Buffalo Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer was working as an assistant coach at Northwestern in 2001 when he got a fateful call out of the blue.
On the phone was Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator and line coach Bill Callahan, who was offering Kromer a job to work under him as assistant offensive line coach.
鈥淚t was a fantastic opportunity for me, because he taught me the West Coast offense, and he taught me all the protection systems,鈥 Kromer said after the Bills鈥 practice Thursday. 鈥淣o doubt, it changed my whole life.鈥
Kromer, hired by Bills coach Sean McDermott in 2022, has developed into one of the most highly regarded offensive line coaches in the NFL. Part of the reason is Kromer had a great mentor in Callahan, who is widely viewed as one of the better offensive line coaches in league history.
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Kromer gets another reunion with Callahan on Sunday when the Tennessee Titans visit Orchard Park. Callahan, 68, went to work with the Titans when his son, Brian, was named Tennessee head coach in January.
Current Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was the connection between Kromer and Callahan. Payton and Kromer worked together at Miami (Ohio) in the mid-1990s. Then Payton became quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997, working with Callahan and then-Eagles coordinator Jon Gruden. Payton recommended Kromer to Callahan.
鈥淏ill did a good job when I got there,鈥 Kromer said of the 2001 season in Oakland. 鈥淚t was the offseason. He would do his work during the day. He was done at a normal hour. At night he would take me in a room and say, 鈥楲isten, this is 鈥20鈥 protection. This is 鈥24鈥 protection. This is 鈥楯et鈥 protection. Here鈥檚 all the ways we pick up these blitzes. Here鈥檚 the rules. Here鈥檚 why. Here鈥檚 the adjustments.
鈥淭hen the good thing was him and Jon would drill me the next day,鈥 Kromer said. 鈥淭hey鈥檇 say, 鈥楪ive me four ways to pick up this blitz.鈥 And then I鈥檇 have to remember it. That put me on a fast track to understanding how football works.鈥
Offensive line coaches are a small fraternity. Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Famer Jim McNally, the legendary former NFL line coach, is a big proponent of Callahan and Kromer because they鈥檙e all from the same philosophical background of keeping the feet rooted in the ground to create leverage.
Kromer said Callahan鈥檚 generous mentorship is just one reason he鈥檚 so respected.
鈥淗e鈥檚 an endless worker,鈥 Kromer said. 鈥淗e continues to study other teams, how people do things, and he has his own spin on the way he wants to do it. But he also never stops working at it. He鈥檚 a grinder, just like Jon Gruden was. He works and works and works and keeps getting better.鈥
The Titans鈥 big DT duo
Tennessee has the heaviest defensive player in the NFL in starting defensive tackle T鈥橵ondre Sweat, a 6-foot-4, 366-pound rookie out of Texas. Sweat was a high second-round pick (38th overall) and is off to a great start.
At the beginning of this season, 12 players on NFL rosters were listed at 350 pounds or more. The second-heaviest defensive player, Baltimore defensive tackle Michael Pierce, is next at 355.
The heaviest players in the league are Baltimore guard Daniel Faalele and Cincinnati tackle Orlando Brown, both listed at 380. Brown is out for the season with a knee injury. Next heaviest is Cleveland backup tackle Dawand Jones, at 374.
Said left tackle Dion Dawkins of Sweat: 鈥淗e might be, like, 400. He is big. He鈥檚 a big boy, and he moves well.鈥
Bills right guard O鈥機yrus Torrence will see plenty of Sweat on Sunday. Torrence faced Sweat in the 2021 season opener when the Louisiana Ragin鈥 Cajuns faced Texas.
鈥淚 remember him being a pretty physical player and definitely big stature,鈥 Torrence said. 鈥淚 remember us coming in with a game plan to try to run, so we were trying to get used to move guys that size. I remember he was really heavy in the middle. That was two years ago, so I鈥檓 sure he鈥檚 gotten bigger since then. It鈥檚 a trip down Memory Lane a bit, playing someone I played in college. You can鈥檛 forget about (Jeffery) Simmons on the other side. It鈥檚 definitely going to be a challenge. We have to have our technique right.鈥
The Bills know all about Simmons, a two-time Pro Bowler who gave them fits in a 2021 game in Nashville. It will be interesting to see how much the Bills can run between the tackles against those two DTs. The Titans are allowing just 2.8 yards per carry between the tackles, according to NFL stats.
鈥淚 love Jeff, I鈥檓 a big fan of Jeff, friends with Jeff,鈥 Dawkins said. 鈥淚 respect Jeff a lot. I know the type of player he is, and I know the type of person he is. He鈥檚 going to come in here and try to cause static in the house. Looking forward to it.鈥
QB in development
The Titans made a bet on size and arm talent when they drafted Will Levis out of Kentucky with the 33rd overall pick in 2023. He鈥檚 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds. He made 26 starts in college. He鈥檚 well-built with a quick release. He鈥檚 competitive and a natural leader. He鈥檚 courageous 鈥 to a fault, at times, as he will put his body in harm鈥檚 way.
The book on Levis was that he was a raw work in progress from the standpoint of pocket presence and decision-making in the pocket. He needs more reps. Will those instincts develop to an elite level? That鈥檚 why general managers make big bucks, get hired or fired.
The Titans鈥 downfield passing game should be better with a strong-armed QB like Levis. He鈥檚 just 5 of 15 for 121 yards on passes of 20-plus yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to hit some more deep shots,鈥 Levis said Wednesday. 鈥淚 feel like my deep-ball accuracy is one of my strong suits, and it just hasn鈥檛 shown up on tape this year. That鈥檚 disappointing for me, so it鈥檚 just finding ways to put myself in better position to be able to get those balls off and just making those plays.鈥
Through 14 NFL starts, Levis has 21 turnovers. He has seven interceptions already this season. Levis is facing the third-lowest blitz rate in the league (23%) but he has the second-highest pressure rate (42%), according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That speaks to both the blocking and his inconsistency in getting the ball out of his hands.
The 30,000-foot view
The Titans are building a 62,000-seat domed stadium that will cost a projected $2.1 billion, with taxpayers financing $1.26 billion. It鈥檚 the largest stadium subsidy in U.S. history. The state of Tennessee is paying $500 million. Another $760 million will be raised from personal seat licenses, revenue bonds and a 1% hotel-motel tax.
The Titans鈥 current home, Nissan Stadium, opened in 1999. Nashville is the home base of five Fortune 500 companies, and a slew of others have corporate offices in the metro area.
Stats for the road
Josh Allen is the fifth QB ever with 10-plus TD passes and no interceptions in a team鈥檚 first six games. ... Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins, 32, has 942 receptions, most among active players and 20th in history. Hopkins is within striking distance this season of catching Randy Moss (982) at No. 15 on the all-time list. ... Titans slot receiver Tyler Boyd, an all-time Bills favorite for his 2017 TD vs. Baltimore that put the Bills in the playoffs, has 526 career receptions, 25th among active players. Boyd had 13 catches this season. ... Titans kicker Nick Folk, in his 17th season, made a 53-yard field goal for Dallas to beat the Bills in 2008, one of the lowlights of the Dick Jauron era. Folk has made an NFL-record 79 straight kicks from less than 40 yards.