In a few succinct words, Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, encapsulated all the attributes that the Tennessee Titans have stated they are seeking in a new head coach.
When questioned last week about how he become one of the NFL’s most sought-after head coaching prospects, Glenn replied, “Man, there are a lot of ways that I’ve grown and it’s too much to actually sit here and talk about.” But knowing how to communicate with your owner and work together with the general manager. Furthermore, knowing how to connect with your players—which is not at all problematic for me—is crucial.
According to reports, the Titans have asked to speak with both Glenn and Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Lions, for the head coaching position—two fairly common requests. The Carolina Panthers asked to talk with Johnson, and the Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, and Washington Commanders reportedly requested to interview with both candidates.
The Lions have emerged with one of the league’s most envied infrastructures after serving as one of the NFL’s most handy punchlines for fifty years. With a 12-5 record, coach Dan Campbell’s team won its first division championship since 1993 and its first postseason victory since 1992.
The Lions have completely turned things around in just two years after finishing 3-13-1, their 17th losing season in 21 years, thanks to an organisational culture that echoes the wishes of Titans majority owner Amy Adams Strunk. The Lions have achieved something the team has never accomplished by riding their philosophy of philosophical alignment and collaboration between ownership, coaches, personnel staff, and players above all else.
“We work it out. We work it out. About what makes his collaboration with Lions general manager Brad Holmes and owner Sheila Ford Hamp successful, Campbell stated in August, “We always do.” “And we are either happy together or not at all happy.”
What makes Aaron Glenn, Ben Johnson desirable
It is understandable why Johnson is in such high demand. This season, the Lions averaged 394.8 yards per game, which was the third-highest in the NFL, and scored 27.1 points per game, which was the fifth-highest in the league. In terms of scoring, yards per play and game, rush yards per play and game, and pass yards per play and game, they were among the top five in the league. The San Francisco 49ers were the only other club in 2023 to be able to make that claim.
David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, the running backs for the Lions, combined for 1,960 yards and 23 touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown, a receiver, ranked fourth in receiving touchdowns and third in receiving yards and receptions in the NFL. The offensive line was ranked as the second-best run blocking unit and the 10th-best pass blocking unit in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
And then there’s quarterback Jared Goff, who attributes his career comeback to both Johnson’s Xs and Os abilities and his attitude and manner.
“We have a very open communication and relationship, where I can come to him and vent and he can come to me and I can also go to him with ideas,” Goff stated to ESPN in September. He’s the concept person, of course, but he’ll listen to whatever I have that I think will work. He listens really well.
Glenn’s credentials are a little more difficult to measure. This season, the Lions finished 19th in total defence and 23rd in scoring defence. Aidan Hutchinson, the defensive end, is developing, but the team lacks many obvious stars.
Rather, Glenn’s leadership abilities are highly valued. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a defensive back who rejoined Glenn in Detroit this season after playing for him as the secondary coach in New Orleans, said he views Glenn as a father figure and would consult with him even if he wasn’t his coach.
In a recent NFLPA poll, Glenn’s players voted him the best defensive coordinator in the NFL, indicating that they think more highly of him than any other team’s defensive coordinator.
His 15 seasons of NFL experience help here.
The Tennessean was informed by Middle Tennessee defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, who served as Glenn’s position coach with the Houston Texans from 2002 to 2003, that “with the young players, he was very father-like to them, big brother-like.” “He would advise the young DBs, ‘OK, put your outside foot up,’ if he noticed that they weren’t performing the drill correctly.
“He was very detailed, and he was detailed when he was helping out those young guys. He wasn’t worried about anybody taking his job as much as making the group better by making the young guys know what to do and know how to do it.”
Stewart points to one game as proof of Glenn’s knack for preparation. On Dec. 8, 2002, the Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers despite being outgained 422 yards to 47. Glenn returned two interceptions for 70- and 65-yard scores, each after he jumped in front of slant routes intended for star receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress was eight inches and 47 pounds bigger than Glenn, but Glenn didn’t have to out-muscle him because he knew Burress’ tendencies well enough to skip in front of slant routes at the perfect time.
What the Tennessee Titans are looking for
There isn’t one through-line connecting the Titans’ 10 confirmed and reported candidates. Six have offensive backgrounds. Seven — including all of the offensive candidates — are in their 30s, while three of the four defensive candidates are 45 or older. There’s one candidate who has worked for Sean McVay, one who has worked for Kyle Shanahan and one who has worked for Andy Reid. No one has ever worked for the Titans, discounting Mike Kafka’s seven-day stint on the Titans’ practice squad in 2015.
Clearly the Titans aren’t limiting their search to one on-field philosophy or scheme. But Adams Strunk’s credo of looking for an “aligned and collaborative team across all football functions,” and GM Ran Carthon’s pledge to always communicate and cooperate with coaches to acquire the players they want sound an awful lot like messaging from Campbell, Holmes, Hamp, Glenn and Johnson.
The NFL has taken notice. Even New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was preaching the virtues of collaboration in the days after parting ways with Bill Belichick, a coach who wasn’t exactly known for kowtowing to someone else’s vision.
Now the question is if the Titans value these traits enough to beat out the myriad other bidders competing to bring Johnson, Glenn and the Lions way to the franchise.
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