JC Latham experienced his initial on-field immersion with new Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan on Friday afternoon, when Tennessee’s first-round pick took the field for rookie minicamp.
But even by then, Latham already had an idea of the level of detail Callahan — who’s coached O-line for 22 years — demands at the position.
That knowledge was gained earlier in the day, when Latham and his fellow rookie offensive linemen not only watched film of what Callahan wants from his players—but acted out parts from time to time as well.
“Even in the meetings, he’ll show us the film, what it should look like, how it’s supposed to be done,” Latham said of Callahan, the father of Titans head coach Brian Callahan. “He’ll talk to us about it. And then he’ll even just grab one of the guys and be like, `Hey, let me see you do this, do this, do that.’
“He grabbed me out earlier when we were in the meeting and we were going over our stance, and I was in my stance for like two minutes, so [he was] just trying to show us and show me how to keep the knee bend and the weight distribution and all that. But he’s a great coach.”
The next introductory moment for Latham came on the field, when the former Alabama standout first went head-to-head with the 380-pound sled known as “The Climber,” which Callahan invented about half a decade ago.
There were, predictably, some trial-and-error moments for Latham and his fellow rookies in facing the kind of sled that Callahan believes more uniquely mimics the stance of defensive linemen than traditional blocking sleds — forcing offensive linemen to use better technique and balance.
“At ‘Bama, we have a sled similar to it, not exactly like that, but we just put our coaches on it,” Latham said. “So it’s kind of the same in that sense. But it really emphasizes technique.
“On my first rep, where [Callahan] wanted us to move it, I kind of shot out my hips and kind of got [the sled] straight up, and if you get it straight up, you’re not going to move it as a D-lineman. It will be a stalemate. So you really kind of got to gradually drive as you rise with your hips. So that’s something that I was learning as I went. But it really emphasizes [technique].”
Was Latham aware Callahan invented the sled he’d been using at practice?
“No, I did not know that,” Latham said. “I wouldn’t be surprised, though, how intricate he is with everything he’s doing. He’s probably invented a lot of other stuff that we don’t know about.”
The big challenge this offseason for Latham, the seventh overall pick in the draft, is switching from the right tackle position he played for three seasons at Alabama to the left tackle, where he would protect the blind side of quarterback Will Levis against top pass rushers.
Callahan said Thursday he believes Latham will be able to flip sides successfully, thanks to his athleticism, size and strength.
Know this, too: Latham will be as well prepared as anyone to make such a move, thanks to the education he’s already receiving from Callahan.
“He’s very, very intricate with the detail of the work,” Latham said. “And he’ll let you know, if you had a bad rep, he’ll just tell you your rep sucked. But if you did good, he’ll let you know you did good. He’ll let you know areas to improve in and he’s really intricate.”