Titans building new culture under head coach Robert Saleh
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s week two of OTA’s for the Tennessee Titans, and there’s a lot of new within the organization for the 2026 season.
New coaches, new players, and a new mantra: being fast and violent on the gridiron.
“Our mantra on defense is fast and violent. Our team, fast and violent. We’re going to play hard, we’re going to play physical, we’re going to get after it. We’re going to sprint until our lungs are on fire,” defensive run game coordinator/defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton said. “Those are the two things that we’ve talked about as a defense from day one, as a team from day one.”
“It’s all gas, no brake, and it’s fast and violent. That transcends the entire team,” offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo said. “I know, obviously, Coach Saleh is a defensive-minded head coach, but that’s something that we’re embracing on the offensive side of the ball as well, and just all of us, coaches and players alike, we’re understanding that’s what the expectation is and working towards that.”
“You can be fast and violent in the way that we communicate with each other. We can be fast and violent in the way that we get lined up. We can be fast and violent in our technique and the way that we break on the ball. Pretty much you can be fast and violent in just about everything that you do on the field,” linebacker Cedric Gray said. “It’s all about being intentional and just trying to get better, and I think that’s what we’ve been doing here.”
The Titans have also been hard at work training quarterback Cam Ward to unlock more of his first overall pick potential.
Ward has recovered fully from his end of season injury and is poised to see more success with the franchise behind another mantra from his new QB coach.
“The thing we talk about in the quarterback room all the time is aggressive, not reckless. So, as long as they have that mentality and they’re following through with that, I think that builds a good barometer for them,” quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney said.
“He moves onto the next play. If he makes a mistake, if something doesn’t go his way, it’s completely out of his mind and he’s onto the next play, which I think is a major requirement for any athlete, but something that he clearly has,” head coach Robert Saleh said.
“He’s super fiery, which is fun and is contagious,” center Austin Schlottmann said. “You’re on the field and he’s fired up to be there. He’s fired up to go compete and try to beat the defense and try to score touchdowns, and I think that is super contagious to everybody in the huddle. It’s fun to be around.”
While the fruits of this team’s labor will remain to be seen until they put on the pads, or maybe even until they go head-to-head with another squad, one thing is for sure, the vibes in Nashville are much higher coming from the 2025 season into 2026.
