Turron Davenport
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Titans gamers on each offense and protection have adopted rookie quarterback Cam Ward as their little brother. Ward wanders across the locker room joking and having time with just about everybody on the workforce. However when it is time to take the sector, Ward is strictly enterprise.
After main his workforce again in inconceivable vogue to provide the Titans their first win of the season Sunday, he acquired affirmation from one of many workforce's most-respected veterans in Jeffery Simmons.
“I advised him that is why we drafted you with the No. 1 total choose,” Simmons mentioned after the sport. “His calmness, his poise in that pocket. I do not know many rookie quarterbacks that might have that sort of poise when the sport got here all the way down to him and he knew it.”
Ward had solely accomplished 5 of 16 move makes an attempt for 58 yards within the first half of the 22-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals on the highway, however after being down 21-6 within the fourth quarter, he got here alive when it mattered most, going 13 of 18 for 193 yards within the fourth quarter alone.
“The top of the sport are what quarterbacks sort of stay on,” offensive coordinator Nick Holz mentioned. “That was a fairly spectacular efficiency. You actually noticed the ball come out, and he performed actually decisively. Once you get a kind of guys who can do this, you are feeling actually good about it. You realize you are by no means out of it as a result of you will have a man that may carry you again.”
Ward mentioned he wished he had gotten off to a greater begin, however he discovered solace in a powerful end. Three of Ward's finest throws got here within the clutch. Two of them have been deep throws to Calvin Ridley for a complete of 85 yards. Ward additionally discovered Gunnar Helm on an ideal over-the-shoulder throw for 19 yards that acquired them all the way down to the 1-yard line, organising a Tony Pollard landing run.
The win over the Cardinals hardly means Ward or the Titans have arrived. It took a few miraculous performs to come back out victorious.
Cardinals operating again Emari Demercado's 72-yard run ought to have put the sport away within the fourth quarter. However he fumbled the ball into the tip zone earlier than scoring, which led to a touchback that gave the Titans the ball at their 20-yard line. Just a few collection later, Ward's move supposed for Ridley was tipped by Arizona linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. and intercepted by Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. However Taylor-Demerson fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Tyler Lockett in the long run zone for the rating.
Regardless of a career-high 265 passing yards, Ward was centered on being a extra constant participant and attacking the week of preparation in hopes of stacking one other win Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox) towards the Las Vegas Raiders (1-4).
“We nonetheless have rather a lot to show to ourselves from an execution standpoint,” Ward mentioned. “Not having interceptions, fumbles, unfavorable performs, that is the most important factor. A number of instances all through the season, we have at all times shot ourselves within the foot. We did not do this in direction of the tip of the sport, so we simply acquired to construct off that.”
Titans coach Brian Callahan agrees with Ward's conclusion. Callahan emphasised that there are nonetheless loads of issues to appropriate regardless of the win.
“That is not the best way we wish to stay, neither is it sustainable,” Callahan mentioned of the comeback win. “We acquired to discover a solution to play higher earlier. That is the important thing and having the identical mentality about how we really feel after a loss whenever you're correcting the tape and ensuring you are correcting what must get corrected.”
Regardless of the circus-like occasions that fell within the Titans' favor, they know that Ward is the important thing to success. His numbers by means of his first 5 begins go away room for lots of enchancment, however Week 5 was the breakthrough that that they had been ready for.
For instance, per Subsequent Gen Stats, Ward's 51.8 total completion share is 6.3% decrease than some other beginning quarterback. He is accomplished a league-low 30.8% of his passes of 10 or extra air yards. The league common is 47.9%.
Ward's three finest throws every traveled greater than 10 yards and had a significant influence on the sport. Callahan was happy with the leads to that small pocket of success, however desires extra of it over the lengthy haul.
“Be at your finest when your finest is required,” Callahan mentioned. “That was a giant second for his improvement as a younger participant. Now, how can we play with that kind of effectivity and that kind of precision from the primary quarter to the fourth quarter? I am actually pleased for what he is proven and grown with, and to see him in a giant second with the deck stacked towards him and are available by means of and play nicely on the finish of the sport was actually encouraging.”
