Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan is backpedaling like a cornerback dropping into coverage.
Callahan admitted on Monday that he incorrectly decided not to challenge a potential 23-yard reception by rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor in a 20-12 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. On the play, the wideout came down with his elbow in bounds. Callahan elected not to challenge the ruling after not seeing Ayomanor also get a foot down.
"My interpretation of the rule was wrong," Callahan said, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. "I'll own it. I didn't do a good enough job in that moment, and I should have challenged it, and it probably would've resulted in a potential explosive play."
Callahan is retreating from his own post-game comments in which he seemed not to understand the rule.
"An elbow doesn't equal two feet, so his foot would've had to come down as well," Callahan said after the loss.
According to the NFL rulebook, a player must make contact with the ground inbounds with both feet or with any body part other than his hands.
Ayomanor's elbow hitting should have given the Titans a first down conversion on a first-and-20 in a 13-12 game deep into the third quarter. Instead, two plays later, Tennessee was punting.
It's partially surprising that no one in the Titans booth pushed Callahan to challenge the play. However, the coach took responsibility for the decision and his comment afterward.
"I misspoke," Callahan said. "I'm well aware of the rule, I understand how it works, and the way that I articulated it afterwards was incorrect. And I understand the rules of this game pretty well."
For a coach who entered the year needing to prove he's the man to shepherd No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, Callahan stepped in it in the first game of 2025. From the questionable play-calling decisions to not challenging to the explanation for not challenging, Sunday wasn't a good look for the second-year coach.
