New Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon made a fascinating analogy when trying to convey how he wants his team to play during the season.
While taking questions from reporters at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Carthon threw a little shade to point-happy NFL teams by extolling the virtues of playing tough defense and running the football.
He likened the pass-happy approach to “Golden State Warriors football” that only gets you so far in the season compared to the grit-and-grind approach that usually fares better when the weather changes and guys start to feel the weight of the season.
When you have Derrick Henry, it’s easy to feel good about this answer.
Titans GM Ran Carthon on his philosophy for team building:
“It’s cute and sexy to play Golden State Warriors football in September and October when the weather is good, but the teams that play in January play tough defense and run the football” pic.twitter.com/cutGtyCh9W
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 28, 2023
Carthon came from an organization, the San Francisco 49ers, that kind of did both things. They could pass on you with the best of them and score a lot of points, but there was also a discipline in place with a creative run scheme and a hard-nosed defense that wasn’t afraid to alter games when necessary.
The best NFL teams score a lot of points, run the ball well and play smart, tough defense. To Carthon, you don’t want your priorities to just be the “Golden State” style of points in bunches.
