Titans are off to their worst start since 2015 and looking for answers with a 1st-year coach

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans never saw this coming, and now their challenge is trying to salvage something from a 1-6 start that is the franchise's worst since 2015.

The Titans spent a lot in free agency and draft capital to give first-year coach Brian Callahan plenty of help.

Callahan said Monday he knows the Titans have no proof for their hard work. He didn't ask for trust and said there's no “sugar-coating” with Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk.

“It’s a production-based business and a results-based business. We’re 1-6, and that is what it is,” Callahan said. “But I do have faith in where we’re headed, and I do have faith in how we go about our business here and what that’s going to bring for us.”

That 2015 start cost Ken Whisenhunt his job 23 games into his tenure. The Titans' biggest problem now is that Strunk has a general manager in his second season with a first-year coach in Callahan and no results to show for all the investment.

The Titans have been outscored 86-24 over their past two road losses combined after a 52-14 rout in Detroit that was the fourth-worst loss by point margin since this franchise became the Titans in 1999.

Worse, any flashes of improvement continue being drowned out by turnovers, penalties and other mistakes.

Only Carolina (1-7) has a worse record thanks to the Titans having their bye Oct. 6, and Tennessee is closer to being eliminated from playoff contention with a measly 2% chance at the postseason — worst in the AFC.

The defense. The Titans put the offense in good position starting the game by forcing a Detroit three-and-out. They had three sacks in the first quarter and finished with four. They lead the NFL in both giving up a league-low 265.4 yards per game and 151.6 yards passing.

Unfortunately, four turnovers and long returns allowed on special teams left Tennessee with too many short fields to defend. They gave up five touchdowns with the longest drive 26 yards.

Special teams. They gave up a 72-yard kickoff return and 190 yards on punt returns, including a 90-yarder for a touchdown by a former Titans receiver in Kalif Raymond.

The Titans are last in the NFL in allowing 18.2 yards on punt returns and next to last on kickoff return coverage. Punter Ryan Stonehouse has a powerful leg but needs to better angle his punts to help his teammates. Callahan said the hangtime was around 4 seconds, which isn't enough.

Callahan said he will watch film with coordinator Colt Anderson and what schemes can be tweaked. The coach also defended Anderson, saying personnel was changed after giving up a couple of blocked punts early this season. That sacrificed some speed and coverage ability.

Hey Calvin Ridley! The high-priced free agent finally came through with his best game for his new team and best in a couple of seasons. He caught every pass in the first quarter for 118 yards and finished with a season-high 10 catches for 143 yards.

That was a massive improvement for a receiver targeted 23 times with five catches for 26 yards total over his past four games.

Mason Rudolph. Yes, the backup quarterback got the offense moving and putting up lots of yards. He also stared down a receiver on one of his two interceptions. Rudolph finished completing 57.9% of his passes and threw incomplete on four attempts on first-and-goal from the 1 at the end of the first half.

Callahan said he's optimistic quarterback Will Levis might be closer to 100% after having two games off to heal sprained right AC joint in his throwing shoulder. The coach said he didn't have any new injuries to report from the game.

The challenge will be if CB L'Jarius Sneed (quadriceps) and RB Tyjae Spears (hamstring) have a chance to return after missing two straight games.

16 — The number of turnovers by the Titans that are next to last in the NFL. Combined with only three takeaways, they are tied with the Raiders for last in turnover margin.

Try to win at home for the first time this season by hosting New England (2-6) on Sunday. Then hit the road to visit the Chargers in a season going nowhere fast — except to a top draft pick in April.

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Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) runs into the end zone for a touchdown past Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) and linebacker Jack Gibbens (50) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) makes a catch past Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph (11) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, right, celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Tennessee Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph addresses the media after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Tennessee Titans head coach Bria Callahan looks onto the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top vaccine official with the Food and Drug Administration has resigned and criticized the nation’s top health official for allowing “misinformation and lies” to guide his thinking behind the safety of vaccinations.

Dr. Peter Marks sent a letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner on Friday saying that he would resign and retire by April 5 as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

In his letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Marks said he was “willing to work” to address the concerns expressed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about the safety of vaccinations. But he concluded that wasn't possible.

“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” he wrote.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.

Marks was offered the choice of resigning or being fired by Kennedy, according to a former FDA official familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he didn’t have permission to discuss the matter publicly.

Kennedy has a long history of spreading anti-vaccine misinformation, although during his Senate confirmation hearings he seemed to say he would not undermine vaccines. He promised the chair of the Senate health committee that he would not change existing vaccine recommendations.

Since becoming commissioner, Kennedy has vowed to scrutinize the safety of childhood vaccinations, despite decades of evidence they are safe and have saved millions of lives.

Marks oversaw the agency’s rapid review and approval of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments during the pandemic.

Marks is credited with coining the name and concept for “Operation Warp Speed,” the effort under President Donald Trump to rapidly manufacture vaccines while they were still being tested for safety and efficacy. The initiative cut years off the normal development process.

Despite the project’s success, Trump repeatedly lashed out at the FDA for not approving the first COVID shots even sooner. Trump told confidants after his 2020 loss that he would have been re-elected if the vaccine had been available before Election Day.

Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, criticized what he called the “firing” of Marks.

“RFK Jr.’s firing of Peter Marks because he wouldn’t bend a knee to his misinformation campaign now allows the fox to guard the hen house," Offit said. “It’s a sad day for America’s children.”

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said the issues raised in Marks' resignation letter “should be frightening to anyone committed to the importance of evidence to guide policies and patient decisions.”

“I hope this will intensify the communication across academia, industry and government to bolster the importance of science and evidence,” he wrote.

The resignation follows news Friday that HHS plans to lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country.

In a post on social media Thursday, Kennedy criticized the department he oversees as an inefficient “sprawling bureaucracy." He also faulted the department’s 82,000 workers for a decline in Americans’ health.

The resignation is the latest blow to the beleaguered health agency, which has been rocked for weeks by layoffs, retirements and a chaotic return-to-office process that left many staffers without permanent offices, desks or other supplies. Last month, Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods, resigned, citing “the indiscriminate firing” of nearly 90 staffers in his division, according to a copy of his resignation letter obtained by the AP.

Marks, who could not be reached for comment, also raised concerns in his letter about “efforts currently being advanced by some on the adverse health effects of vaccination are concerning” as well as the “unprecedented assault on scientific truth that has adversely impacted public health in our nation.”

He went on to detail the historic benefits of vaccinations dating back to George Washington and pointed to the ongoing measles outbreak as proof of what can happen when doubts about science take hold.

“The ongoing multistate measles outbreak that is particularly severe in Texas reminds us of what happens when confidence in well-established science underlying public health and well-being is undermined,” he wrote.

The measles outbreak, which could go on for months, has now spread to Kansas and Ohio after sickening more than 370 in Texas and New Mexico.

If it hits other unvaccinated communities across the U.S., as may now be the case in Kansas, the outbreak could endure for a year and threaten the nation’s status as having eliminated the local spread of the vaccine-preventable disease, public health experts said.

Casey reported from Boston. Perrone reported from Washington, D.C.

FILE - Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research within the Food and Drug Administration testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing to examine an update from Federal officials on efforts to combat COVID-19, Tuesday, May 11, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP, File)