New Tennessee Titans coordinator first in line for criticism if offense fails

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NASHVILLE – It’s a dream job.

Unless something – no, whatever – goes wrong, of course.

New Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing is likely the envy of his league peers as he takes over a unit that crushed much of the NFL in 2020, tied for second in yards per match and scored more points than all but three of the other teams. The Titans racked up over 30 points nine times in 16 games last year, setting franchise records for most net yards and most first downs along the way.

Were there any significant losses for the Titans during the offseason? Of course, everyone will recognize that tight end Jonnu Smith and wide receiver Corey Davis played a major role for the team in 2020, combining 106 catches, 1,432 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

But check out all the toys in Downing Park:

• There’s Derrick Henry, who last season was only the eighth in NFL history to run over 2,000 yards. Enough said.

• Then there’s quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who set a franchise record with a total of 40 assists and touchdowns last year. He has thrown 55 touchdown passes and only 13 interceptions since becoming the Titans starter.

• Did we mention the wide receiver side positions, which will be occupied by seven-time pro Bowler Julio Jones against AJ Brown, who exceeded 1,000 yards in his first two seasons?

• Just for good measure, the Titans are dismissing their entire veteran starting offensive line with the exception of right tackle Dennis Kelly. In fact, that punishing group is set to be even better in 2021, as Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan returns from a torn ACL that limited him to five games played in 2020.

There seems no reason to believe this Titans offense won’t be as prolific as it was in 2020, when it racked up 491 points, the second-highest total in franchise history.

But what if it isn’t? If the offense does not turn out well Sunday against Arizona – if the offense is just good instead of excellent – who will be to blame? Hint: It’s unlikely to be the players, given most of the returns from the highly successful squad over the last year. It probably won’t even be head coach Mike Vrabel, whose strong suit is defense.

It’s much more likely to be Downing, the man who replaced the offensive mastermind Arthur Smith, the Titans ‘offensive coordinator for two years who is now the Falcons’ head coach.

So, no pressure, Todd, as long as you meet very high expectations.

“There are going to be expectations, I understand that, but there are no higher expectations from anyone outside of this building than inside of this body,” Downing said. about his role. “I have high expectations of myself and will work hard to try to achieve what Coach Vrabel and Jon Robinson expect from this role.

“If I had to focus on the outside voices, I would be fooling everyone inside this building. I really try to focus on the day to day fulfillment of the role that they hired me for, and if I do it to the best of my ability, then I think that would be enough.

Lousy Oakland Experience

So what do we know about Downing, 41, who has coached six NFL franchises since 2005?

In wondering what kind of offensive coordinator he will be for the Titans, it’s only natural to look back on the one time Downing has held that rank in the past. Things didn’t go well for Downing in 2017, when he was the offensive coordinator for Oakland. The Raiders have fallen like a rock in several categories after a successful 2016, dropping from sixth to 17th offensive, seventh to 23rd for points and sixth to 25th for rushing yards. Quarterback Derek Carr threw just 22 touchdowns with 13 interceptions that year, posting an 86.4 rating that remains the second-worst of his career.

To be fair, the Raiders were a train wreck on the whole in 2017. Oakland’s defense was so bad that coordinator Ken Norton was fired in November, which preceded the sacking by a month. head coach Jack Del Rio and all his staff following a 6-10 season. However, it didn’t take long for Downing to get back on his feet, as he coached the tight ends of Minnesota the following year and then took the same position on Mike Vrabel’s staff from 2019 when Smith was promoted to offensive coordinator.

“I hope so,” said Downing, when asked if he had changed since the worst year as Oakland’s offensive coordinator. “I learned from my experiences.

“I think the first discussion I’ve ever had (with the Nashville media) is that I’m trying to learn from every day, from every experience that I have. I hope I’m a better version of myself today, not just as a coach, as a man, in all kinds of different ways than I was in 2017. “

The Whisperer Quarterback

We have to look at more than Downing’s only year as an offensive coordinator in order to get a full picture of him as a coach.

Specifically, he has found great success with quarterbacks over the years. In Downing’s two seasons as Detroit quarterbacks coach, Matt Stafford threw for 4,800 yards and 25 touchdowns. As Oakland quarterbacks coach in 2015 and 2016, Downing helped shape a young Carr’s career, guiding him to back-to-back Pro Bowls and winning the quarterback coach of the year award. Pro Football Focus in 2015.

Downing’s expertise at the most impactful position in the game hasn’t gone unnoticed by Titans quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill and Logan Woodside.

“I think Todd is more of a quarterback,” said Woodside, asking how Downing was different from Smith. “He’s coached quarterbacks for a long time so it’s definitely a good thing for me in the sense that he’s coached the position, coached a lot of good quarterbacks, gives me advice and sees it from a quarterback’s point of view. . I think it was great.

Tannehill added, “He’s a great spirit. I think we think of the game the same way and we get along personally. He has a good process for creating games and workouts, and on what we want to accomplish throughout the day.

A servant’s heart

Here’s another thing to know about Downing, or at least a professional distance-acquired impression: he doesn’t seem to have a massive ego. Asked about his success with quarterbacks, for example, Downing said he appreciated the compliment, but called himself a ‘work in progress’, continually learning and adapting to each quarterback’s different personality. .

“I try to stay as consistent as possible, so that I can relate to these guys regardless of their level,” said Downing. “I’m trying to have a servant’s heart in this role and find out how I can best help them be successful.”

While many new offensive coordinators feel the need to put a personal ‘stamp’ on their squad, Downing has said on more than one occasion that this is not his goal. He’s smart enough to understand what has worked well over the past two years under Smith, handy enough to realize it’s not an offense that needs to be reviewed.

“One thing I love about Todd is that he told us he was going to stick with who we are as an offense,” Lewan said. “You’ve had guys, whether it’s on this team in the past or in other franchises, and say, ‘That’s the offense I’m leading. That’s what we’re going to do.

“(Downing) sees the skills that we have and tries to adapt them to that. So we adopted Todd as our OC. We obviously miss Art because he’s a great guy, and we love him. I’m super glad he’s the head coach of the Falcons. But yeah, we love Todd.

Playing at a standard

What could possibly hijack Downing and what looks – on paper – to be a powerful Titans offense in 2021?

Maybe more than we could have imagined before training camp.

The wide receivers squad, for example, are teeming with talent, but have also been stung by injuries. Jones missed about three weeks of training camp, precious time on the pitch with a new quarterback – and a new team – who cannot be replaced. Brown trained and retired for a few weeks with a persistent knee problem. Josh Reynolds was limited by a foot injury. And Marcus Johnson will miss at least the first three games of the season in the injured reserve.

That veteran offensive line? Starting center Ben Jones and starting right-wing goaltender Nate Davis missed time due to injury and the COVID-19 virus. Lewan started out lightly at camp, then regained shape after reconstruction surgery. The starting right tackle point is theoretically still up for grabs, with David Quessenberry, Kendall Lamm and Ty Sambrailo all on the hunt.

The Titans have played very few offensive starters in the preseason. So, could this band seem a little rusty at first, still looking for continuity?

“The way we prepare and the expectations that we have here, the standard that we have here, I expect our guys to come out and play by that standard,” said Downing. “We’re not making room for a lead or a build-up or to remove rust. We expect our guys to come out and play hard, play physically, play hard and finish. “

High expectations from Downing. The same kind that will follow him in the season.

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