"That's a legitimately fireable offense": Brian Callahan grilled by fans after admitting to not knowing NFL catch rules following Titans' loss

Brian Callahan and the Tennessee Titans had a rough start to their 2025 season. With Cam Ward making his NFL debut in Week 1, the Titans played their first game against the Denver Broncos, and it wasn't pretty, with Denver winning 20-12.

The game was close, with the Titans' defense making good plays throughout the game. But one crucial play caught the attention of fans. Elic Ayomanor made a deep catch midway through the third quarter, with the score just 13-12 for Denver, and he was ruled out of bounds.

However, Ayomanor fell with his elbow to the ground, despite not setting both feet in. As a result, had head coach Brian Callahan challenged the play, it would've been reversed to a completion. He chose not to, and said during the press conference that he was unsure whether it was a valid catch or not.

NFL fans absolutely crushed the head coach for not knowing the rule, especially one that's primary even for NFL fans. Such a crucial play could've made the difference in a close game, with the score favoring the Broncos by just one point.

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"IMO that's a legitimately fireable offense", said one fan.

"Callahan said this offseason that he would do everything he could to make Cam Ward uncomfortable… It was foolish to assume that would end once we got to the regular season", a fan wrote ironically.

"Remember when Amy fired Ran and said he “wasn’t ready” for this opportunity when hired… feels like we’re headed toward the same outcome", a third fan referenced about their former general manager's firing.

Brian Callahan's record as a head coach puts him at risk of losing his job

Callahan joined the franchise in 2024 after five years as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. However, his record has been atrocious ever since: after the loss to the Broncos, he's currently 3-15.

The Titans used the first overall pick on Cam Ward with hopes of Callahan developing him as their franchise quarterback. Another season with a struggling team and a bad record could lead the franchise to look for another head coach.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More

Titans Fans! Check out the latest Tennessee Titans Schedule and dive into the Titans Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Henrique Bulio