"Coaching malpractice," "Absolute moron": Brian Callahan torched by fans for "atrocious" game management in Cam Ward's debut vs. Broncos

Second-year head coach Brian Callahan is off to a rough start in his second campaign leading the Tennessee Titans. They drafted Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, lifting their expectations for the 2025 season, although they are still far away from contending.

Callahan was under fire during the season opener against the Denver Broncos, as the offense struggled to move the ball late in the first half. After two incomplete passes and a sack, the Titans punted the ball after a minus-6-yard, 20-second play that gave the ball to Bo Nix, who found Courtland Sutton for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 10-6 lead.

Many fans were upset over Callahan's clock management, which led to the Broncos scoring in the final seconds of the half.

"That is 100% on Callahan. Free 7 points due to coaching malpractice. Stupid stupid football," one fan said.

Mike Herndon

@MikeHerndonSk1

That is 100% on Callahan. Free 7 points due to coaching malpractice. Stupid stupid football.

More fans joined in to rip Callahan's decision-making.

"Brian Callahan is an absolute moron. All the excitement of Cam Ward and it took one half of football to remind me why I didn’t watch a titans game last year. Absolute joke of an organization," one fan said.

Trey Vaughn 🍊

@CaptainVol

Brian Callahan is an absolute moron. All the excitement of Cam Ward and it took one half of football to remind me why I didn’t watch a titans game last year. Absolute joke of an organization.

"Brian Callahan is the worst coach in football," another fan said.

Tim Cooper

@Tim_Coop

Brian Callahan is the worst coach in football #Titans

"Brian Callahan is the worst situational play caller in the history of football," another fan said.

Collin Russell

@CollinRussell_

Brian Callahan is the worst situational play caller in the history of football

Callahan's decisions upset plenty of people, as criticism didn't stop coming his way.

"Brian Callahan is inexcusably atrocious. I wanted to pull for him. I hoped he would take a step forward. Hes gone backwards," one fan wrote.

"Brian Callahan has got to stop calling plays like Will Levis is still his quarterback," another fan wrote.

"That was an inexcusable end-of-half sequence for Brian Callahan. Three straight pass plays where it looked like no one on offense knew what they were doing. Leads directly to Denver starting their next drive in plus territory," another fan wrote.

Brian Callahan praised Cam Ward ahead of 2025 season

Cam Ward didn't have the best preseason with the Tennessee Titans, which raised many eyebrows around the league. After he struggled to get things going for the second consecutive game, going 2-of-7 for 42 yards against the Atlanta Falcons in mid-August, Callahan praised him.

Titans reporter Jim Wyatt shared that Callahan thought Ward "had handled operation well" despite his struggles on the field.

The Titans aren't a candidate to win the AFC South yet, but fans are noticing they aren't showing improvements compared to last season.