Tennessee Titans rookie Malik Willis makes first NFL start versus Houston Texans
HOUSTON — The Tennessee Titans (4-2) will start rookie quarterback Malik Willis today against the Houston Texans (1-4-1). Incumbent Ryan Tannehill was ruled out on Saturday, dealing with both an ankle sprain and an illness. This day was always going to come eventually. Willis is an absolutely electrifying prospect with plenty of room to grow. Tennessee […]
HOUSTON — The Tennessee Titans (4-2) will start rookie quarterback Malik Willis today against the Houston Texans (1-4-1). Incumbent Ryan Tannehill was ruled out on Saturday, dealing with both an ankle sprain and an illness.
This day was always going to come eventually.
Willis is an absolutely electrifying prospect with plenty of room to grow. Tennessee sent the rookie into regular season action for mop-up duty during the Titans 41-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills (5-1), but this will be Willis' first real opportunity to get real experience. Coach Mike Vrabel always emphasizes that every player, regardless of role or position, prepare like a starter each week.
Far easier said than done at the quarterback position.
Try not to overreact to Willis, good or bad
A substantial ask, I know.
Willis' situation in Tennessee is so different from his drafted predecessors. Vrabel has shown zero interest in expediting the rookie's process, creating an ideal situation for the young quarterback to develop and learn behind an established veteran. The difficulty once the regular season begins is that the back-up passer almost never gets meaningful practice reps.
"The scout team stuff is a great way for everybody to develop," Vrabel said of Willis this week. "He has done that. A lot of other guys have done that. We try to explain that to those guys each and every week when they come. Prepare as a starter and take advantage of your opportunities whether it comes on the offensive or the defensive side of the ball or the show team. A lot of guys have gotten recognized and improved by being able to do that."
Recognition is fine. How it translates into live-game action is an entirely different matter.
Willis will make mistakes in Houston. It is entirely possible that he'll also make spectacular plays, like the touchdown run he created during his first preseason action in Baltimore on a red zone sprint-right option play. The responsibility is on all of us, fans and media, to not let Sunday's outing against the Texans cause wild overcorrections.
Today is simply about using the parts and pieces available to Vrabel and his staff to try and defeat a down-bad divisional opponent on the road.
The angst to see Willis debut is totally understandable. One could easily get caught up in the promise of what that kind of athlete could do in an offense that has done enough to win four straight games but precious little else as far as entertainment value. Opinions will fly fast and furiously across the Internet with each snap the rookie takes.
Ignore them (even mine) and enjoy whatever unfolds between Tennessee and Houston on Sunday. Understand that the Titans simply are not rushing anything around Willis just yet.
Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.
