NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 10: Detail view of Tennessee Titans logo flag during the first half of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Nissan Stadium on November 10, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeats Kansas City 35-32. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Dennard Wilson, Handed the Keys to Titans Defense, Promises to Attack
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan clarified Wednesday why he chose Dennard Wilson as his defensive coordinator. “I wanted the best defensive coach I could find and I believe we did with Dennard,” Callahan said during a press conference to introduce the Titans’ new defensive and offensive coordinators, Wilson and Nick Holz. As he explained when he was hired as Tennessee head coach, Callahan will call plays on offense — an atypical
relationship between NFL coach and coordinator, but one that Callahan worked as a coordinator under Zac Taylor in Cincinnati. But the keys to the Titans defense, Callahan made clear Wednesday, belong to Wilson. “Dennard will have the autonomy to run the defense how he sees fit,” Callahan said. “As the head coach, my job is always to oversee that process, help him where he could need help, for him to lean on me when he has questions about what an offense is doing. “At the end of the day, the expectation is that Dennard’s got control of the defense, and I’ll be there as a resource and an asset when he needs it. But I wanted a guy who could command the defense, command the room for sure, and I think I found that.” Wilson didn’t get into what type of scheme the Titans will run on defense, but he did speak to the mentality he wants.
“Football, it’s not about the scheme, it’s about the players,” Wilson said. “So we have to figure out what they do well, and we’ll put the scheme around them to allow their talents to flourish. “I can tell you this about the scheme and I learned this a long time ago. Gen. George Patton said this: Nobody ever defended anything successfully. You are going to attack, and attack some more.” Wilson sounded like a man in charge. “We are going to talk about effort and
how we play. We are going to talk about having obnoxious communication. We are going to talk about brotherhood, playing as one. A team that fails to connect is a team that fails to win. So, the connection and how we play, communicate, and jell will allow the defense to come to life. Because when they believe in one another and trust in one another to execute their assignment and play at a high level, you get outstanding, violent defenses.” Wilson has coached great ones, particularly in the past two years.
