NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A day after Brian Callahan was fired, Titans' Mike McCoy stepped to the podium at Ascension St. Thomas Sports Park to address the media for the first time since he was named interim head coach Monday. He was disappointed in the dismissal of Callahan and where the team sits right now, but is excited for the opportunity to once again be a head coach.
McCoy joined the Titans staff as a senior offensive assistant in March, ready to help Callahan right the ship in year two. But after a 1-5 start to the season, Callahan is out, and it’s McCoy’s turn to try to lead the turnaround.
“It’s a tough situation for everybody,” McCoy said. “But with that being said, I have a job to do now, and I’m excited for that opportunity. It’s an honor and a privilege to be standing in front of you guys today and leading this organization.”
McCoy previously served as the Chargers head coach from 2013-16, compiling a 27-37 record. He led San Diego to the playoffs in his first season, winning a wild card game before losing in the divisional round.
He says he learned a lot during that experience, and the Titans hope that wisdom will pay off as he stresses togetherness and accountability to a young football team.
“What Mike brings right now is experience, leadership,” Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi said Monday. “He’s done it before. I’ve had respect for Mike for a long time. He played in the same division we did in Kansas City for a long time. So we have full confidence in Mike that he’s going to be able to steer the ship here.”
McCoy has directed three top 10 offenses either during his time as head coach of the Chargers or in six seasons as an offensive coordinator. He’s also worked with several successful quarterbacks over his 23-year coaching career, including Peyton Manning and Phillip Rivers, who had some of his best statistical seasons playing for McCoy. Jake Delhomme, Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow also had success working with him.
He also spent two seasons in Jacksonville as quarterbacks coach, working with Trevor Lawrence. He helped Lawrence become one of the youngest quarterbacks ever to throw for 10,000 yards as the Jaguars went on to win the AFC South and a wild card game in 2022.
Lawrence, like Cam Ward, was a No. 1 pick who went through a coaching change as a rookie. The Titans hope McCoy’s experience with Lawrence will help him unlock the potential in Ward after what has been a disappointing start to his career.
“That’s going to be our number one focus is how do we get Cam to be more efficient and have more success,” McCoy said. “But it’s not just him. There’s 10 other guys on the field with him that have to do their jobs better, too. So we all have to do our jobs better, coaching, playing, everybody. As a rookie, there’s going to be some bumps in the road. It doesn’t matter what position you’re going to play in this league, especially quarterback, the hardest position to play. So, there’s some really good things, and there’s some things that you want to say, what are we doing? But the number one focus has got to be, okay, how do we minimize the mistakes and get more of the good, more production. But that’s all 11 on offense working together and being more efficient.”
Titans President of Football Operations Chad Brinker said Monday that besides the development of Ward, he wants to see an improved offense overall and a football team playing complementary in all three phases. He noted it’s been a long time since we have seen a complete game from the team, which has now lost 19 of 23 games since the beginning of last season.
McCoy understands there is a lot of work that needs to be done, but he vows to do everything he can to help this team grow week to week for the rest of the season.
“With regards to our fan base, I understand the frustration,” McCoy said. “Our record’s what it is. But I promise you, we’re going to work our tails off every day we walk in this facility as a coaching staff, as players, to go out there and do whatever we can do to give us our best opportunity to win a football game. That’s what it’s all about. It’s about winning.”
