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Turron Davenport, ESPN
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The opportunity to cement himself as the Tennessee Titans quarterback of the present and future lies right in front of Will Levis as he heads into his second season.
The Titans hired former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to be their next coach in hopes of history repeating its self with his track record of quarterbacks. Callahan has worked with the likes of Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr and most recently, Joe Burrow.
Stafford, Manning and Burrow all led their teams to Super Bowls with Manning and Stafford taking home Lombardi Trophies.
“It’s cool to see those guys and know they’ve been in a system similar to this,” Levis said. “Big shoes to fill, and I want to be that next guy and get to that level.”
Levis said Callahan had him watch cutups of the previous quarterbacks he’s worked with to show the technique he wants to be executed.
One of the first things they did was tweak Levis’ footwork and base. The desired result was for Levis to improve his technique to get the ball out better and cleaner.
Levis’ next mission was to develop a full grasp of Callahan’s scheme. At this point, they’ve pretty much installed the offense, so now it’s just a matter of Levis mastering core concepts.
The game plan will change from week to week once the regular season starts. In the meantime, all parties involved have worked to make sure there’s open dialogue regarding what concepts Levis prefers and what areas he wants to work on.
“My relationship with [Will], his relationship with me and [offensive coordinator] Nick [Holz] and [quarterbacks coach] Bo [Hardegree] is going to be really a critical factor in our success,” Callahan said. “And I wanted to make sure that he feels like he has input and ownership into that process. And we can kind of build it from there and hope that he gives me the same kind of feedback I need from him — particularly when you’re talking about plays and what you like and how you like it.”
Last year was tough sledding for Levis as a rookie. He had a stellar debut, throwing for four touchdown passes in the Titans 28-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons last October, but he would only throw two touchdowns in the next three games that all resulted in losses. Levis finished 3-6 record as a starter, and the Titans felt compelled to take a hard look at Levis in Year 2.
Still, Callahan said he took the job with the Titans partly because of how he liked Levis’ potential. It was clearly understood that there was a lack of protection up front to protect Levis and that the pass-catching options needed an upgrade as well.
As a result, the Titans signed Lloyd Cushenberry, the top free-agent center on the market, and used the No. 7 overall pick to take left tackle JC Latham to sure up the offensive line. Tennessee also doubled down at wideout by signing the top free agent receiver, Calvin Ridley, and Tyler Boyd, who spent the previous six seasons with Callahan in Cincinnati.
The ball is now in Levis’ hands as Callahan plans to help Levis act as a point guard that sets teammates up for easy shots at the basket.
“That’s the mentality,” Hardigree said. “It’s the intent of the playcall. Certain playcalls, the reads take you top down, others where it’s more of completion play to get you back on track. We dive deep into situations like where we are on the field, what’s the down and distance.”
Added Levis, “It allows us to just play loose and free, take the open guy when they’re there, regardless of who that may be.”
Levis has clearly focused on getting in sync with Ridley, especially in the downfield passing game.
It’s still a work in progress with Callahan helping them through it, to the point where he turns back the clock by showing clips of Manning and Demaryius Thomas getting together for big plays for the Denver Broncos when he was an offensive assistant.
“Coach Callahan gets involved with it,” Levis said of his connection with Ridley. “Making sure we know the timing and intent of the play and kind of how we see it married up with my footwork and with his route.
“He’s done a good job of keeping us on time and making sure that we know and expect — or I expect — where he’s going to be and he knows where the ball’s going to be.”
Callahan said he isn’t “overly concerned” about mishaps. He mentioned how Ja’Marr Chase and Burrow struggled to connect on the deep pass when the two first got together in Cincinnati before the 2021 season.
It eventually worked out. Callahan believes like Chase and Burrow, his current tandem will be fine in due time.
The mistakes are going to come. For example, Levis was late on a throw to Mason Kinsey on an outbreaking route last week during a two-minute team period with the Seahawks. Defensive back Devon Witherspoon jumped in front of the pass and intercepted it.
The pass needed to be thrown a little earlier, just before the receiver came out of his break. When mistakes like this arise, Callahan makes it his business to be straightforward with his young quarterback.
“We don’t really hold back,” Callahan said. “Point out what’s wrong, what needs to be better, how it can be better. It’s always going to be about being critical and being honest, taking the criticism for what it is and then offering a solution to how it can be better.”
Levis welcomes the critique as they get ready for their final preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NFL Network) and the season rapidly approaching.
“I take coaching well,” Levis said. “I’m able to take coaching points out onto the field. I think I’ve been put in environments that have helped me with that.”