COLUMN: Titans' Defense Thriving with Shane Bowen's Coordination of the Pass Rush
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ The Tennessee Titans' pass rush, which brought Rams QB Matthew Stafford to the ground five times Sunday night, is on fire. OLB Harold Landry, DL Denico Autry and DL Jeffery Simmons are all having career years. Free-agent acquisition OLB Bud Dupree started slow, but he's beginning to make big plays in key […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ The Tennessee Titans' pass rush, which brought Rams QB Matthew Stafford to the ground five times Sunday night, is on fire.
OLB Harold Landry, DL Denico Autry and DL Jeffery Simmons are all having career years. Free-agent acquisition OLB Bud Dupree started slow, but he's beginning to make big plays in key moments.
While those players' outstanding individual efforts have certainly been the foremost factor behind the immense success of Tennessee's pass rush, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's coordination of the unit has also been vital.
WORKING AS ONE
For an NFL pass rush to be successful, a team's four primary rushers must be on the same page; they cannot simply act as four separate parts, each doing their own thing.
"It’s got to be coordinated, you can’t just go free reign all over the place," Bowen said.
In the most basic sense, a coordinated pass rush is one that works toward a common goal beyond simply sacking the QB.
That goal, which changes week-to-week based on the strengths of the opposing quarterback, could be getting the QB to move in a specific direction, deceiving the offensive line in a particular way or simply having every gap filled to prevent a quarterback from climbing the pocket.
A great example of that principle in action is Simmons' first sack of the Titans' big win over the Rams.
After Autry delivered initial pressure but failed to wrap up on Stafford, Simmons smothered the Rams' signal-caller.
As head coach Mike Vrabel explained, the sack was, more than anything, the result of Simmons and Autry being on the same page.
"Using the game example with Jeffery, a mistake that is commonly made is that he rounds it off, he would have too much space between him and the tackle as he came around, and the tackle would then be able to give some ground to get a hand on him to run him by the quarterback," Vrabel said.
"Jeff wrapped tight, tackle couldn’t come back and make the pass off."
BOWEN'S IMPACT
Bowen, along with OLB coach Ryan Crow and DL coach Terrell Williams, has been the driving force behind the Titans' rushers gaining that level of conceptual understanding.
In his first year as the Titans' DC, Bowen has earned a reputation among players as an excellent communicator, particularly when it comes to the team's scheme.
That communication has allowed Tennessee's pass rush to be not just talented, but also intelligent.
"They all have a good understanding of what we’re trying to get accomplished week in and week out," Bowen said. "Ultimately, they go out and execute."
In addition to imparting his rushers with a good conceptual understanding, Bowen has also shown a keen ability to effectively scheme and deploy Dupree, Landry, Autry and Dupree.
His unique rush packages, including some that use Landry as an off-the-ball rusher, have confused offenses and, at times, led to free rushers.
"They’re always giving us a great game plan," Simmons said. "They’re putting each and everyone in a position to be able to rush together, and that’s the main thing with our coaching staff."
Dupree shared similar thoughts about Bowen.
"We’re very in sync," Dupree said. "He knows what we want, we know what he wants."
The fruit of being so in sync as a pass-rush unit, in addition to the sacks, is making quarterbacks extremely uncomfortable, as Titans QB Ryan Tannehill knows all too well.
"If they are staying in their lanes, it limits my ability to use my legs," Tannehill said. "It makes it tough on the offensive line because, if they are executing, then our offensive line has to do a really good job of passing things off and staying in sync and playing together as a unit.
"That is part of being a good front⏤being able to do those things consistently."
Over the last three weeks, the Titans have the fifth-most sacks in the league. That ranking will only improve as the team's primary rushers continue to develop confidence and hone their ability to be on the same page with each other.
Cover image: Christopher Hanewinckel/USA Today
