Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan and quarterback Cam Ward are still getting to know each other on the field. Callahan will be in Ward’s ear all season long, calling the plays he wants his offense to run according to the game plan he devises with Nick Holz. But Ward is doing something that Callahan isn’t used to. Ward will continue to trash-talk guys on the field while Callahan is giving him the play, and it’s a new experience for the second-year head coach.
“I’ll be honest, I’m not used to calling plays to a quarterback who’s usually still talking while I’m talking to him, and that’s great,” Callahan said. “And so I asked him after practice, I said, “Just help me out here, do you need me to wait until you finish?” He goes, “No, I’m listening.” So, he’s hearing what I’m telling him, and it was pretty remarkable to see all the things going on, and he’s talking, but like, his brain is still with me, is the best way to put it.
“When I’m calling a play, he’s doing all he’s doing, but he’s still listening to everything I’m telling him, and he enters right into the huddle and calls the play and doesn’t screw up the play call. And I actually thought that was kind of remarkable.”
Hearing one thing in your ear while saying something else without confusing the two things is definitely remarkable. And then to not only hear the correct play, but also be able to execute it speaks to his football IQ.
“I don’t know, I couldn’t do that. So, that’s just kind of who he is,” Callahan continued. “It’s his personality. And, again, if I felt like it was something detrimental in his ability to manage the offense and call it in the huddle and all that, I’d probably have a couple of things to say to him. But he didn’t miss a beat when it came to calling the play and being on top of it, and then executing when it came time to execute. So, it was a new experience for me, but it was fun.”
The reason we all get involved with this game is because it’s fun, and when a team can have fun while remaining focused, it bodes well for how they will handle the season. Ward is a fresh face and brings a fresh set of hopes to the Titans’ fanbase, and everything indicates that he will not disappoint them this season.