Brian Callahan sees improvement in Titans QB Will Levis despite 0-2 start
NASHVILLE – It hasn't been an ideal start to the 2024 regular season for the Tennessee Titans or quarterback Will Levis. The Titans are 0-2, and costly turnovers from Levis are a big reason why. The second-year quarterback has had some inexplicable and unforced errors that have cost Tennessee points in both games. When you […]
NASHVILLE – It hasn't been an ideal start to the 2024 regular season for the Tennessee Titans or quarterback Will Levis.
The Titans are 0-2, and costly turnovers from Levis are a big reason why. The second-year quarterback has had some inexplicable and unforced errors that have cost Tennessee points in both games. When you lose both games by one score, it's hard to not look back at those in frustration.
Even Titans head coach Brian Callahan was visibly frustrated with Levis on the sideline of Tennessee's Week 2 loss to the Jets. Callahan can be seen screaming "what the **** are you doing?" to his young quarterback after a fumble in the red zone.
After the game, Callahan didn't pull any punches when he was asked about the play. The first-year head coach called it both "dumb" and "inexcusable." Both of which are true.
But just because Callahan is frustrated by some of the decisions his quarterback has been making does not mean he is frustrated or discouraged by his quarterback overall. The Titans' head coach has expressed confidence in Levis moving forward, and even pointed to Sunday's loss as an example of Levis' improvement.
"I just thought we had coached that one. And then just to see his instincts take over in that moment and that to happen the way it did was—obviously, clearly, I was pretty upset about it. I still am. It's not something that I think is an acceptable way to play," said Callahan in Monday's press conference. "But I think, on the flip side, is that Will (Levis) did have a much better game than last week. I thought a lot of things he did, we saw improvement. That part was positive. I coach Will hard, but I do love him pretty hard too, and I think that that's okay."
"His footwork was much better. He played on time better. He was more accurate than he was last week. He looked more settled in. He managed it better this week." Callahan went on to add that the Titans need to do a better job of protecting Levis, who has been the NFL's most pressured quarterback through two weeks of the regular season (NextGenStats).
If you take out the fumble, Will Levis actually had a pretty impressive day against the Jets. His interception was a pass that should have been caught by Treylon Burks for an explosive gain. Levis also hung in against pressure, pushed the ball down the field, and managed the game well enough.
Tennessee would have been sitting on 20 points with a chance to win in the game's final plays. "I think if you take out that really silly mistake that he made and we get three points there, I think you leave that game, whether we win or lose, feeling like he’s made improvement. That's what we're looking for," said Callahan. I would agree.
I'm not jumping to any conclusions before I see how Will Levis bounces back in two winnable games against the Packers and the Dolphins. Because his biggest errors thus far are unforced errors, it gives me reason to believe they are more correctable than if he was struggling with reading a defense or accuracy.
Tennessee Titans make the same inexcusable mistakes in ‘déjà vu’ loss to Jets
Seen this movie before.
