Tennessee Titans first-year coach Robert Saleh doesn't hit the snooze button the mornings after his team loses.
Or the panic button, for that matter.
But on Oct. 19, a day after his team finally learned "how to stop losing," or how to win, or whatever they did when they came back to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 26-20 for their first victory of the season, Saleh's aim was a little off.
"I didn't panic when I accidentally hit the 'off' button on my alarm this morning, instead of 'snooze,' " Saleh said during his Oct. 19 Zoom conference with reporters.
Will anything change this week because the Titans won?
That the Titans (1-5) erased a 13-0 halftime deficit and won a game they normally would have lost in recent seasons was nice, Saleh said, but it won't change how the team approaches its next game, which
is Oct. 25 against the Cleveland Browns.
"We watched (the game) as a staff, asked the same hard questions about why certain things were called, why certain things were executed the way they were in all three phases and we're going to attack it again with the players.
"The only difference between today after a win and days after a loss is that the sensitivity is out the door."
Titans' 'sensitivity out the door.' What does that mean?
Saleh said the players and coaches would be in a better mood, which means they will be more receptive to criticism than they would be after a loss.
"This is our opportunity to go even harder on the things that need to be fixed," he said. "People won't be as sensitive and/or defensive for that matter.
"The only thing that really changes (after a win) is the sensitivity with which people receive messages. ... We don't just gloss over all the bad things and celebrate all the good things."
The @Titans block the punt return and take it to the house for a TD!
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 18, 2026
They take their first lead of the game!
📺: FOX/FOX One pic.twitter.com/5CYQevqulk
One other thing changes, too.
"For one week you're not getting your (butt) kicked every day from family, from friends, from the town," Saleh said. "Just the overall noise that comes with losing in the NFL, the apocalypse at which it is.
What Robert Saleh said about Cam Ward's play against the Colts
Cam Ward was 11-for-22 for 102 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the victory, season lows for him in pass attempts and passing yards. Those 102 passing yards are Ward's second-lowest in 24 career games.
Those numbers were overcome, however, by a defense that forced three turnovers and a blocked punt return for a touchdown by the special teams.
"He's improving," Saleh said. "The game is slowing down for him. He's getting used to what's being asked of him.
"There's things he's got to improve on. It's not all on the quarterback. ... But he is the face of the offense and he's got to play at a higher level."
Saleh referenced "a lot of batted balls" and some missed plays as examples of that.
Who do the Titans play next?
The Titans play the Cleveland Browns (4-2) at home on Oct. 25 (noon, CBS).
"Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @paulskrbina.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans coach Robert Saleh says coaches will ask 'same hard questions' after first win
