Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan made a bold move on Monday afternoon, relieving a key coordinator on his inaugural staff. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, he promptly hired one of the best special teams coaches in the league. The Tennessee Titans made an important staff change for the 2025 season.<\/p>\n
Former Titans special teams coordinator Colt Anderson led one of the league’s worst<\/a> and most hilariously abysmal special teams units in 2024. Coach Callahan has hired John Fassel, a tenured veteran special teams coaching ace. Fassel previously served on Mike McCarthy’s staff but did not have a contract<\/a> after his deal expired. The former Cowboys assistant is well-regarded for his ability to coach struggling units into league-leading ones. He brings a vast wealth of knowledge and experience to Callahan’s second staff. The move comes on the heels of a franchise-changing move<\/a> to a new general manager.<\/p>\n Fassel is the son of the late Super Bowl-winning head coach Jim Fassel<\/a>. He began his career with the Baltimore Ravens as an assistant special teams coach during the 2005 season. The younger Fassel then moved on to the Oakland Raiders for four seasons. After his Raiders stint, he ended up with the Rams organization for seven successful years. Mike McCarthy hired him in his now-former role in 2020. Fassel played college football for Weber State. The Rams named Fassel the interim head coach<\/a> when former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher was no longer needed.<\/p>\n In his long and storied career, he has coached numerous Pro Bowlers, including punter Johnny Hekker, Shane Lechler, Greg Zuerlein, and Sebastian Janikowski. Return men like Tavon Austin and current Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard also cut their teeth with him. Special teams demon turned linebacker Cory Littleton can also be traced to Fassel’s lineage. During his Metroplex tenure, Dallas mined the UFL for kicking star Brandon Aubrey and returner KaVontae Turpin.<\/p>\n Seemingly everywhere he goes, the special teams’ units are massively improved in every aspect. With the new rules taking hold this past season, his job becomes more important than ever. Career highs<\/a> in return yards, punt average, field goals, and kickoff returns are mainstays on his CV.<\/p>\n While Nick Folk carried the water for Tennessee’s special teams for several years, punting has been an adventure under Anderson’s<\/a> watch. Ryan Stonehouse was injured late in the 2023 season after a blocked punt. The Titans allowed a galling 32.1 yards per kick return in 2024 and were anemic on their punt returns, averaging just 7.4 yards. Tennessee’s special teams were such an unmitigated atomic-grade disaster that nominal punt returner Jha’Quan Jackson was repeatedly inactive<\/a> to end the season.<\/p>\n Folk is a free agent, 41 years old, and got injured during the latter stretches in which the Titans earned the\u00a0first overall selection<\/a>. It will be interesting to see if the organization initiates a reunion or takes a different approach than the aging, reliable warhorse. The pickings on the free agent market are slim, with Joey Slye, Matt Prater, and Michael Badgley among notable names. Hopefully, the Titans can settle their kicker situation quickly and move on to other pressing needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Former Titans OL Rodger Saffold<\/a> is excited about Tennessee’s staff change. He played for the Rams while Fassel was with that organization.<\/p>\n Longtime and former Raiders executive and analyst Amy Trask<\/a> heaps praise on Fassel for his work with the Raiders.<\/p>\n It takes a lot of quirkiness to play and coach special teams. NFL Network reporter Jane Slater<\/a> provides a fun anecdote.<\/p>\nWho is John Fassel?<\/h3>\n
What are his greatest hits?<\/h3>\n
What does he bring to the Titans?<\/h3>\n
The Commentariat<\/h3>\n