreciative” of Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and the organization for letting that happen according to Myles Simmons of NBC Sports who got it from the Titans website.
“I wasn’t sure he would be, contractually allowed to,” Callahan said. “But they were aware enough to know the uniqueness of the situation and allow it to continue to go down that road. So appreciative of that perspective from them and allowing it to happen.”
Bill Callahan has been coaching in football since 1980 when he was just an assistant at the University of Illinois. Since he stepped into the NFL in 1995 with the Philadelphia Eagles, he has specialized as an offensive line coach. However, he has been a head coach before like with the then-Oakland Raiders from 2002-2003, then for the University of Nebraska from 2004-2007.
Brian Callahan says that besides being his father, he adds a lot to the team
Fast forward to now, Bill Callahan spent three seasons with the Browns before joining his son's staff. Brian Callahan even said that besides Bill being his father, he has a bevy of experience in the NFL that can be a “huge asset” to any team in the NFL.
“I would say, as far as experience goes, there’s not really anybody that has more in all the different facets of an organization,” Brian Callahan said. “He’s been a head coach in college and the NFL. He’s called plays in the NFL, he’s been arguably, in my opinion, the best offensive line coach in football for a long time. His experience and his wealth of knowledge. He’s probably forgotten more football than I know. So, it’s a huge asset to us to have him.”
“And again, not just because that’s my father, but because of his experience as a football coach,” Callahan said of his father. “And again, there’s not many better out there. [Offensive coordinator] Nick [Holz] worked for him a long time ago. I would argue that they’re probably both very different people at this point. My dad in particular. But just the ability to have that knowledge, experience, wisdom, perspective, on all the things that go on from top-to-bottom in the football process, not just the coaching. And so, to have that available to us is huge, and trust me, he’ll have quite a bit of input and ability to help us along the process.”
Kevin Stefanski didn't want to get in the way of a family reunion
As mentioned before, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and made it seem like he did not want to get in the way of them working with each other. He even poked fun at the situation and said that he “can't wait for Brian to boss him around” in referencing his father in Bill Callahan.
“Bill Callahan, very unique situation there, to go work for Brian not with Brian — he’s going to go work for Brian,” Stefanski said in a press conference. “I can’t wait for Brian to boss him around. The dream of every kid is to boss your parents around. So, happy for those guys.”
“I think organizationally, we realized that’s a unique situation and did not want to stand in the way of that,” Callahan continued. “So, excited for, certainly, Brian and Bill down there.”
Bill Callahan getting praise from former and present players
Having been coaching in the NFL for a long time, there will always be a ton of connections, friendships, and relationships made, especially from players that played on the offensive line. One was Brian Baldinger who is a former NFL offensive lineman and current NFL Network analyst who classifies Callahan in the “gold standard” according to the Titans website.
“He has been the gold standard in this business,'” Baldinger said of Bill Callahan. “He knows how to develop players, develop a line. He's an amazing offensive line coach. You couldn't get a better hire.”
In terms of current players, Browns offensive guard Wyatt Teller who was at the NFL Pro Bowl talked about what he learned from Callahan. However, he was candid about his style of coaching as being very “hard” and that the Titans players have their work cut out for them.
“I learned a lot from him, not only technique and fundamentals, but also how to be a pro,” Browns guard Wyatt Teller said of Callahan, from the Pro Bowl. “He's a hard, hard coach, so they're getting their work worth down there. … Those guys are going to be getting a lot of work, but I know it's going to pay off.”
Titans rebuilding?
Father or not, Brian Callahan is adding an integral coach to his staff as the 39-year old is prepping for his first season as a head coach at any level. He has been coaching football since 2006 when he was A graduate assistant for UCLA, but would start coaching in the NFL in 2010 as an offensive assistant with the Denver Broncos.
He worked up the ranks to be the quarterbacks coach for the Broncos and after bouncing around other teams in the same role, he became the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019-2023 until he got the job from the Titans. Going back to the family, he is far from the only coach that has had a father who coached in the NFL and he likely won't be the last.
While it was a shocking move to fire Mike Vrabel who was coach of the year in 2021 with the Titans, they decided to move on and go with Callahan. They are hoping he can rebuild the franchise after Tennessee finished last in the AFC South with an 6-11 record, but fans will have to wait until next fall to see how the new look of the Titans pans out.
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