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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Titans want Cam Ward to be more careful with his words.
In the aftermath of Tennessee’s shutout loss last week to Houston, the No. 1 pick’s remarks about the offense being “ass” so far this season went viral. On Wednesday, coach Brian Callahan said Ward is still “growing up” to the spotlight and learning how much weight his words carry.
“Even though he follows up the commentary with a lot of the right things, it’s the one-liner that gets taken [and run with],” Callahan mentioned, partly. “He is studying the way to cope with [the media] and the way to perceive the way to have these conversations and nonetheless keep the picture that he needs to take care of as a beginning quarterback.”
I believe Callahan’s remarks are precisely what’s flawed with the Titans.
No. 1 general decide Cam Ward has but to win an NFL recreation, and he is not being quiet about his and the crew’s early-season efficiency. (Photograph by Perry Knotts/Getty Pictures)
This can be a crew in disaster. A crew that’s had no solutions for years. A laughingstock within the NFL. And not using a win since final November, Tennessee someway reached a brand new low final week — a four-score, shutout loss by the hands of one other winless crew. So the very last thing the Titans must be nervous about are public platitudes coming from their quarterback’s mouth. Ward’s brutal honesty ought to as a substitute be recommended. That is the mentality that this franchise has desperately wanted.
And I believe that is the mentality that can assist Ward survive this case. The Titans will not break Cam Ward.
We’ve seen this script finish badly for younger quarterbacks earlier than. With a franchise that has dangerous teaching, lackluster weapons and an offensive line that may’t move shield round them, many promising passers lose their confidence. They break ultimately, by no means in a position to get well. The fortunate ones are in a position to rebound solely after they’ve left the crew that drafted them for one that may construct them again up.
“Extra organizations fail the quarterback than the quarterback failing the group,” Titans president of soccer operations Chad Brinker informed me earlier than the season. “We perceive that.”
However Ward’s ethos suggests a unique destiny, that he’ll someway be quarterback in time, even when the Titans by no means determine it out round him.
It begins along with his supreme perception in himself and in these round him.
How he’d jaw forwards and backwards in follow with Titans edge Jeffery Simmons, one in all soccer’s greatest defensive gamers, earlier than he’d performed knowledgeable recreation. How he informed the world in coaching camp that Tennessee would have a top-10 offense this season, one thing no rational observer of this crew would’ve mentioned with a straight face.
“For a child that basically wasn’t a extremely recruited child, he had a variety of alternatives in life to have that perception dented in a approach. You’ll be able to’t dent it. I imply, you simply can’t,” Shannon Dawson, Ward’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Miami, informed me final month. “[The Titans] may go 0-16, and he’s nonetheless going to play with the identical confidence each week, like they’re 16-0. … It’s not going to be all excellent, however he’s going to compete completely.”
Regardless of flashes, Ward has struggled. His footwork and getting via his progressions are a piece in progress. He hasn’t been notably correct. He tends to carry the ball too lengthy at instances, ready for performs to develop.
Of the 33 certified quarterbacks, the No. 1 decide ranks final in completion price (51.2%) and yards per try (4.9), second to final in passer score (63.9), and third to final in completion price over anticipated and EPA per dropback, in line with Subsequent Gen Stats. He’s thrown for simply 614 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in 4 video games.
However the Titans aren’t doing a lot to assist him.
Ward’s supposed No. 1 receiver, Calvin Ridley, has had dropping points and is averaging simply 35.3 yards per recreation, which might mark a profession low. Ward has been sacked 17 instances, most within the NFL. He’s confronted 66 pressures, third most, and a 44.0% stress price, additionally third most. His protection doesn’t have a move rush (Tennessee’s 4 sacks is tied for second to final) and has routine second-half breakdowns.
Ward’s postgame remarks on Sunday had been an trustworthy and correct evaluation of how unacceptable all of it is. Even Callahan may see the place Ward was coming from.
“I believe what everyone seems to be studying about Cam is that he cares an amazing quantity. It is actually necessary to him,” Callahan mentioned Monday. “He needs to win soccer video games. He needs to ship profitable performances for our group, for our followers. That is what he cares about. There’s nothing else that he has any curiosity in aside from enjoying soccer and attempting to play soccer at a excessive stage.
“He wears his feelings a bit of bit on the market, and I do not assume there’s something flawed with that. On the finish of the day, I do know the place it is coming from, and I do know why he is the way in which he’s in these moments. [It’s] as a result of he needs nothing greater than to play effectively and win.”
Simmons mentioned he spoke with Ward after his postgame feedback. It’ll be saved “off the file,” the Professional Bowl defensive sort out mentioned, however he famous that he had recommendation for the rookie quarterback.
“When these microphones are in entrance of you, they will blow up only one a part of what you’re saying,” Simmons mentioned. “If you activate the tape, there’s a motive why we are available in and be like, ‘We’re proper there.’ There’s a motive why we are available in and be like, ‘I really feel like we now have an opportunity to win soccer video games on Sundays.’ … It’s simply the small issues we have to repair to assist us win soccer video games.”
The small issues?
For this reason Ward’s mentality is required.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand labored for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Community, the place he was the Titans beat author for a 12 months and a half. He coated the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for 3 seasons (2018-20) previous to transferring to Tennessee. You’ll be able to observe Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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