“No, probably not” — Brian Callahan openly admits he isn’t letting Cam Ward do enough, but the reason he gives is a fair one

The Tennessee Titans lost to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, getting blown out in the second half on their way to a 33-19 final score. This puts them at 0-2 after facing a pair of playoff-caliber teams in their first two weeks, and the young players on the roster have been just about […]

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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The Tennessee Titans lost to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, getting blown out in the second half on their way to a 33-19 final score. This puts them at 0-2 after facing a pair of playoff-caliber teams in their first two weeks, and the young players on the roster have been just about the only consistent bright spots so far. Chief amongst them, of course, is rookie QB Cam Ward. He’s looked like a rookie a handful of times, and he’s certainly not at a point yet where he can carry this struggling team on his back. No rookie fits that description out of the gates.

But what he has shown has been promising. He’s looked like he belongs as an NFL starter already. And his flashes of greatness have been tantalizing. As is often the case with rookie quarterbacks, the appetite for maximum action from them is insatiable from fans. And in his first two games, the consensus seems to be disappointed by how much he’s been untethered by the coaching staff. That isn’t shocking. I’m convinced that might always be the case, no matter how much a staff lets a young guy do. But it might surprise you to learn that in his Week 2 postgame press conference, Brian Callahan openly agreed.

Callahan Admits What Fans Want To Hear

Brian Callahan also thinks Cam Ward hasn’t been able to do as much as he’d ideally be allowed to do. Here’s exactly what he said, for context. The question was about the end of half sequence, when the Titans played for the field goal and didn’t take any shots at the endzone.

“We keep getting stuck on the fringe” Callahan explained. “We’ve had some sacks there, some backward plays, just haven’t gotten enough cracks at it. I don’t think so. We’re also being mindful that the two fronts that we’ve just played were trying to keep some semblance of protection there. And if you drop back every play against those fronts, that’s going to make a for a long day. It’s hard enough as it is already.

And then, he said it plainly: “So I would say, no, probably not at the moment. But as he keeps getting more comfortable and we keep learning to protect better we can keep trying to push the envelope.”

Some might see this as a coach foolishly admitting he’s doing his job poorly. To me, it’s a coach trying to explain the circumstances he’s trying to coach around. And that’s where his reasoning in this answer comes into play, which I think is perfectly fair. Protecting Cam Ward and putting him in as many positions to succeed is the number one priority for this team right now. That has just as much to do with avoiding putting him in bad positions.

Against both the Broncos’ and the Rams’ brutal defensive fronts, that’s involved tip-toeing around a true dropback passing game. Because just about every time they’ve tried it, it’s gotten somebody in trouble. The offensive line simply isn’t good enough or complete enough at the moment to hang against these elite fronts. I wrote more about them nearing rare historical air in the worst way linked here. So the reality here, like it or not, is that Callahan has to ease Cam into this season in this department. They’re trying to do right by him and not ask him to do low-probability things for the sake of being aggressive. As high as you may personally be on Cam (and I’m extremely high!), he is still a rooking going up against teams that outmatch him. Unbridled recklessness can spiral if you aren’t careful. And the only thing worse than losing these early games, in my opinion, is putting your rookie QB in too many positions to fail. To me, that’s putting your young QB’s well-being before anything else, and that’s what I believe this team should be doing.

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