New title opens doors for Titans DC Shane Bowen – and opens him to criticism as well

By John Glennon

It’s probably fair to say Shane Bowen took more hits last season than did quarterbacks who played against the Titans.

Bowen, following in the footsteps of legendary Titans defensive coordinators Dick LeBeau and Dean Pees, became the focal point of furious fans as the defense stumbled drunkenly from one week to the next.

It was hard to find much good in the pile of red numbers the Titans produced defensively last season, when the team finished last in the NFL in third-down percentage, 30th in sacks, 31st in TD passes allowed, 30th in red-zone percentage, 28th in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed.

Opponents scored 30 points or more five times in 16 games against the Titans, with the 4-12 Houston Texans piling up 74 points in two contests versus Tennessee.

Yikes.

So when Titans coach Mike Vrabel announced a promotion of sorts for Bowen – officially naming him defensive coordinator three weeks after the season had ended – Titans Twitter nearly blew a collective gasket in response.

But here’s the thing: The addition of a new title for Bowen is far less important than the subtraction of responsibilities from his workload.

In . . .

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Author: John GlennonMulti-media journalist with extensive expertise covering the NFL, NHL, professional soccer and more, including the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators for The Tennessean with articles, videos and podcasts. Strengths include the ability to write quick, concise and thorough analysis, as well as the ability to uncover unique human-interest stories. In working as a reporter, John developed skills that extend beyond the sports journalism world. An efficient and effective communicator, John is confident, calm and productive under deadline pressure and knows the power of the written word. John brings to Broadway Sports a work ethic second to none, an intellectual hunger, and an ability to inform and entertain readers, viewers and listeners. Reach out directly to John at: