One of the best things about the Tennessee Titans hiring head coach Brian Callahan was him bringing his dad and esteemed offensive line coach, Bill Callahan, with him.
During the introductory press conference for his offensive and defensive coordinators on Wednesday afternoon, Callahan touched on the process of bringing his father with him from the Cleveland Browns.
“There was a complicated process because it wasn’t something that I had anticipated him, in the moment, that that’s what he wanted to do,” Callahan said. “I wasn’t sure he would be contractually allowed to and it was a process that we had to work through with the Browns’ organization and thankfully 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.”
Callahan said he and his dad drive to work together every day and added how big it is to have someone with the experience Bill has on the coaching staff.
“It’s been really fun to drive to work with him every day and do those things,” Callahan said. “It’s not something I ever thought would work, truthfully, so to be here with him is a really awesome moment for me, both as a son and as a professional because I know how much he can help us with his knowledge.”
As you’d expect, an interview wasn’t really necessary between father and son. Callahan noted that Bill was very much up for joining him in Nashville.
“There really wasn’t an interview process,” he said. “It was more he made the decision he wanted to come here to Tennessee and we went about trying to make it work.”
On top of being a great offensive line coach, Bill adds an experienced voice in the room and understands what his son is going through thanks to his own years as a head coach, both in college and the pros.
But Callahan says his dad doesn’t overstep his boundaries and knows when to chime in.
“It’s been really normal,” Callahan said. “He’s very understanding of what it means sit in the chair that I sit in every day, having done it himself. He knows when advice is welcome, he knows when he probably should leave me alone. I know when I should leave him alone, on the flip side. But it’s just been really fun for us.”
Callahan then shared a cool moment that happened late at the office one night when they were discussing ideas about a particular topic.
“He came in the office the other day — it was probably about 9 o’clock — and we were kind of finishing some stuff up and I’m sitting there throwing a softball back and forth as we’re talking about some different ideas for something.
“So, just to have that experience has been really cool and he just wants to be able to help me and to help this organization win and that part has been really fun. It’s been a really cool experience for me.”
