Gus Bradley Buying Into Robert Saleh's Plan For Titans

The Tennessee Titans' coordinator search, following the hiring of Robert Saleh as head coach, turned out to be almost as intense and debated as that of the latter. It wasn't difficult to sell folks on Saleh; from his long-time consistency calling defensive plays to the previous, relative (used heavily here) success he had with the New York Jets, he looked like a good fit from the jump.

And in succession, when Brian Daboll was brought on to orchestrate the team's offense, any questions about Saleh's lack of scoring proficiency were immediately answered. All that remained, then, was who would fill the defensive coordinator role. That question, while a measure more complicated due to Saleh insisting that he call those plays himself, was answered in the form of Gus Bradley.

Now, in his introduction to Nashville as the Titans' DC, Bradley both took the time to laud Saleh, as well as to explain what went into him taking this position over others, in spite of the built-in fact that he'd have less control of the unit therein.

Sacrificing for Success

"We hired him as a quality control coach back in 2011 in Seattle," Bradley said in his conference, outlining his past experience on-staff with Saleh, as well as the coach's steadfast climb up the ladder of relevancy.

"I've seen him for that first seven, eight years... where he's grown from a linebacker coach to a coordinator, I think his greatest asset is he really does see the big picture."

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Bradley, having served alongside Saleh as the assistant head coach of the defense for the San Francisco 49ers this past season, chose to follow his sideline-mate. Not only can the Titans look forward to a cooperative union between the two, but to two storied, score-stopping minds coming together under a new defensive banner that needs significant long-term work.

Score-Stopping Minds

"He is a big picture guy..." Bradley went on, "always trying to stay a step or two ahead of the game."

"I think he does a great job relating to the players, great energy, enthusiasm for the game. I think it rubs off on the players and the coaches."

Bradley, while still shouldering as much to prove in Nashville as any face unfamiliar to the team has, is clearly off on the right foot as far as mentality goes. He, Saleh and the rest of the staff seem to be in town to win football games. For Titans fans, especially right now, that's as good as gold.

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