Jason Wolf

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Dick LeBeau wanted greater control of the Titans defense next season, coach Mike Mularkey told a crowd of fans Saturday at 104.5-FM’s annual SportsFest at Nissan Stadium, providing details about the events leading up to former defensive coordinator Ray Horton’s departure from the team.

Horton, who interviewed to become the Titans’ head coach in January, only to see the team hire Mularkey for the permanent job later the same day, responded by asking to be let out of his contract to become defensive coordinator of the Browns.

But before Horton was passed over in favor of Mularkey, there was already a struggle brewing for control of the defense, which came to a head only hours after management's decision.

“It’s kind of ironic that Coach LeBeau came to me the day before Ray Horton left and said, ‘I’d like to call the plays here next year,’ ” Mularkey said. “And I’m like, ‘I’ve got to figure out a way — how do I do this without ruffling the coaching staff too much?’ And the next morning, Ray came up and said, ‘I’d like to go to Cleveland.’ And I said, ‘Well that’s one way to make sure coach LeBeau calls the plays.’

“And I said, ‘Sure. I think that’s a great idea.’ ”

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Horton was hired by Ken Whisenhunt in 2014 to be the defensive coordinator.

Last season, he shared responsibilities with his longtime mentor LeBeau, who was named assistant head coach/defense in 2015.

LeBeau has 57 seasons of NFL experience as a player and a coach and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Horton has played for or coached alongside LeBeau in 19 of his 32 seasons in the league.

“Dick actually drafted Ray in Cincinnati, so they’ve known each other a long time,” Mularkey said. “But each and every guy that’s a coordinator wants to put his own little wrinkle into the defense. And coach LeBeau, when he came in here last year, he was under the impression that he’d have more input, more of a chance to call the defense. And that wasn’t the case.”

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The year before Horton's arrival, the Titans ranked 14th in total defense (337.9 yards allowed per game) and 16th in points allowed (23.8). After his first season, they were 27th in total defense (373) and 29th in points allowed (27.4).

Last season, the Titans’ second using a 3-4 defensive front and with LeBeau on staff, they ranked 12th in total defense (342.2 yards) and seventh against the pass (229.9), but were still among the most scored upon units in the NFL, ranking 27th in points allowed (26.4).

Whisenhunt was fired seven games into the season, with a 1-6 record and 3-20 mark since the beginning of his tenure. Mularkey was promoted to interim coach and finished the season 2-7.

In January, the day after Mularkey was named the Titans' permanent head coach, Fritz Pollard Alliance chairman John Wooten told The Tennessean that Horton felt “overshadowed” by LeBeau’s presence and “insulted” by the Titans for not being initially considered for the head coaching job, and had asked to leave for Cleveland, where he was being recruited by new Browns coach Hue Jackson.

The Pollard Alliance, which promotes minority candidates for head coaching and executive positions across the NFL, had been touting Horton's candidacy for several years.

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In response to Wooten's comments, Horton denied that he was insulted by the Titans and told ESPN he was working on a contract extension with the team.

“I was very happy to have an interview,” Horton told The Tennessean. “I welcomed the opportunity to interview for (controlling owner) Mrs. (Amy Adams) Strunk and the Tennessee Titans organization. The interview went outstanding. It was about a four-hour interview where great ideas were exchanged that I was told will be implemented in the Tennessee Titans organization. I couldn’t have been insulted by it, because it went well.”

He joined the Browns just days later.

Mularkey, who tapped friends and former colleagues around the league to join his coaching staff after the interim tag was removed, was comfortable with LeBeau and thrilled to hand him full control of the defense.

“I think coach LeBeau wakes up every morning and thinks up a new blitz,” Mularkey said. “He is a blitzing guru. I’ve been around coach LeBeau for a long time.”

LeBeau has similarly had a strong hand in shaping the coaching staff and roster. The Titans have signed or re-signed a number of former Steelers defensive players this offseason, including nose tackle Al Woods, cornerbacks Brice McCain and Antwon Blake and linebacker Sean Spence. They also hired former Steelers cornerback DeShea Townsend as a defensive backs coach.

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Horton’s request to leave suited the interests of all parties.

“My first thought after talking with Ray, I called coach LeBeau and I said, ‘Coach, I’ve got some news for you. Ray is not going to be here,’ " Mularkey said, growing animated. "And he was like, ‘Yeeessssss!’

“But not because Ray was leaving. He was just excited that he’d get to call the plays. He’s very good at it.”

Reach Jason Wolf at jwolf@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter at @JasonWolf and on Instagram at TitansBeat.