Another way Brian Callahan wants to approach the Titans totally different from Mike Vrabel

Starters playing in preseason games just did not happen under Vrabel’s tenure as head coach - especially if that player was a veteran. In 2023, Ryan Tannehill played all of one series during the preseason. He handed the ball off three times, Ryan Stonehouse punted it away, and Tannehill was done for the evening.

For Vrabel, it was always a health thing. It was a way of preemptively preventing injuries from happening before the regular season had even begun. Given the Titans injury history over the last few seasons, I can’t really say I blame him for taking that approach.

That being said, I’d argue that it’s essential for players to get a feeling for one another at game speed before playing in games that count.

Get your quarterback on the same page as his center and wide receivers. Get your defense communicating and operating as a unit. The facts are the facts: In the last four seasons, the Titans have not scored more than 20 points in the first game of the season.

I have long been a believer of playing starters in the preseason. It doesn’t have to be for an entire half. Maybe not even an entire quarter. But the Titans need to hit the ground running in Week 1 of 2024 and having everyone on the same page will help them do that. Brian Callahan seems to understand that.