Steve Young and Mike Shanahan. Joe Montana and Bill Walsh. Drew Brees and Sean Payton. Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels. Ryan Tannehill and Arthur Smith?
Longtime NFL QB and current Lipscomb Academy football coach Trent Dilfer thinks that last duo belongs. He joined Darren, Daunic & Chase Tuesday on 102.5 The Game to explain why the relationship between the Titans’ second year QB and second year offensive coordinator has taken off.
“It’s been one of the great marriages I’ve seen and it matters so much,” Dilfer said. “Sometimes it’s personality, it’s the way you see football, it’s appreciation for each other’s work ethic. There are a bunch of different elements for the secret sauce, but Ryan and Arthur definitely have it.”
Dilfer came close to that secret recipe during his pro career, but had it slip away due to injury just as he began to taste it.
“I never really got to experience it as a player,” Dilfer said. “The closest I got was mine and Mike Holmgren’s relationship before I tore my Achilles. We were just starting to read each other’s thoughts and finish each other’s sentences.”
As Dilfer looks to build those relationships with the Lipscomb Academy Mustangs’ teenage quarterbacks, he feels the Titan duo’s groove from across town.
“I guarantee you they’re sitting in the quarterback room and they’re finishing each other’s sentences,” Dilfer said. “Because they’re thinking the exact same thoughts and it’s reflected in their stats.”
Most yards per play league wide since week seven of 2019. Best red zone percentage since Tannehill took the reins. Fourth in the league in scoring, third best in offensive efficiency, and second out of 32 in third down conversions.
“These are critical numbers,” Dilfer said. “These aren’t the fluff stats. These are the critical numbers that matter the most.”
Dilfer feels like he sees something new every week from Tannehill and Smith’s offense. He drools at the “ton of cool crossing route concepts” the Titans run for Tannehill, who Dilfer identified quickly in his Tennessee tenure as a great crossing route thrower.
Some quarterbacks need to change their launch point throughout the game, Dilfer says, and Smith puts Tannehill in those spots by rolling him out in both directions, often with play action.
Trent Dilfer thinks Arthur Smith has brought Tannehill into Brady and Brees territory in just 14 games as a starter. Dan Orlovsky tweeted Monday that Smith should be on teams’ head coaching watch lists. One thing’s clear: the Titans made the right choice promoting their tight ends coach last summer.
Darren, Daunic & Chase airs weekdays from 10-2 on 102.5 The Game and The Game Nashville app!
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