Let’s face it – every day we are routinely bombarded with questions. When you’re an emerging media company in Nashville, people just want to know what your opinions are on everything. It’s only natural. And, since our duty is to serve the people, well, we have no choice but to be present. That’s the SoBro Way. Also, aren’t mailbags just a barrel of laughs anyway? Welcome to the newest weekly recurring feature up in this bitch: The SoBros Mailbag. As always, hit us with those mailbag questions @SoBrosNetwork on Twitter, email ’em to me anonymously at thesobrosnetwork@gmail.com. And, holy shit, I need to update this terrible intro paragraph that I’ve been using literally ever since I started writing this column…
Question:
Should the titans be on the phone with drew allers agent asking him to declare?
— Parker (@Parker5425) January 9, 2025
Answer:
Parker, I am so fucking glad I waited until after the Notre Dame game to answer this question…
Question:
What would a trade for JJ McCarthy cost? McCarthy is younger than both Shedeur and Ward plus has a year learning under Kevin O'Connell. Would you trade the #1 pick to land McCarthy?
— Teddy (@TeddyyBrooks) January 9, 2025
Answer:
Man, this is such a spicy question. For one, I think there’s probably a good chance McCarthy is on the trade block. I don’t know that there’s any real sense of urgency to move him, but I also don’t think he’s going to be the guy for the Vikings moving forward. Sam Darnold has been fantastic in Minnesota this season. So, they could add picks if they opt to pay Darnold and trade McCarthy. But, there are clearly layers to this thing.
A first round pick seems steep to pay for a guy who’s never played a down in the NFL. But, that’s what it cost for Minnesota to get him in the first place! And, if you factor in the shortage of bona fide blue chip players in this year’s class, you might be more inclined to spend a first rounder to get him. I’m not opposed to the idea of McCarthy playing for the Titans, but I don’t think he’s worth passing off the #1 overall pick.
Question:
What did you get at Federici’s?
— The General (@mac9nj) January 9, 2025
Answer:
That shrimp alfredo *chef’s kiss* – also a salad so I could get that house dressing, and I had a piece of that famous pizza too.
Question:
Whats the worse thing that could happen to Titans fans, next? Not Re-signing NWI, The Titans announcing the doll houses are going into the new stadium, or What? How can it get worse? Ride with the Mayoman again? This week has suuuucckkkeeeddd…..
— Kablarnage (@Kablarnage) January 9, 2025
Answer:
Asteroid strike wipes out the entire city of Nashville and we all die.
Question:
Is there anything about the Brinker era that excites you? Also how you prepping for winter storms?
— eddie (@wondernomma) January 9, 2025
Answer:
Absolutely, Eddie! If we’re secretly going to get more of the same since this year’s philosophy sounds just like last year’s philosophy, then I’m cool with it. I seem to be in the minority here, but I think this last offseason cycle was fairly successful. So, more of that, please!
Also, if the facts of this situation were truly that Ran wasn’t good at his job, then moving on absolutely was the right decision. So, maybe there’s a timeline where they really are in lockstep moving forward after acknowledging that they made a mistake.
Question:
Was the Titans firing of Mike Vrabel a big mistake?
— Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 🌴 (@MrEd315) January 9, 2025
Answer:
Another thing I seem to be in the minority on here, Ed. I don’t think it was a big mistake. I think we saw what Mike Vrabel is – good with good players, bad with bad players. The tough guy shtick seemed to wear thin with the locker room once they started losing games, and he couldn’t quite overcome that.
That said, I think he’s probably the best coach the Titans have ever had. Sometimes, things just don’t work out.
Question:
What organism would you consider “Nature’s A student”?
— Eldon English (shrike113) (@shrike4113) January 9, 2025
If there was any Yankee candle that you could make “edible”, which would it be (must be non-food titled, because those edible versions already exist)?
If Callahan gets fired in 2025, does Brinker go with him? Or wait til 26
Answer:
- Bigfoot
- Farmer’s Market – man, that thing has the perfect blend of fresh and sweet to it. I could eat it up.
- From what I have been told, they’ve “positioned themselves for a reset in 2026.” If one goes, I believe they both go…and then the new football czar can take over!
Question:
What gives you hope in Callahan being a good head coach completely outside of offensive scheme and the team “not giving up”?
— Eldon English (shrike113) (@shrike4113) January 9, 2025
Answer:
Well, I do think offensive scheme and a team playing hard for its coach are both critical indicators of potential success in a head coach. Like, those are both important things we shouldn’t discount! But, in addition to those things – I like the autonomy he’s given to Dennard Wilson to run his defense. I know he talked about spending more time with the defense in a presser this week as a way that he could improve, but I like that he doesn’t meddle. I’ve been critical of Wilson this season, but I have to remind myself that he’s a first time play-caller as well and injuries ravaged the defensive side of the ball. When everyone was healthy and that unit was locked in, Callahan was smart to step aside and let Wilson do his thing.
I think he knocked his assistants out of the park. I love the resumés of his coaching staff. He holds players accountable for their performance and doesn’t drag out benchings the way the previous regime did. If you’re not cutting it, you’re out of the game and they’ll try someone else. He’s also a sharp guy that provides sound reasoning for his decisions in transparent moments with the media. He doesn’t strike me as the type of guy that you ever wonder where you stand with. That helps build some of that trust.
I think he also has a humble desire to improve – he’s welcoming of criticism, and isn’t afraid to do whatever it takes to make the team better (he acknowledged potentially giving up play-calling duties, though I agree with his assessment that we ain’t there yet). That showed up when they ran the ball in the red zone effectively a week after they threw the ball four straight times from the two or whatever. That’s flexibility – I don’t see Callahan as a rigid guy and adaptability is key in his role. These traits rub off on players and help foster that attitude of “not giving up.”
I also think he’s way more willing to tinker around and try new things to help tailor his system to a player’s strength than he’s given credit for. People keep saying he should’ve designed his offense in a way that more closely aligned with Will Levis’ strengths. Well…he tried to. He began to sprinkle in more of the play action stuff that Levis showed some promise with last season. He threw in some RPO stuff every once in awhile. And, it didn’t really work. He was open and willing to throw shit at the wall to see what would stick. He has a strong desire to win.
He’s not without criticism, sure. I do think some of his 4th down decisions reflect a lack of faith in his offense to execute, but it’s hard to coach scared and see success in this league. I appreciate a coach that calls plays based on defensive match-ups, but sometimes, I just want to see ’em make a defense stop ’em. If you’re running the ball at will, don’t stop just because you see a certain look. But, I do think he showed a propensity for getting better at those things down the stretch. I also wonder if maybe his initial evaluation of Levis was off – I’d be curious to know what he truly thought about the quarterback room in Tennessee, and if there was a particular moment this season (or offseason) that served as the light bulb going off.
Bottom line – he’s a sharp guy with a wealth of NFL experience who understands what it takes to win in this league. While he had his moments that looked like a rookie head coach struggling to find his footing, he proved to me that he can overcome those things. He has a deep bag as a play designer, and his offense is striving for something truly unique – it’s a timing, progression-based passing game with a primarily gap scheme run game. When I watch this offense, I see sprinkles of Bengals, of Browns, of 49ers, and of Lions. He may not show fire in press conferences, but I do believe he shows a different side when the cameras aren’t around. This is a good football mind that could benefit from some real patience. If he’s given time to implement a system here and the roster can improve with each season, he could have something going.
Keep the questions coming – catch y’all next week!
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, third on Football & Other F Words, co-host of The Hot Read Podcast, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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