 This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans. Plan on paying less for the coverage you need with Farm Bureau Health Plans. Get a quote today at FBHP.com. With Amy Wells, I'm Mike Keith. We're so glad to have with us the Titans New Offensive Coordinator, Nick Holtz. Welcome. Thanks for having me. Welcome to the Bed MGM Studio. Oh, it's great. What a great place. And the Snickers Hot Sea. I might have one myself right here. I'm sitting here. You guys are already ready for me. Yeah. Satisfies, Nick. Okay. So I want to start with two things. First of all, you spell your last name H-O-L-Z, you pronounce it Holtz. Correct. Okay. So how many times a week do people ask you if you're Lou Holtz's son or misspell your name? So pretty much daily, I would say this, especially when he was coaching and he was on TV a bunch. And people just assumed that I was spelling it wrong, which is fine. But it's German, it means wood, so that's exciting. Okay. So if anybody wanted to learn a new language, now at least got one word in German. We've got battle going here today. This is what we do for the OT people. Education. But yeah, everybody thinks it's Holtz, so every pizza place in town, when you're calling in your order, it's all spelled wrong and why correct them at this point. So have you ever given the name like for a reservation and they thought you were going to be? Absolutely. I don't feel like I've gotten all these great tables or anything. I don't think I'm sitting right in the corner in the good spots, but yeah, maybe it has worked out for me. I just haven't noticed. We start with the important stuff. Yeah. We really do. If we're going to get to know you, we're going to really get to know you. Absolutely. I can see how the connection would be drawn with football and football and football. And there are a lot of sons in coaching, as we certainly know here with father and son. Yeah, exactly. I don't even know where the son is the boss, but you know, like we have here, but other than that. I mean, honestly, that would have never worked with me and my dad. No. I mean, there is no, I couldn't work for my dad. Correct. He has a business, you know, had a business and my brother did and has done great. I couldn't do it. The thought of bossing him around, even if it's suddenly, it would have never worked. It's not a real thought. It's not a real thought that can enter my brain in that way. But you know, both you, I mean, you worked for Bill Callahan in Nebraska. You obviously knew him somewhat growing up through the fact that you went to Dada LaSalle with Brian Callahan. So you've sort of got the, you sort of understand the dynamic. So yeah. So in high school, you know, his dad was around obviously a lot, but, you know, his dad's a worker of all workers, you know, there's nobody with a work ethic like him. So he wasn't, you know, always around the house or anything like that. But when he was, you know, he, you would just kind of, we would already start picking his brain on random football questions and things like that. And then when I got done with college, I had no idea what I want to do with my life. And anyways, long story or turning a short story into a long story, I guess, they, I ended up calling, I called every person I knew asking what they would do for work, what they would do for a job, anything like that. A couple of months later, he calls me and says, I got this job at Nebraska. I worked for him as an, you know, offensive assistant. And I think he tried to kill me. Like I think it was, it was, I think he tried to, you know, and I remember calling Brian one time, I'm like, your father's insane. Like this guy, there's nobody that works like this guy. Like this is a mate, you know. And so that's the first part of the story of, you know, his dad is, that is the number one thing you would say about him. I actually told him the story that day about how I thought, you know, I was going to literally die at my desk because he was working so hard. Wait, where was the original question? I just got started. Why the dynamic seems to work for them already. I think that they are both, they're both wired that way. Right. And they both understand that it's, there's the football time and then there's father's son time. And then there's, you know, also, you know, Brian has kids. So it's grandpa time. And I think they are both comfortable enough because they've worked for so long so far apart from each other. You know, they hadn't really crossed paths and really, then worked with a bunch of people that have worked with each other. So I think they're both so established in their ways now that it's really just like a normal coaching relationship, which is, which is pretty fun to see just from a third party that has kind of more of the background here than everybody else. Right. So. Having that experience of working for someone who worked you so hard and instilled such a work ethic in you has to be something that looking back on it now, being in the position that you are with the Tennessee Titans, it's got to feel good that you had that built into you so early. Right. Oh, absolutely. And just the, I think there's probably a level of respect he gained for, you know, those guys that kind of went through the wars and he knows, you know, Bill knows that I haven't really skipped any steps in that regard. And so I think he's, has a trust in me of that I'm always going to do whatever needs to get done because I did that for, you know, what 15 something years ago. Is that why you only made it one year with him in Nebraska? Well, yeah, pretty much. We all got let go. But I don't, you know, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it for the second year. I wouldn't tell him that. I guess I shouldn't tell him on a podcast too. But that's okay. He won't listen. Exactly. No one listens. But you go to Stanford. Went to Stanford. And so how much easier is that opportunity based on having been through the year with Bill at Nebraska? Don't tell Jim Harbaugh this, but it was easier. But Jim also had the same experience I had at the Raiders. Jim was a first year coach getting done playing and he was the offensive assistant quarterback coach for the Raiders. And he said, you know, there was one time he pulled into his garage and he just fell asleep right there in the car and then woke up a couple hours later and drove back to the office. And so I remember telling that story. So yes, it was much easier going to go into Stanford after having the Nebraska Bill Callahan experience. But I also learned a way to do things and learned a, I guess, a baseline of just how to work, you know, like Bill just threw all of us in the fire and he was treated you, you know, we were a college team, but treated you like you were a pro coach, you know, and I think that was a great way to learn to come up as a first job. So that has to make the transition to the pros that much easier still because now you have these years of experience of being in one style, but you're training essentially for the pros. Yeah, I was very lucky because I had that at Nebraska and then at Stanford with Jim and then David Shaw, you know, all guys that had long term NFL experience. We really ran an NFL system and an NFL way of installing and you look back at some of those staffs of the guys coached with, you know, especially at Stanford, the Greg Romans and, you know, all those guys that made it to the NFL, Willie Taggart's now in the NFL and Pep Hamilton and just a million guys that had really came there. Vic Fangio came from the NFL just for a year and then went back. And so that was great exposure for me. Let's go. And then you go to the Raiders from there. Yes. Ten years with the Raiders. So you've got Bill Callahan on your resume. You've got Jim Harbaugh. Yeah. You've got David Shaw. Then with the Raiders, who were the head coaches that you worked for there? So I was originally hired by Dennis Allen. Yeah. And Greg Knapp, rest in peace, was the offense coordinator. Yes. He was what a wonderful man to learn from and just how to carry yourself in just a great human being. Class act. Yeah. And so he was there first as my offense coordinator then got Greg Olson came in. Greg's first in with the Raiders. I had Greg for two years and Tony Spirano was the old line coach. So again, another whole different system. He came from the Bill Parcell system. And just the way the NFL works of so many guys kind of coming and molding into new systems was really kind of what took off for me at the Raiders. He said Jack Del Rio. So then Jack Del Rio. And he brought in Bill Musgrave as the offense coordinator. And Jack actually fired me. He doesn't like to remember. He doesn't want to totally admit this. But he let me go. He let me go. He let me go. I was sat there for a week. I was ready to interview for my job. And Jack lets me go. And then we're out in California, Northern California. There's nothing cheap out there. So then he had offered my job to two people and they couldn't believe that somebody was working for that little money. So then they said, hey, do you want your job back? I said, oh, you bet. How does that do? Wait, wait, wait, wait. Nick Holtz. Yes, sir. Titans offensive coordinator. How does that conversation go? Does Jack call you back? Jack did. And he was like, ah, you know, I didn't feel, you know, he sold it. I loved it. He sold it. I didn't really want to let you go, but I just felt like I had these other things. But hey, you want to come back? I didn't have a job. So you bet. So you took it. And I got a raise. You got a raise. And I got a raise. So I'll take that. I don't know if it was the smartest strategy to get a raise, but it was good. You're going to write a book, aren't you? I don't know. I'm not sure my memory's good enough. Ten years with the Raiders, you got to write a book. Well, there's a lot of stories there. Yeah. Yep. And then John. So I got to stay with John for four years. That's where I worked with Brian for the first year. And then Brian left once since Natty. And then Rich Versace took over that last season. Oh, yeah. And he's a great coach. Yeah, he's a great coach. And what a great person. And then off to UNLV for a year, which was so Josh McDaniels comes in. We had a great relationship, but chance to go be an offense coordinator, call plays, kind of do that. I just needed to do something. Ten years, one place. It was like, all right, you're stagnant. Go do something else. But you don't have to move. So I had this big stoplight. Went out of my neighborhood. Left was the Raiders facility, like four minutes. And 10 minutes the other way was the UNLV facility. It was great. You did everything with the Raiders on offense. I can't think of anybody. And just reading about your kind of time there, really an amazing amount of different jobs that had to get you ready to be the offensive coordinator at UNLV. It was great. It was the one thing I'll say, especially about Coach Gruden, is he really empowered people to just like take it and run with it. And so if you were looking to grow or you wanted to learn how to do something, he wasn't going to stand in your way. And you could come to him with an open door policy of, hey, I was watching somebody's tight end cut-ups and here's what I thought. And you go hand it to him and he'd be like, this is great. Or you go, that's stupid or whatever. Did he ever really say that's stupid? I mean, sometimes probably. Probably not really. Not the word stupid. No. No. But he just said, he would let you go take those things and run with them. And then that was really cool for just a learning and growing experience. And then he'd be like, all right, now go install it through the rest of the staff. Okay, now go show these guys. And it was a really, really cool way to do. He's like a case study in just NFL football. The people that you've been able to work with, the experiences that you've been able to have. I mean, this is incredible, Mike. You know where he was last year, right? Yeah, I know. And I wasn't going to talk about that. Well, we have to talk about that. The Jags of it all. Well, let's just say, I mean, Doug Peterson's pretty doggone good. He is very good. And he's some kind of coach. So another great experience. Yeah. And it was great. I had never met Doug at all. And his, first of all, his demeanor is something I wish I could replicate or be that way. He is like this at all times, except when he needs to, but you know his level of consistency of who he is. And then he's got such a unique perspective of he played quarterback for so long. And then he's, you know, he went back. He started coaching high school. Then he was a quality control guy. Then he was a position coach. Then his coordinator. Then he's a head coach, you know, and his natural progression of, you know, he didn't skip any steps. He is a great worker, but he's, he's so humble in everything that he does, but he always goes back to his experiences as a player and really his experiences as a high school coach and a young quality control guy and how to do things. When you hear him talk about, he's always like, well, we were trying to teach it this way or that way. And it's just, it's very impressive for a guy who's had that level of success to have that kind of mindset. Overall, as you were in that job at Jacksonville and you were the passing game coordinator. Yes. So your work, because Doug's, Doug's going to call the plays. That's pretty much how it works, right? So actually last year, Press Taylor called the plays. Oh, Press got to call the plays. Doug was very involved in, you know, but then it was kind of a, I don't know how they did it the year before, but then Press took over most of the play calling last year. Whereas Press is Zach Taylor's brother and there's another connection to Brian Callahan because that's Brian Callahan work for Zach Taylor. It's all, Amy said it, it's all interconnected. Actually, here's a long, another random factoid about that. So I get to Nebraska in what, 2007? Seven. And I'm working and Bill's trying to kill me. And he's like, we got a guy for you. He's going to come in and help. He's like, he just got cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and it was Zach Taylor. And so Zach, I just shared a desk and, you know, we bring in two Jimmy John sandwiches. Zach made it four games. So I always tell Zach, he owes me a big one. So we made it four games and we lost to somebody, I think USC or something like that. And then Zach just went off to play in the Canadian Football League and but Zach was doing all this work and then he just leaves and they expected the work still to get done. So then I just had to do it. Wait, so he left you essentially doing two jobs. Yeah, for eight, nine games, something like that. I would collect on this. I feel like it's time. I think now is the time to collect. He's had enough success. So I feel like he's got it in the bank here somewhere. When Brian Callahan called you. Yes. When you got the call about potentially being the offensive coordinator here, what was kind of the sales pitch, his sales pitch, your sales pitch or the thought about how this would work like his relationship with Zach Taylor worked in Cincinnati? I'm sure some people just assume because we have this long relationship that, oh, he's like, hey, I'm going to hire you. It's going to be great. It was not a conversation like that at all. I ended up flying up and I really spent the first hour of the presentation talking about structure of job responsibilities, things like that. Just scheduling how to help him, how I saw Press Help Doug, how I saw Greg Olson help John Gruden as when they weren't calling the plays as a coordinator. And so that's really how the conversation started. And then probably the next couple hours after that we're talking scheme and different philosophies and all those other kind of things and things I'd been exposed to. But that was really the first part of it was just talking how managing staff, how do you want these positions? How would you have all of this look? And Rand had a big conversation in it and it was just an interesting three guys just kind of sitting around a table going through it. I think we need to take a moment to demystify something a little bit and that is the role of the offensive coordinator because I think that as outsiders you don't see a lot of really what any coaching staff does but especially someone like the offensive coordinator. Position coaches make a lot of sense. You work with this position group. As the offensive coordinator it's a lot broader and so I think just kind of take us through what that role really entails and what the job responsibilities of an offensive coordinator are. It really starts with the number one is like the managing of people. So just like in any business there's a structure and a hierarchy and how tasks and things like that are assigned and collected and whatever. So I'd say it obviously starts with the people business that's number one. Number two would be there's so much football tape to be organized and watched and evaluated and things like that as you go through it you're like alright what's our process for how do we build the game plan? So how do you build the plays you see on Sunday? Well our process is alright we start with formations alright let's look at the formations what are we getting defensively what are their problems they present to us what are our matchups and really starting to be the the first line as the offensive coordinator what we want to do how we want to solve those problems and then delegating back to the assistants okay does this work for you guys do you think you can do this? Then the collection of all those ideas somebody's got to be the final cut through of okay these are the ten base runs we're going to have a great and that's how they go on the sheet and then we organize and script them and you got to make sure all the looks and situations are covered and things like that so I do think there's certainly more that goes into it I don't even know if I kind of feel like I scratch the surface of it but I guess that would be my base jumping off answer it had been described years ago and it may not still be this way that really the offensive line coach the tight end coach and the running back coach will do a lot of the run game install with the thought process the pass games the quarterback coach the receivers coach and then the tight end coach is involved in that too and that's why the tight end coach position is so important on the offense is that still kind of how it is? Versions of that okay like we have one coach will really be the lead for so as we game plan it'll be myself and Brian and every game plan meeting no matter what and then whether we have somebody who's responsible for third downs whether that's the quarterback coach the receiver coach we have totally gotten through all those pieces of who's doing what yet but then that person comes in we build the game plan for third down and then get with the bill make sure he sees all the third downs the same way and then we present it to the staff staff then takes it they take it to the players right and then it's going to kind of keep going through that for each situation in the game so you're like chefs who are putting things together for a tasting and then what is liked what people love to eat is what you end up serving for sure, for sure you can't serve ribs to a formal dinner you know what I mean the food doesn't fit that doesn't work this week that goes out this comes in that's a very fair analogy that was a phenomenal analogy Mikey thank you good time for me to mention SeatGeek because I'm having my moment SeatGeek is now the official ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans whether you're buying or selling tickets to Titans games or any other live event in Nashville SeatGeek is the place to do it SeatGeek the new official ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans so Titans fans, Ken fans she says that well Bo Hardigree, Jackson Tennessee's own Tennessee Volunteer do you have a background of sorts Bo Hardigree? I don't as much as Brian did so him and Brian worked together in Denver they both have ties they're kind of all off that Peyton Manning tree you know with Adam Gase and Jim Bob Cooter and those kind of guys so that was really their connection I was kind of like one degree removed from those guys but I also know all the guys that had him at the Raiders and I've known Bo for a long time and everybody just made sure that he is kind of his very calming presence on the quarterback and then shoot you saw what he got thrown into the fire at the end of the season all of a sudden he's just calling the plays and he did a great job How much does it help that there are so many guys on the offensive side who have called plays in college or in the pros? I think it's a huge advantage just because even you know when I was a younger coach I used to think this is how I would do it or this is what I would want to do and then now once you've done it you're like okay I now see why they did it this way it gives you a whole new perspective so with Bo having called plays and Coach Callahan and you know Brian's called plays and just you know we really were intentional about building a staff with kind of a really good background we're not all the same Justin out and has as well Oh yeah I'm sorry about J.O. he's what a brilliant guy he is and what a great personality and presence he has when we interviewed him it took about two seconds to be like you're staying he had a couple of boxes in his office we walked in there a day later just keep unpacking these buddy put them right back on the shelves There is a tremendous amount of experience it's very varied in terms of the experience it's varied in terms of the ages of people on the staff there's so many different perspectives on this Titans coaching staff that has to be beneficial not only for the coaches but also for then engaging with the players because a locker room is filled with people of varying backgrounds and experiences as well That's a good question Nice job Amy I'm here I know She said something nice to me I get it It's contractual At least you guys know I think it's really important to have a variety of thoughts and so many different perspectives before it even gets to the players and then Tykes coached a long time Randy coached and played for Luke Stocker just got done playing so we were talking to him I see things this way he was just doing it 18 months ago he's a really bright guy that's got a huge future in front of him so as you start talking to all these guys you're like okay that's a that's something I haven't thought of and I think we're also I would like to think that our staff we're very humble that we want to hear as many different ways to do something as we can certainly after the first couple of weeks there hasn't been a this is what I know and you're wrong we haven't had that conversation yet so I don't think we will either I want to go back to your Jacksonville type okay so you're playing against the Titans last year you saw Will Levis in the first game yep and then you did not see him in the season finale correct and you're on the other side of the ball you're worried about Trevor Lawrence and CJ Bedford and what they're going to do how much do you know at that point and as you come into this about Will Levis so I really didn't know much about Will during the season right so we didn't the Jaguars weren't really in the first round quarterback market so we really didn't as a passing he was going to spend much more time with the other skill positions we had a much more likely chance of drafting I watched him real quickly but didn't do any of the background stuff and then once he started to play he played Atlanta right after we did in his first game and then we started having you know the crossover games you know they played Indy and they played and as you start watching him you're just like man this guy's pretty good alright this guy's got some stuff oh that's a great throw or boy that's a huge hit that he's got it from or boy that's a tough scramble on third down and so you saw those things and you're just you kept kind of becoming more intrigued and then you really saw a lot of the energy and kind of the spark in the team you know like you kind of saw him really bring a new energy I think you know not talking about anybody else but he just looked like he kind of brought in and really raised the level of the group he put a vault a shot however you want to call it in the whole team so as the the process unfolds obviously Brian Callahan's going to spend a lot of time with Will Levis Bo Hardegre's going to spend a lot of time with Will Levis I would imagine you will as well we will we will become very close I would imagine you know he's really Brian and myself and Bo will almost be in all the quarterback meetings so any meeting with him at least Bo and I will be in everyone for the most part and then Brian you know he gets pulled away being a head coach and doing all those other kind of things and he'll have to go sit with the defense and that's his problem that's why he gets paid that much money he's got to go sit over there listen to tackling I don't want to hear any of that so we'll be lock step kind of the whole way so there will be not any issues with communication it's all going to be said and heard and received and we're all getting the same feedback from Will at the same time how important is establishing that relationship with your quarterback early it's imperative and I don't think anybody can really have success in this league without that kind of relationship like it is it's different than college like it's a it's a man's grown-ups league you know what I mean these guys have just as much investment in their futures and they are the players are the ones that have to go out there and do the job you know they're the face of the franchise we just need to enable them but the we need to feel like they can trust us that that if they have a problem and they don't tell us that that should be on that you know what I mean but that's on us for not for them feeling that's a relationship that they can do that you know there's nothing worse than when a player comes off and go I hated that play all week we didn't tell me we gave you plenty of opportunities hey is there any players you don't like nah I like them all you know or whatever and that's just I get the idea wills a guy who'll tell him yeah yeah I get that vibe he doesn't seem he doesn't seem shy he's not bashful no no he does not seem shy can't wait to talk football we're just doing the hey how you do meetings you know but no but the personalities to around the quarterback I think it's pretty obvious from your OTP appearance you're not serious every single moment of the day I would say that's not I would say that's accurate but I would think that's really good for Will Levis who is a you know a pretty serious guy he he's kind of learned to loosen up a little bit which is something that they wanted him to do initially when he got here totally I think there's a I don't know how I don't you know again I was in an FL quarterback but I can imagine the pressure of actually being the guy has to be just you know you know probably seen it cripple guys you know and so we have here I can understand why you would be so serious but you can't be to the point where it's holding you back right I mean I'll let you be yourself and the end it's just a game you know whatever it's a game where you're gonna make a lot of money and do all those other kind of things there's a lot of pressure and attention but if you can't go play and let it let it loose then you're really probably going to never reach your full potential when you think about how many hours these guys put in to you've got to have a couple of moments where you have a laugh and just realize it I mean it certain points during the week it is a job and you've got to take a little break from the pressures of the job totally you can't be sitting there you know eating your lunch like it's fourth and one and just be you know some point you gotta relax talk to make some friends talk to those guys it's all you know just like every other workplace can't just sit there and be all tightened up the whole time you know Mike as I listen to this discussion the thing that my brain just keeps coming back to is how all of these crossing paths and all of these different people that have all come together it seems like it has created a staff and just a culture almost a group within the football part of this building that is so comfortable and that's really a place where it guys can really do whatever it takes to create the best possible football team is that a fair assessment I think so I hope so I think that was the goal you know and I you bring in good people you empower them and you let them do their jobs and that goes for players and coaches you know I think we want the same thing when we're you know listening to Rand talk about players and you know they want the guys that want to be here want to be great teammates great citizens you know and just kind of really embody everything we're looking for all right so let's wrap up with this so you go to De La Salle with Brian Callahan dead and so you're on the practice field together and now however many years later it would be like close to 25 probably 125 be cool Mike be cool 20 plus but not to 25 okay I'm sorry I've already lost my hair man I got enough things working against me you're actually older than Brian by a few weeks I am because you've got an important birthday coming up and so what I was getting to is do you ever I mean I know you never thought well Brian's going to be an NFL head coach and I'll be his offensive coordinator I'm sure that never crossed your mind but as you look back on it now knowing that you would go on to Colorado and would make your own way and then would work for his dad and knowing Brian as you did back in those days as a player while it is probably somewhat surprising is it maybe not shocking that it's happened that's probably the best way I've heard it said yet from the standpoint of Brian always had a presence and a seriousness to him he was going to do something yeah he was going to be whatever he chose to do he was going to be successful and he he had a kind of just this baseline way of going about his day which was probably unlike most high schoolers including myself you know I would say he was just kind of always focused he never he never seemed to kind of stray or kind of whatever he was just always this would have to do today this would have to do tomorrow that kind of way and I think that's why what it takes to climb into one of these jobs and to be you know one of the 32 of 32 head coaches in the NFL and so yes did I think he was going to be the head coach of the Tennessee Titans or some other NFL team I can't say I had it totally dialed but I think if you asked everybody around us that age he was just had a level of maturity I think that most of us didn't he was that guy in a good way yes yeah absolutely absolutely I'm a little upset that this is going to be public that he can now clip this we've got the flip side we've got the Lincoln Nebraska police on the line and see if I can report an attempted murder a couple years ago okay so how much fun was it to attend Colorado it was great did not prepare you know didn't prepare me for life after college but man what a great time that was I was reading that I was like oh I bet he had fun in college I'd like to think I'm a good time Boulder's a good spot we're glad you're here and tell your dad Lou Holtz we said hi your brother Skip Holtz keep waiting for them to invite me to their beach houses or you know at least like a meal or something I'll keep waiting Dick Holtz Titan's Offensive Coordinator we're very glad you're here and thank you for taking time this was a lot of fun thank you for having me this was great alright for Dick Holtz and Amy Wells I'm Mike Keith thanks for joining us for the O.T.