One of the biggest issues Tennessee Titans fans and media had with the Todd Downing-led offense in 2022 was the fact that it ignored the team’s best playmakers far too often.
When I say best playmakers, I am of course talking about wide receiver Treylon Burks and tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, the only two pass-catchers to show any semblance of life in what was a putrid pass attack.
However, they simply weren’t given enough opportunities.
Granted, Burks did miss six games due to injury, but in the 11 he played he only saw 4.9 targets and 3.3 receptions per game, which is astounding when you consider how badly Tennessee needed help.
It might have been even worse for Okonkwo, who was even more impressive than Burks when the ball was in his hands.
Chig saw just 2.7 targets and 1.8 receptions per contest, mostly because Downing apparently didn’t know he existed over the first seven games, a span that saw Okonkwo get just eight targets, five of which were caught.
Thankfully, Chig and Burks both saw more action as the season progressed, but again I stress how that wasn’t enough given the struggles of Tennessee’s offense through the air.
Knowing that and everything else that went wrong, it was no surprise to see the Titans make significant changes on the offensive side of the ball, with Tennessee hiring a new offensive coordinator, among other moves.
One of those other moves was the hiring of passing-game coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Charles London, who recently revealed his “Pass Game Philosophy” at the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit.
Among his points of emphasis was a simple yet important one that is great news for the Titans’ offense: “F.T.S.” or “Feed The Studs.”
“‘F.T.S’ …. ‘Feed The Studs’ …. Get the ball to your best players,” London’s presentation slide read, per Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.
#NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit with #Titans passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Charles London 'Make the defense defend every blade of grass on the field' and 'FTS Feed the Studs,' meaning get the football in the hands of your best skill players @KPRC2 @PrioritySports pic.twitter.com/4v4x9JpLrx
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 22, 2023
Because you might need a magnifying glass to read it from the pictures above, I’ve gone ahead and listed each of the bullet points from London’s presentation below, along with some thoughts on some of them.
All in all, you’re going to like what you read from London’s presentation.
Bullet Point No. 1
“Use stacks and bunches to get free releases and create leverage to help your players win the route.”
One of Tennessee’s issues last season was separation. Hopefully the players themselves can improve in this area, but it’s nice to know London understands the team can do things to help get their guys open, also.
Bullet Point No. 2
“Use shifts and motions to make the defense communicate.”
The Titans used motion 54.7 percent of the time in 2022, which ranked in the top half of the league. However, the team only used motion at the snap 10.3 percent of the time, one of the lowest rates in the NFL. I’d expect to see more motion with London and Co. at the helm in 2023.
I think relevant in light of those Chiefs Super Bowl touchdowns: motion at the snap and overall motion rates for every team this year, postseason included.
Data via @ESPNStatsInfo video tracking team. pic.twitter.com/A8F0eru093
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) February 13, 2023
Bullet Point No. 3
“Vs. zone coverage stress the defense with proper spacing on route concepts.”
I won’t get into the nuts and bolts of this one other than to say spacing between pass-catchers was a major issue under Downing.
Bullet Point No. 4
“Vs. man create separation… You can do this by running routes with ‘edges.'”
Bullet Point No. 5
“The QB must trust you are going to be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there!”
Bullet Point No. 6
“Trust builds confidence and belief… Between QB & receiver.”
Bullet Point No. 7
“Build a passing game that maximizes the talent, ability, and potential of each player on your offense.”
This would’ve been helpful for Malik Willis, who the Titans simply didn’t run enough when he was on the field last year. Granted, you want your young quarterback to learn how to throw and whatnot, but the Titans could’ve helped their quarterback out with more designed runs and rollouts.
Bullet Point No. 8
“Must be brilliant in the basics (alignment/assignment/technique).”
Bullet Point No. 9
“Structure formations to help give the QB the answers to the test.”
Bullet Point No. 10
“Spread the field horizontally and vertically using different formations and alignments.”
Tennessee had a miserable time trying to stretch the field in 2022, both due to a horrible offensive line that simply didn’t allow the time to do so and a lack of playmakers overall.
Bullet Point No. 11
“Be multiple in your personnel groupings to exploit mismatches.”
Bullet Point No. 12
“‘F.T.S’…. ‘Feed The Studs’… Get the ball to your best players.”
If London and the Titans stick to this philosophy, buckle up for a big season from both Burks and Chig.
