INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Two days after the Indianapolis Colts left Nissan Stadium with a 41-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans, a major change is coming to the host's coaching staff.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan announced to reporters on Tuesday that he would be relinquishing offensive play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree.
"A lot of things you self-reflect on with the start that we've had so far, and things we have to get better at, and one of the things that I think will help our football team, help me be a better head coach for our team, is I am going to hand over the play-calling to Bo," Callahan said, via the team's official website. "Bo has had some experience calling (plays), he's been with a rookie quarterback before, and that part will make it a little bit seamless in that regard.
"The other part of it is our offensive staff, and our game-planning process and system, is going to remain in place. It is still a collaborative process, and we rely on everybody to do their part."
The Titans have begun the season with an 0-3 record as they enter a three-game stretch on the road. Offensively, they rank 31st in yards (222.3 YPG) and 28th in scoring (17.0 PPG), and have surrendered the most sacks (15). Neither the passing nor the running game has found an identity yet, as they rank 32nd (133.7 YPG) and 28th (88.7 YPG) in those areas, respectively.
This move, according to Callahan, is a way to demonstrate accountability and to give him more flexibility throughout the week to focus on the team as a whole.
"One of the things I told the team, and told our players, after our game (vs the Colts) is: Everyone owns a mirror, right? We can all look at it and see where we can be better and what can help us be better," Callahan said. "I think this is one of the best things for us at the moment, to help me do a better job as a head coach and be more present and available for the football team, and less involved in just the day-to-day minutia of getting ready to call a game. I think it is going to be positive for us, I think it will help."
The move to make Hardegree the play-caller is logical, as Callahan referenced his previous experience, but also as rookie quarterback Cam Ward's position coach, will likely have the best feel for what to do with him.
The Colts and Titans will face off again in Week 8 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.