NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As the Titans finalized Brian Callahan's deal to be their head coach, they also finalized the structure of their football operation.
And it completely empowers Ran Carthon, who they announced is promoted to executive vice president on top of his general manager title.
That gives him power over all areas that impact the football team: roster control, team activities and personnel decisions including draft and free agency acquisitions, oversight of Callahan and his coaching staff, scouting, sports medicine, and player engagement.
He's running the show.
“Over the past year, Ran has impressed me and our staff with his innovative approach to roster building,” Adams Strunk said in a statement. “Ran’s exceptional reputation around the league as a talent evaluator and culture builder was a clear competitive advantage during last year’s free agency and draft process, as well as our recent search for a head coach.
"Simply put, Ran Carthon makes the Tennessee Titans a destination for the league’s top talent. By expanding his role to include full roster control and oversight of the coaching staff, our organization will now benefit more completely from Ran’s unique ability to build and lead a championship-caliber football team.”
This seems like another overreaction by Strunk.
What makes a team a destination for top talent is almost always the size of the contract. Top players don't take free-agent visits and get wooed anymore. Carthon will have a chance to make an impression, sure, but not a giant one. He'll continue to build a reputation over time with agents that can help.
The coach and the locker room are generally a much bigger draw for a player than a GM.
Maybe there was a ton of stuff behind the scenes that the Titans kept secret. Outwardly, there were few indications from last year's roster building that Carthon had a competitive advantage, did anything innovative or was especially attractive to top talent.
The only big-time player who joined the Titans was DeAndre Hopkins. While Carthon may have helped the cause, it appeared Hopkins' connection with Mike Vrabel and Tim Kelly from time together with the Houston Texans was the lure. A lack of interest from other teams also helped.
The Titans may have beaten other suitors for Azeez Al-Shaair. Carthon knew him personally from their work together in San Francisco. Al-Shaair was a good, hardly great player. Arden Key, Daniel Brunskill, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Chris Moore and Trevon Wesco were all brought in under limited cap circumstances but each showed a significant limitation.
And Andre Dillard was a complete disaster.
It's hardly a free-agent class to be celebrated as a Titans' victory and a flex of Carthon's magnetism.
The team owes us nothing in terms of transparency. But if it could illustrate the sort of things Strunk is talking about moving forward, it sure would help fans better understand the rationale for Carthon's rise better.
It's my understanding that while he's overseeing the staff, he will allow Callahan to build it and not dictate it.
While Cathon has roster control, Callahan will have the ability to select the game-day roster he needs to execute his game plan.
Callahan was clearly fine with all these structural elements, as he wanted this job and didn't move forward with chances to go interview in Atlanta and Carolina.
The Titans also promoted Chad Brinker to president of football operations, a new role.
Brinker will provide executive leadership and support for the entire football side. His day-to-day responsibilities will include direct oversight of the football departments that address salary cap management; analytics and strategy; communications and information systems; and team operations including security, video, equipment, and grounds.
The team said Brinker will also continue to provide scouting evaluations of top talent in both college and the NFL.
“This is not my father’s NFL,” Adams Strunk said. “As our league continues to evolve in areas like analytics, sports science, and technology, football organizations have become more complex and multifaceted. I want our football operation to be at the forefront of the NFL as teams continue to find new competitive advantages.
"In this new role, Chad will blend his executive experience with his strengths in football and scouting to ensure our football operation continues to innovate and grow as new opportunities emerge. Chad’s oversight of these areas will allow Ran to focus his full attention and energy on building and leading a championship football team.”
I've consistently heard good things about Brinker. Like Carthon, we've not been allowed to get to know him. I hope we will in the new setup.
Brinker will report to Strunk, which seems odd given the amount of power being given to Carthon.
You are not authorised to post comments.