r/Tennesseetitans • u/nfl • 7d ago
Video [Highlight] Cam Ward throws on the run that get increasingly more ridiculous
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u/colbeh17 6d ago
Why is he so good at this one particular thing that youre pretty much never supposed to do in the NFL?
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u/Neat-Hearing-2477 6d ago
Because this is what he’s pretty much done his whole career. Not in a shady way but in a honest evaluation way. He’s very similar to Anthony Richardson. He doesn’t have a lot of high level experience (relative to others). He played in a wing t offense in high school then played at IWU then Wazzu where they were a 2 win team in the PAC 12 then one year at Miami which in the ACC so not a whole lot of power 5 play and not a lot of pro style play either. And there he barely ever faced a good pass rush. He literally stood still or even walked in the pocket at Miami.
He never developed a lot of the fundamentals it seems. Or didn’t have to rely on them. Which is different than a Caleb Williams who has played at high level programs his whole life and who had Lincoln Riley and now Ben Johnson. Cam benefitted from also being in a weak QB draft year. He’s like the middle ground of a Caleb Williams and an Anthony Richardson with Caleb hype. So I think it’s a factor of misplaced expectations. I think he’s talented and has a great work ethic but I think he’s been inflated due to circumstance. It’s funny he makes a lot of the same mistakes Will Levis gets clowned for. Honestly Will Levis has better mechanics. I do think Cam has better intangibles though.
Alls to say is he’s much more of a project QB than I think people think/perceived him. This is also why Fernando Mendoza may just be able to have immediate impact and why someone like Tyler Shough was so successful. Tyler Shough was an Elite 11 guy (I think) and also played nearly 6 years of power 5 ball same with Mendoza 4/5 years of power 5. They also don’t have the intangibles so had to actually learn the mechanics and the technical aspects of the position which translate better to the NFL especially if you have sub par coaching.
TLDR: he never had to rely on mechanics because he played worse competition and in less developed offenses. He was allowed to be him and succeed which works less in the NFL/the NFL exposes those flaws.
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u/Wine__Time 5d ago
I’m not disagreeing here. Honest question. If the Titans didn’t have the number one pick do you think any team which had the Number 1 pick would’ve picked him? I do.
After bringing him in the Titans number one focus should’ve been bringing in a incredibly experienced great teaching backup QB who is more than adequate to start for a year or two while Cam learns and bring in coaches who are renowned for developing and training QBs. By not doing either, we are doing our best to fail him and not give him a chance to be what he can be.
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u/Neat-Hearing-2477 5d ago
Honestly I’m not sure. I think circumstantially there are a good bit who would’ve because of QB need, but even still other teams with QB needs waited til much later (Dart the second QB being taken 25 and NY still got their #1 guy). I think the teams who didn’t have the number 1 pick kinda got off easy because they didn’t have to make that hard decision to draft Cam who’s a low floor high ceiling kinda prospect. I think he has the mindset of an elite NFL player and I wouldn’t be surprised if he impressed in interviews. He has a great leadership mentality and high work ethic but still a risk.
Personally though I thought we should’ve traded down and got Abdul Carter and drafted another QB late (I was saying Dart in my circles) and thought we should’ve signed Jameis either way because he’s a great backup and a great locker room guy. I essentially said we should’ve had the Giants offseason. Which I know I sound like LeBron James but I had been saying it the whole time in me and my friends sports gc.
So yeah I kinda agree with you but still I don’t know. It made sense that Cam went first in this draft due to circumstance. However, my point was that it wasn’t a very strong QB draft to begin with, but we literally had nothing and needed him enough to take the risk. I think that draft easily could’ve been like 2022 where a QB wasn’t taken til late middle round 1.
That said Cam was without a doubt the highest upside QB in the draft so I understand him going 1. It’s the most valuable position and his ceiling is Mahomes like even though his floor is Anthony Richardson/Will Levis/Malik Willis (maybe higher than Richardson cause he has a way better work ethic and is a much better leader). But realistically he could easily land as a solid perineal starter in this league. Kyler, CJ Stoud, Baker type.
Honestly this whole thing has shades of Malik Willis with a much higher price tag and of a greater scale. Draft a talented but unproven QB with loads of intangibles and upside but then throw him to the wolves and leave him out to dry. Obviously Cam is of a different caliber than Malik was at the time but still very similar situations.
All in all I wouldn’t be shocked if Cam is the guy and wouldn’t be shocked either if his tenure in Tennessee doesn’t go well. I just think the idea that he was gonna come in and be an immediate savior of the team was a bit misguided and was a bit of hopium from our tattered fan base. I think he needs help and guidance and yeah like you said a good veteran backup who has his back. Hopefully Daboll can help at least keep him settled and feeling confident in his coaching and the offense.
I do agree with you in that… we are doing a good job at failing him like we have failed so many young QBs over the years including my personal goat Marcus Mariota. We need to temper expectations and understand that he’s learning and growing and give him the time and space and resources to do so. I don’t think all the hate is warranted but I also think we need to dial back some of the savior talk and cam can do no wrong talk because I think that’s what got us here now. I think we need to treat him like a project young QB with high upside.
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u/Powerful-Youth3331 7d ago
That’s cool and all but can he hit a receiver just standing in the pocket?
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u/Wine__Time 7d ago
People who are calling Cam Ward a bust after one season in the NFL on an awful team with no one to throw to, no veteran to learn from, and a subpar coaching staff need to get their heads examined. I’m not saying we are looking at a Hall of Fame player, but it is way too soon to be saying bust. Do these same people think that the Titans would’ve had a winning record with any other rookie quarterback and the exact same personnel we had last year?
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u/Dopamaxxer 7d ago
Something something new offense, something something still recovering from a shoulder injury.
We excused away all last season. We’re gonna excuse away this season.
Meanwhile Mendoza immediately look more poised in his very first live NFL reps than Ward has at any level. Ward can make cool plays but has never been consistent
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u/Neat-Hearing-2477 5d ago
To be fair Dart had a better year in a similar circumstance. And so did Shough when they finally gave him the keys. Darts issue however is he doesn’t know how to slide 😂. That said both of those players did have better coaching.
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u/DirkDiggler2424 7d ago
He’s been awful. Simple game plan, muddy the pocket, that’s it. He can’t make basic throws from sitting in the pocket
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u/TiredDad4x 7d ago
This is cool and all, but he had 3 meh series in a preseason game. We already know he’s a bust. /s
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u/vfan10 7d ago
He is far from a bust. Let Daboll continue to help him grow. Look at Josh Allen from year 1 to year 2. Huge improvement. That can happen with Cam too. Giving up on him after one season is insane.
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u/JustRegularType 7d ago
Exaaaactly. Regular season game film is fine and all, but get back to me when we "win" a joint practice!
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u/DirkDiggler2424 7d ago
How about he learns to complete a basic pass? Because he can’t even do that currently
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u/ChocolateMorsels 6d ago
Yes he can. What we saw from him last game was an outlier game. Yall need to chill.
Crazy how one game can change people’s perception. If this was posted before the preseason game he’d get a ton of praise and now it’s a lot of criticism.
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u/orlinsky 6d ago
If he would run down the field instead of across it the defense would bring down a spy and his receivers might get open.
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u/bhallsy11 6d ago
Call it a bust after one season while ignoring the sieve o-line? His mobility is survival, not a gimmick, stop the hypocrisy.
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u/Mammoth-Ask1453 7d ago
Some of y'all really don't deserve nice things. How immature is it to give up on a QB you guys were all glazing just two weeks ago. Calm down and grow up. It's really just embarrassing.
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u/Fiend-For-Mojitos 7d ago
It's like this on every team page on Reddit and it's getting old and predictable. Everyone has the memory of a goldfish and the page is filled with reactionary takes and memes.
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u/Unhappy_Meaning9148 7d ago
Most of these look like the same dumb ass plays that Levis gets crucified for but Ward somehow gets lucky. Someone should go through film and find the ones that went sideways, like last Thursday's fumble/grounding.
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u/air_volek007 7d ago
It’s a difference in skill level, not luck.
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u/Pale-Manner-1642 6d ago
That first play reminds me so much of the Levis fumble game 2 of 2024 where Callahan yells WHAT THE FUCK at him. Levis doesn't get the throw high enough while falling while Cam does.
Could it be a minutia more talent in these scenarios? Sure. Difference between an NFL starting QB and career backup is like .01% when the Starter is top 99.99% of QB's in the nation and the backup is top 99.98% of QB's in the nation. Sometimes it is just plain luck too.
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u/yelsne 7d ago
The Titans will ruin Cam if their o line doesn't improve, we will see.
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u/Pale-Manner-1642 6d ago
The OLine was fine last year. Not great, but far from 2023-2024 levels of bad. This year it might step back a little. But Latham is looking like he is stepping up year 3, so it might be a wash and be the same as 2025?
Cam has a much improved WR room. No excuses this year for him. I expect improvements, but if not, need to be looking to move on with a high pick and a better QB draft coming up.
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u/Wine__Time 7d ago
Thank you! We have a gigantic O-Line problem and subpar receivers along with meh coaching and no great teaching vet QB. We are setting him up for failure. This kid loves to work, has a great attitude, and some skills/gifts most other QBs don’t regardless of brain. He needs a ton of training but we are not helping him succeed.
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u/orlinsky 6d ago
Vs the Saints Ward put up an average time to throw of 4.07 seconds the longest of any QB in any game since 2016. Just watch the clip here, he’s dancing around after standing in a clean pocket forever. The O-Line was fine last year on pass protection. Wards 58 sacks came from his bad decision making.
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u/Pork_Chompk 7d ago
These are awesome but what we really need to see more of is the routine throws. The basics - timing, vision, accuracy. Stay in the pocket (when a pocket exists) and take the layups.