Bowen Eager to See Titans' Defense Come Together

Shane Bowen’s new title comes with a few perks.

The main benefit of officially being the defensive coordinator is that his attention is never centered on one position group.

“I think first and foremost, it helps with the relationships with all the players across the board,” Bowen said Wednesday. “Seeing them work. Being able to take stuff from the meeting room to individual, to group, to team.

“It’s been great for me to do, just in terms of building relationships with these guys, and continuing forward towards taking that leadership role over the whole unit.”

Bowen was officially elevated to defensive coordinator after a season of calling the shots without the formal title. His elevation brought concerns from the fanbase following a season in which the Titans had – statistically speaking – one of the NFL’s worst pass rushes and the worst third-down defense.

Bowen said he has not concerned himself with criticism. His focus is on good football.

The promotion, as he saw it, was a statement of coach Mike Vrabel’s belief in him as a person and a football mind. Last season may not have gone as planned for Bowen, Vrabel or the defense. So, during this offseason, everyone involved is laying the groundwork to make sure it does next season.

“I think (Vrabel) has coached me in this deal. He’s brought me up through this profession, in some regard,” Bowen said. “I appreciate his confidence in me... We gotta play better defensively. We do. I am excited, and I am encouraged with where this thing is going right now. And just like everybody else, I am putting in the work, day in and day out to help this team win.”

As defensive coordinator, evaluation of his performance will be often results-driven. It comes with lofty goals and heavy expectations. In this case, it also comes with a significant number of offseason personnel changes in addition to his job title.

“It’s definitely changed,” Bowen said. “Just the position. The title. The stuff that comes with it. Having control over the whole unit. My perspective on everything. Making sure we are all on the same page, seeing things the same way. And ultimately being the final voice, so it’s changed in that regard.”

Yet, as things change, they tend to stay the same. And as Tennessee turns the page on a woeful performance, Bowen is taking some of the lessons he learned during his unofficial season as the defensive play caller, and applying them to his defense this year.

“I think, from last year, it was just the week in and week out,” Bowen said. “We are trying some new things. There is a lot of the same scheme stuff, don’t get me wrong. But there is a lot of ways to skin a cat. We can do things a lot of different ways.”

From tweaking certain things within the defensive system to adjusting player personnel grouping, there is a lot of work to be done before the fall for Bowen.

However, the first-year defensive coordinator (technically speaking) understands that before anything else, he has to cultivate a strong relationship with his entire defensive unit.

“I got confidence in these guys,” Bowen said. “I can’t wait until we get to the fall, and we get to put this entire thing together, and see what it all looks like.”