Cam Ward details what he wants in the next Titans head coach after Brian Callahan’s firing

In the preseason, Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward was openly campaigning for continuity in his career. He knew as well as anybody else what stability for a young quarterback means for their development. It’s cliche, but one of the most evergreen truths in the National Football League is that organizations fail young quarterbacks more often than young quarterbacks fail organizations.

After six short weeks, owner Amy Adams Strunk gave the green light (if not the direct order) to torpedo Ward’s continuity. It was an arguably impatience and poorly-timed move that ironically was made in service of the quarterback himself. We’ll see if change for the sake of change works this time.

Speaking of change, although it is October, that’s the line of questioning Cam Ward faced at the podium this week: what would you like to see in your next coach?

Cam Ward’s Ideal Replacement For Brian Callahan

I asked Cam if this early lack of continuity in his NFL life frustrated him at all. Unsurprisingly, he took the high road:

“It doesn’t frustrate me. I’ve dealt with coaching changes at really every stop I’ve had in my past, so that’s not the— I’m not frustrated with that. The biggest thing is we’re trying to score points as an offense.”

Far be it from me to accuse Ward of being (wisely) politically correct at the podium. But based on the way he talked about his coaches and continuity in August, I’m going to guess his emotions are a bit more complex this week than he let on.

The NFL is a cold business, though, and nobody is coming to save you when you’re drowning. The only way out is through, and it’s no surprise to see Ward’s mentality remain unshaken. He’s going to work alongside interim head coach Mike McCoy for the next 11 weeks, but after that, what does he want?

“Somebody who can really do everything from top to bottom, and that’s both sides of the ball,” Ward explained on Wednesday. “Offense, defense, they know the system in and out. And I think the biggest things is how is the coach going to be with players. How’s he going to comrade the locker room. You have all different types of personalities in our locker room. And whoever we get, I know they’ll be the right hire. But that’s not really my main focus right now. I’m with Coach (Mike) McCoy right now, we’re going to try to win some games.”

It’s unfair for me to erase McCoy’s chances of retaining the job before he even gets a game under his belt, so I’ll be happy to eat my words if he rattles off enough wins to give himself a real chance. But that’s the reality here: he’s going to have to win. There’s a ton of season left and some real talent and potential on this roster that could still be kinetic in the right ways. But I’m familiar with the players, coaches, and system he’s working with… so “optimism” isn’t the word I’d use to describe my expectations.

Ward’s general explanation of his next coach is just that: pretty general. But one theme you could choose to read into that answer is experience. That’s something that I know this front office is going to keep in mind when they embark on this coaching search in earnest this winter, because if nothing else, that’s what history suggests is best. The most successful category of coach in league history boils down to second-time head coaches, and coordinators who have called plays for five or more years.

This franchise is in such a state of disarray, that it’s hard not to value somebody who will come in and offer a comfortable floor. This isn’t a team that feels like it has the luxury of swinging for pure upside on their next guy. They need somebody who is going to come in and doesn’t have to do a ton of learning; because the future of this team is who needs to be doing all the learning. Most importantly, Cam Ward.