Coming off a 3-win season, Brian Callahan knows his Tennessee Titans must show it on the field before anyone has faith that they can swiftly turn things around.
At Monday's press conference ahead of Week 1 against the favored Denver Broncos, Callahan repeatedly described his team as being in "prove-it" mode.
"We are in prove-it mode," Callahan said.
"We've got to go prove it, we're going to find out," he later added.
Proving the Titans are no longer AFC South doormats starts with getting No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward ready from Day 1. Rookie quarterbacks have sparked rapid turnarounds before -- Jayden Daniels led the Commanders from four to 12 wins, and C.J. Stroud helped Houston go from three wins to back-to-back division championships.
Callahan was hired in Tennessee in part due to his work with a young Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. The coach was in his second year as an offensive coordinator with the Bengals when they selected the LSU product with the top pick. In his second year with the Titans, Callahan is hoping to strike gold again.
Without comparing Burrow's situation to Ward's, Callahan said the key for any rookie quarterback is an offense designed to help him succeed.
"It comes down to finding the things that the quarterback is comfortable running, then we can play fast and play with confidence," Callahan said. "Most of that has to do with the banked reps over the course of the offseason and training camp. That's the biggest thing, we're just trying to put him in a position to be as successful as possible in his first week. A lot of that is going to have to do with just doing the things he knows and knows well and operate in a system. Try to keep it -- as far as a volume perspective goes -- something manageable. Where he feels confident and we have enough ammunition, for lack of a better term, but still be able to have a grasp of all of it and be able to execute when he needs to.
"So that's the biggest key for a young quarterback is that particular process, whether it was Joe in 2020 or Cam here to open the season in '25, I think that process remained pretty similar."
In his pro debut, Burrow passed for 193 yards and an interception in a 16-13 loss to the Chargers. He then rattled off three straight 300-yard passing games in which he threw for six touchdowns and one interception. While the Bengals went 1-1-1 over those tilts, the QB's play foretold an eventual turnaround. Burrow's rookie season was cut short due to a November injury, but the groundwork was laid.
On Sunday in Denver, the focus will be on Ward's first NFL appearance and how he operates the Titans' offense. With a revamped offensive line and a growing connection with Calvin Ridley, much of the Titans' potential progress will be determined by how quickly Ward adjusts and elevates the unit compared to Callahan's first season.
"Certainly, we've got some unproven players, we've got some young players that haven't done it yet," he said. "But I like where those guys are at. And anyone that's up on gameday, we're using. They're all going to have roles. We're going to make sure they're in the right spots to have success. We're a team that's in prove-it mode right now and all the things we feel good about, we're going to have to go do and show it on game day."
Winning in Denver, where the Broncos are considered playoff contenders, is a tough task. Still, as with Burrow's first year, Ward's performance will offer the best proof of the Titans' trajectory -- beyond just wins and losses.
