In a strategic move to revive its defense, the Tennessee Titans have appointed Dennard Wilson, the former Ravens defensive backs coach, as their new defensive coordinator for the 2023 season.
Under new head coach Brian Callahan, the team is primed for transformation, with Wilson all set to implement a player-focused strategy that puts the spotlight firmly on individual talents.
“For me, if I see a talented player, I feel like I can get the best out of them,” Wilson said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. “Any player that I have ever been around, the first thing I am going to do: I pride myself in being a hell of a teacher. I am going to motivate them to be better than they think they should be or reach the potential they are supposed to. And I am going to inspire them to go get it.”
Wilson, known for his effective player development techniques and adaptability, pledged to devise a dynamic, multipurpose approach “in everything we do,” emphasizing that the scheme’s primary focus will be the players, not the other way around.
because “it’s not about the scheme, it’s about the players.” “So, we have to figure out what they do well, and we’ll put the scheme around them to allow their talents to flourish,” Wilson said. “I can tell you this about the scheme, and I learned this a long time ago, General George Patton said this: ‘Nobody ever defended anything successfully. You are going to attack, and attack some more.’
“We are going to be an attacking defense. We are going to be violent in our approach. We are going to be smart, we are going to be intelligent, we are never going to compromise for competing, and that is the brand of football we are going to play around here.”
Titans DC Dennard Wilson: If i see a talented player, I feel I can get the best out of them. https://t.co/I2A3QCWTuy
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 15, 2024
Placing the skills and capabilities of the players at the forefront, Wilson pledged to structure the defensive scheme in a way that would allow each player’s unique abilities to thrive.
He stressed that understanding the players’ strengths and effectively leveraging them would be his and the team’s key to success.
In the 2021 season, the Titans closed as the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They performed impressively, securing the No. 6 position in points allowed and No. 12 in yards allowed.
However, the team’s defense performance witnessed a slight dip in the subsequent years, stirring the need for change.
The Titan’s 2023 statistics stood as a stark contrast to their earlier success, with the team slipping to No. 16 in points allowed.
And No. 18 in yards allowed. This decline signaled the urgency for a fresh strategic perspective.
Recognizing the crisis, Brian Callahan, the newly appointed head coach, aligned with Wilson to address the problem and get the team back on track.
The new defensive approach is designed to plug the holes and boost the team’s overall defensive performance.
Wilson carries an impressive track record amidst his tenure with the Ravens. His astute understanding of player skills and knack for maximizing their abilities have been widely acclaimed.
The Titans are betting on Wilson’s expertise to orchestrate their defensive turnaround.
