NASHVILLE – Titans coach Brian Callahan spoke to reporters before Wednesday's practice.
The team is scheduled to practice from 1:05 p.m.-2:30 p.m. today to prepare for Sunday's game vs the Chicago Bears.
Here's what Callahan, aka "Cally", said:
-Receiver DeAndre Hopkins and other players who've missed time with injuries are expected to be at practice today, "but we'll see how much they'll do, see where they're at." Callahan didn't give any indication about the chances of Hopkins being available for the game in Chicago, but he did say he's been great about communicating how he feels and getting himself ready to play.
-When the Titans elected five captains (Will Levis, Jeffery Simmons, Lloyd Cushenberry, Kenneth Murray and Morgan Cox), receiver Calvin Ridley was sixth in the voting process. Ridley will be a game day captain for Sunday's game vs the Bears. Callahan said the team plans to rotate the sixth captain spot each week. Callahan said the team has good leadership, with numerous players who've been captains in the past.
-Callahan was born in Champaign, Illinois, and his father, Bill, was born in Chicago. The Callahans still have family in the area. It makes this weekend's return trip even more special. "My aunt and uncle live there, both my uncles – my dad's brothers before they passed – they both live there. My grandmother lived there," Callahan said. "They were a tried-and-true Chicago family. My dad is from the south side, my mom is from the north side – they are all Chicago. I grew up a Bears fan. The teams I watched were Chicago sports teams – Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls fan. ... I spent a ton of time in Chicago as a kid. It's a phenomenal city, it's a great place, and it's a great sports town on top of it. A cool moment to be able to go open up my head coaching career in Chicago. Fitting." Callahan, by the way, said his father is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and he watches every game. Brian Callahan said he went to White Sox games as a kid at old Comiskey Park.
-Callahan said he's expecting YAC (Yards After Catch) to be a big part of the team's offense this season. "When guys get the ball in their hands in space," Callahan said, "the expectation is there is going to be someone there, and their job is to let their talent take over and make a guy miss or break a tackle – that's huge part of offense, to forced missed tackles."
-Callahan said quarterback Will Levis has made "significant" mechanical changes in his body (and technique), and how he moves it on the football field.
-Callahan stressed the importance of starting fast, and "it's my job to put an opening script of plays together that puts us in a position to do that, and it's (the players) job to go execute those things. Scoring first, starting fast, are all things you want to get off the ground as part of your DNA."
