DONE DEAL: The Tennessee Titans have formally announced the signing of 49ers all-time leading scorer with 29 touchdowns, , to a five-year, $145 million contract.

The Titans have a new head coach, and now the draft prep picks up with the start of the Senior Bowl.

Matthew Goss from Liverpool, United Kingdom
Question: Big Titan fan here. I have paid close attention to the American media since Mike Vrabel was fired. It amazes me how outspoken some have been about how terrible the firing of Mike Vrabel was (Mike Florio in particular). I can’t understand that when Vrabel has gone what, 6-20 something over the last two seasons. They were saying how he would get a new job in 2 seconds. Well, 2 seconds seems to be up and no job. Also, what about him going to New England during the season and basically saying how much better it is there than in Nashville? If I was Amy, I would have told him to stay there where things are great and never come back to Nashville where he thinks things are so bad.. Kudos to Amy for sending him packing. And about this Mike Florio guy, I saw a You Tube video where he criticized Coach Callahan for wearing a suit at his introductory press conference! He said coach Mayo from New England was better because he wore a sweatshirt or something. I am sure he also does not think Coach Callahan was a good choice because he does not use the right fork when he eats! I mean, give me a break! What a joke this Florio guy is. He clearly has an axe of some kind to grind. I can’t wait for the Titans to make everyone eat their words! Have a great week Jim!

Jim: You’re coming in hot from Liverpool, Matthew! Good to hear from you. Have a big week!

Terry Anderson from Glasgow, Kentucky
Question: Hello Jim hope all is well. I’m super excited about the hiring of Brian Callahan. Feel like everything he has said so far has been very professional and very positive. I enjoyed the press conference and enjoyed the questions about the offensive line’s inability to protect the quarterback or provide consistent running lanes. I really liked coach’s answer. Protection is holistic offense problem not just the line. Some of the radio guys were saying they weren’t sure about that answer. I believe it’s a very professional answer because the last thing you want is have that position group pulling against you before you can get on the field and practice. I am excited for our line guys to hear different voices and be taught differently. I know you have been covering sports for years and I am interested in your perspective on a different voice working with the pieces that are already in place. Not every player in the locker room will mesh with the new vision I know, but in your experience covering the Titans what is your feeling of the new guy?

Jim: Hi Terry. Well we can all agree the Titans need to be better up-front. Getting the issues fixed on the offensive line will be one of Coach Callahan’s top priorities, I’m sure. As for the new voice, let me say out of the gate next year’s team is going to look a lot different. There’s always lots of turnover, and that will be the case for the 2024 team as well. Coach Callahan made a great impression on everyone last week, and I’m sure he’ll do the same with the players. Things will be different, from the personnel to the coaching staff to the message to the way guys are taught. But the NFL is all about adapting, and I feel good about things moving forward.

Brian Hester from Manchester, Tennessee
Question: Hey Jim, I love following you on twitter and reading these mail bags. You have been such a major part of my fandom for my entire life.
When I was in school in the late 90’s- 00’s I use to get a copy of the Tennessean from a few teachers EVERY day and I would feverishly read the sports section and Titans news 2-3x over.
The youngsters won’t remember but that was pre-unlimited internet access where an abundance of news was then introduced to the world so you had to read the paper for Titans news. So I literally counted on you to provide me with every morsel of Titans news possible.

So I was wondering if you could give a quick autobiography type answer time-lining your career in short.
I remember being sad when you left the paper (in 2015 I think) but glad you are here now. The Titans don’t have anything listed under your bio from what I can tell on the website. I just would love to hear about your career briefly. Again thank you for all you do!

Jim: Hey Brian. I appreciate you following, and reading, all these years. When I was growing up, I used to read The Tennessean regularly myself. I appreciate you asking about my career, so here’s a quick trip down memory lane: My intro to sports writing started when I began writing for the school newspaper, The Daily Beacon, in my final semester in college at UT-Knoxville. When I got out of school, I started working at The Tennessean in 1990 as a part-timer, answering the phone, taking bowling scores, hole-in-ones, high school sports results, etc. I got my first byline in 1991 when I covered The Tennessean Regatta sailboat race at Old Hickory Lake. I did a lot of general assignment reporting, Nashville Sounds games, high school sports, college sports, the Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration, car racing at the Nashville Fairgrounds, more sailboat races, etc, for the paper for 6-7 years while working part-time, anywhere from 20-40 hours a week working weeknights and

weekends while also having a full-time job from 8 am-4:25 pm M-F at a place called the ‘Register of Deeds’ (where property deeds, mortgages, tax liens, etc. are recorded) in the courthouse in Nashville. (Yes, it was a lot of combined hours). Back in 1997 I was hired full-time at The Tennessean, covering high school sports, and more general assignment reporting. After the two professional teams came to town, I started covering the Titans and Predators for The Tennessean in 1999, and I did both for a few seasons. I became the Titans beat writer in 2001. All told, I covered the Titans for the paper from 1999 until the summer of 2015, when I left to join the Titans, and I’m fortunately I’m still here, banging out there mailbags. It’s hard to believe, but 2024 will be my 10th season with the team. Time has sure flown by…