Titans not “script pimping” for Cam Ward, offensive coach reveals how difficult the rookie QBs first training camp is across the NFL
An easy explanation for Cam Ward’s early struggles.
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward is struggling through the first two weeks of his first NFL training camp. While the early interceptions and misfires might cause fans concern, Tennessee’s coaching staff is perfectly at ease.
In fact, they’re making life difficult on Ward by design.
Titans ramping up difficulty for Cam Ward
Take Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz, for example.
“We put the offense a lot of times in some tough situations. Like the other day, we had a bunch of third and longs and those are completed or converted like 20% in the league. So we’re sitting there and all of a sudden, (Ward) gets frustrated because he wants to have success and things like that and you can feel it. And fans are out here, they want to see some conversions and well, it’s third and 11. We put him in a bunch of those and teaching him to, sometimes you just got to check it down, put the ball in play and then that ball gets completed and now you got a chance to, if it doesn’t get the first down, still go and get more yards and maybe go fourth and one or fourth and two. So those are all learning situations for him. And we’ve really made it tough on him from a lot of our defense has a lot of fronts and coverages in.
“And we’re really not, you know, in the league, it’s kind of called script pimping. You know, you go look and you know, you go look and see, ‘oh, OK, they’re going to play Tampa two here.”
And, yes, “script pimping” is the official term.
Tennessee opens their 2025 season on the road with two of the Top 4 defenses in DVOA from last year (DEN -12.4, HOU -15.3%) in Weeks 1 and 4. Their two home games in between are the Los Angeles Rams with up-and-coming star defenders Jared Verse and Braden Fiske and the Indianapolis Colts coached by longtime Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anaroumo who has something to prove. Ward needs as much preparation and adversity ahead of those match-ups as the Titans staff can throw at him.
Joint training camp practices against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons before their final preseason game against Brian Flores’ Minnesota Vikings will prove a challenge as well.
“We’ve got Denard Wilson, which is the Baltimore theme defense, you know, which is kind of the most popular in the league right now,” said Holz. “Then we go to Tampa, which probably has one of the two or three most complex blitz packages. Then we go to Atlanta, and you’ll get the jet front, kind of the Gus Bradley, old Seattle defense front.
And then we come back here and play Minnesota. So before we play Denver, Brian Flores, I know, with that ridiculous blitz package where there’s more people.”
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