Titans head coach Brian Callahan went on a good old-fashioned podium rant.
With Tennessee in the middle of a disappointing 3-11 season, Callahan was asked by a reporter during media availability on Wednesday about the perception that his team is mentally and physically “soft.”
That did not sit well with the bench boss.
“I mean, you really want to get me going today?” Callahan said. “Yeah, I think to be honest with you, I think that’s complete and total bulls–t if you want my honest opinion. These guys are tough f–kers, man, they go after it every day. They play hard as hell, and at no point have we ever put on tape at any point this season that this is a soft football team. I can’t even wrap my mind around how that would even be a conversation. I mean, just because we don’t win games doesn’t mean we’re soft.
“These guys play their ass off, they play hard, they play physical. You can ask any team that plays against us that when they come off the field, they know they played us. Yeah, that makes me relatively angry that that would be some presumption. That means you just don’t watch the s–t. You don’t know what you’re talking about, you don’t know what you’re looking at. So, I’m not going to stand for anybody calling this football team soft. I think that’s bulls–t.
“So if there are opinions out there that feel that way, then they don’t know anything about NFL football.”
Callahan replaced Mike Vrabel this season after serving as offensive coordinator of the Bengals for the previous five years.
The team started the year 0-3 and has not really recovered, as it sits in the AFC South basement.
The Titans announced Wednesday that they are benching starting quarterback Will Levis in favor of veteran Mason Rudolph.
After a brief pause during his press conference, Callahan proceeded with his rant.
“You’re gonna really get me going now. I mean these guys come out here and they do everything possible to win games. And if there’s any assumption anywhere that’s outside of this building — again, we don’t focus on all those things, but there’s no possible explanation to say that this team is soft [in] any way, shape or form, mentally or physically,” Callahan added.
“And the way that they go about their work, it’s insulting to me, to them, to everyone that works here. … No chance ever in hell would I ever admit that to be the case, and neither would anybody in this locker room. So you can kind of shove that one right up your ass to be honest.”
They’ll get a chance to get back in the win column on Sunday against the 6-8 Colts.
