Titans Executives Talk Team, Including Use Of Analytics In Evaluating Talent

As the executive staff of the Tennessee Titans has changed with the additions of new members, so has the approach the franchise takes to evaluate talent.

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon and assistants Chad Brinker and Anthony Robinson spoke with the media before Wednesday's opening on-field camp practice.

Carthon was asked about the waiting period for him between DeAndre Hopkins's visit and his final decision. 

"It was a long date. It was a month-long date. I'm pretty sure you guys know we brought him in for the visit, which I felt went really well. It was, like I said, it was just a long date. While we're on it, it was from top to bottom. It wasn't just us in personnel. It wasn't just Mike (Vrabel) with the coaches, but we had help throughout the building. Johari Matthews, Amy (Adams-Strunk), Tina Tuggle, everybody played a part in getting him here, right? Because it wasn't just making sure, DeAndre (Hopkins) knew that this was the best place. It was also making his family know that this was the best place. We didn't only recruit him; we recruited his family."

"So, when he came in, and he had his family here with him, we made sure they got to see what the city of Nashville had to offer because they're going to be more involved with the city as opposed to him. So we rolled it out and let them see. Thank you to those people that I mentioned, and thank you to the city of Nashville for stepping up and showing out for us." 

While Carthon has been with the media multiple times since his arrival, this was only the second time Brinker has been made available and the first for Robinson since his arrival here.      

Before arriving in Nashville, Brinker — whose title is assistant general manager, strategy— spent 13 seasons with the  Green Bay Packers, where he most recently served as their Personnel/Football Administration Executive.

Brinker spoke about some of the changes made under him in the analytics staff and how the franchise will now move forward with analytics and other "tools" in evaluating current and potential future talent for their roster.     

"I think we're building a foundation right now in that department. The most important piece of that foundation is the people. We had an opportunity to check around the league and get recommendations for that role through the contacts that we had. Sarah (Bailey) came highly recommended. I mean, she spent a little over five years with the Los Angeles Rams," said Brinker. "As you know, they won a Super Bowl there. She was a Division I track athlete. She's got an undergraduate degree in mathematics, a master's degree in statistics, and when she came in here and through her interview process, she knocked it out of the park. She was really, really, really dynamic, very smart. I know she's going to be a major asset to us moving forward.

"I feel really good about where we are heading now. This department is going to continue to grow. We've got to plan on how we're going to build this out, and it'll be under Sarah's leadership, and also; obviously, I'll be very involved in there as well."

The plan for the Titans is to use the analytics department as part of their evaluation process across the board, from the draft, to free agency and in season.  

"All of the above. We're going to use it. Sarah (Bailey) and I, and Ally (Archer) coming in to help us a little bit, too; we're going to be creating tools. It's a tool that we're going to use to help with the coaching staff, to help with the personnel staff, help with the salary cap, sports science, and medical," added Brinker.

"We're just creating tools to help us to make better decisions, more informed decisions. Like I said, it's going to be a process. We do have some tools in place, and we'll continue to build upon those."

Meanwhile, Robinson — whose title is the assistant general manager, personnel — is the most recent addition as assistant general manager. He joined the Titans organization in May of this year after having worked with and becoming friends with Carthon during their time together as part of the Falcons staff in Atlanta,  

Robinson spent 15 seasons with the Falcons, most recently serving as their director of college scouting before coming to Nashville, where he will oversee the college and pro scouting staff.  

He described his philosophy on scouting like this. 

"I think the first thing is you want guys that like playing football, right? The first thing for us is the people. Before they're football players, they're people. We want to make sure that we're bringing in the right people that have the right football character of what we're trying to build here in our culture, in our organization," Robinson said.

This is the first time in the history of this franchise in Nashville that there have been two assistant general managers working beneath the general manager, as the franchise is looking to improve the way they build their teams through the addition of Brinker and Robinson, along with new technologies as they become available.  

Related stories on training camp

• HOPKINS TALKS SIGNING WITH TITANS: DeAndre Hopkins, the newest Tennessee Titans wide receiver met with the Nashville media on Tuesday and shared the reasons that led him to choose Nashville as his new home, among other things. CLICK HERE
• HASKINS' LEGAL TROUBLES: Tennessee Titans running back Hassan Haskins has been charged with aggravated assault, complicating his future with the team, but on Tuesday Mike Vrabel appeared to express patience as the legal matter unfolds. CLICK HERE
• NEXT UP AT RIGHT TACKLE: The Tennessee Titans need to find a replacement for starting right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere due to a gambling suspension. Mike Vrabel named the internal options for the Titans at the first press conference of training camp. CLICK HERE