NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Will Levis’ performance is troubling. Brian Callahan’s reaction to it is encouraging.
If the former doesn’t change, the latter will have to, but Callahan spoke Tuesday like the coach of a franchise that understands the bigger picture, that isn’t reactive, that doesn’t want to be the next to discard a young quarterback too early and rue it later when he said: “We’re going to find out everything about Will that we can and he’s going to continue to grow and get better and play better. He needs to play better for us. And at the end of the day, I believe that he will. That’s where I’m at with that whole thing. There’s no controversy. There’s no second-guessing. That’s what’s happening. So that’s probably as clear as I can state it.”
Levis has been awful in his second season for the 1-3 Titans, with six interceptions and three fumbles lost in three games and two possessions of work. One of those picks, an ill-fated attempt to unload the ball and avoid a sack in Chicago, handed the Bears the season opener — the “Miracle Flip,” courtesy of the sports world’s primary endorser of mayonnaise. One of the lost fumbles, the “Holy (Bleep) Roller,” was key in a loss to the New York Jets and had Callahan screaming on the sideline: “What the (bleep) are you doing?”
And those are just the highlights. Levis is averaging 151.0 yards passing per game and 6.2 per attempt, ranking last among starters in EPA per dropback (-0.33), 30th in QBR (24.6) and 29th in QB rating (72.8). He mixes in some tremendous throws and there’s no questioning his desire and toughness, but those traits also get in the way of common sense in moments of duress, leaving Levis’ body with hard shots it shouldn’t have to take.
This season of “finding out about Will Levis” is bleeping around and finding out how ugly things can be. But Callahan is strongly, publicly committed to continuing the investigation. And he should be.
Coach Cally’s first victory speech 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/OWC6nM3A9O
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 1, 2024
Mason Rudolph came in after Levis hurt his right (throwing) shoulder Monday and game-managed the Titans to the first win of Callahan’s career, 31-12 over the hapless, Tyler Huntley-quarterbacked Miami Dolphins. Rudolph had as solid an 85-yard passing outing as you could ask for, and this team might be better than 1-3 had he been starting all season and simply not recklessly feeding the ball to the opponent.
But that’s not the point. Rudolph is not a starter. And this team is not a contender.
It was never going to be, despite all the money spent in free agency — that was necessary just to get a rotted roster within range of competitive. This was the season designated to determine if Levis would be the long-term answer at quarterback. That’s a decision in the hundreds of millions for a franchise that is trying this fall to sell personal seat licenses for the swanky new stadium it is opening in 2027.
And those stakes must have something to do with the regression of Levis, a 2023 second-round pick out of Kentucky. He looked much less like a rookie when he was a rookie.
He had a dazzling 2023 debut with four touchdown passes against the Falcons, a surgical “Monday Night Football” comeback win at Miami and better numbers across the board. He threw four interceptions in nine games, and none of them had mind-bending qualities like some of his 2024 turnovers.
The stakes are enormous and Levis is as tight as a tourniquet. But it’s way early for the career funeral drum. All available information on him, and young quarterbacks in the NFL, says as much. So does Callahan, who told anyone who would listen in the offseason that Levis influenced his interest in this job and now has pressure on him to influence Levis’ improvement.
“Everything I’ve done with him from the minute I’ve gotten here has been about trying to do everything we can to build him up and to give him confidence and surround him with players and give him every opportunity to succeed,” Callahan said. “That’s not going to stop. We’re going to keep coaching and keep going, and how he handles it is how he handles it. But everything from me has been transparent and straightforward with him and I would imagine he feels pretty confident in that stuff. I’ve been truthful with him the entire process. So I don’t have any worry about it, how he’s going to handle that. But again, it is a human nature thing. Sometimes, the outside world gets a little noisy and you’ve just got to block some of that out.”
Levis needs a healthier shoulder, a turnover-free game and a win in front of the home fans the next time out, Oct. 13 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Elder Callahan may be starting to turn things
Bill Callahan’s career of offensive line coaching wizardry did not translate to the Titans’ first three games, after which they were among the NFL’s worst pass-protecting groups by any measure — a tiresome sight for Titans fans who watched quarterbacks run for cover in the last two seasons of head coach Mike Vrabel’s tenure. Nicholas Petit-Frere, the right tackle the Titans gambled on as a viable starter, was benched in the third game and no sure bet to start the next.
But he did, and he did fine, and the line had its best outing against the Dolphins, helping create 142 rushing yards while allowing one sack and three quarterback hits. Levis is primarily responsible for his play, but an absence of comfort in the pocket has been an obvious contributor. He should benefit as this young group grows.
Jeff Simmons needs to be like T’Vondre Sweat
When GM Ran Carthon selected Sweat No. 38 in the second round out of Texas, some viewed it as a reach and a gamble. Sweat’s maturity and weight issues scared some teams away. It was said that Simmons, the Titans’ biggest star with Derrick Henry off to Baltimore, would need to mentor and help develop Sweat.
On Monday in Miami, Sweat was the Titans’ best defensive player, throwing ball carriers and would-be blockers around and tracking plays down with impressive quickness. When the game was over, Simmons posted on X, apparently with doubting fans/media in mind: “Stay on that side!!!! #Titanup 1-0.”
Stay on that side!!!! #Titanup 1-0
— Jeffery Simmons (@GrindSimmons94) October 1, 2024
Well, actually, the Titans are 1-3, and 0-3 with Simmons in the lineup. He missed the game with an elbow injury, which he told reporters Tuesday involved a torn ligament but should not keep him out of the next game. The Simmons-Sweat combo remains this team’s scariest potential superpower, but the bigger question is Simmons.
That includes maturity, for a guy who went off on social media when some criticized the offseason signing of Jamal Adams (which has yielded no help), then yelled profanely at a Nashville sports talk host in front of a bunch of kids at preseason camp. He continues to need to back off social media and back up what he’s supposed to be for this franchise.
(Photo of Will Levis: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)
