Film Study: What went WRONG for Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans Vs the Houston Texans

Film Study: What went WRONG for Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans Vs the Houston Texans

This play we’re going to start off with is the perfect example of what the hell is going wrong with Tennessee Titans. So, let’s just We don’t need to get into the X’s and O’s just yet. Let’s just let the play uh start. Ward is going to take the snap. He, you know, uh hands it off and oh no, it’s a flea flicker and not working very well. Plays are just not working for the Tennessee Titans. Cam Ward is going to make a good play on this one. Actually, watch as he’s getting tackled and is basically backwards. He flips it forward. That’s an incomplete pass and it is not a sack. Somehow he avoids the sack because it’s a flea flicker. There was a running back right in front of him. So just throwing a yard in front of him. There’s a rece receiver in the area. It’s incomplete. That’s a great play. That is like one of his highlights of the game because of this situation that is going on with the Titans. I mean there is just nothing going well. Cam Ward uh let’s it’s hard to evaluate him because of how bad this situation is right now. heading over here. There’s just a lot of those types of things just aren’t working. The play designs just aren’t working right now. And Houston has a great defense. That’s a part of it. But still, Ward is going to take the snap on this one. He hands it off and oh, it’s going to be a trick play. They’re going to flip it back to Cam Ward and this isn’t working. So, they’re trying trick plays and these trick plays are just going an absolute disaster. So, I mean, they’re trying to figure out some way to make, you know, get a splash play, but this doesn’t work. Also, DK, the receiver there, does a great job at not throwing the ball, recognizing it, and just trying to run and get the yards. It feels like receivers never do that, right? When they have to throw, they always end up throwing. They’re like, you know, golden retrievers chasing after a tennis ball, uh, wanting to throw the throw the ball. But, uh, you know, hey, uh, good job being smart, knowing that’s not the play, and killing it, but also like, again, these are the things I’m crediting the Titans for right now are a good job throwing the ball away when you were getting tackled and a good job of running for three yards. uh a three- yard loss instead of throwing an interception as a receiver. Like this is really what we see a lot of with the Titans is so it’s going to be a zone coverage concept that the Houston Texans are going to be running here. It’s what they like to run here on a third down and five. Titans hopefully, hey, early on in the game. Maybe you can, you know, you already got the drive into 25. Maybe you can convert. Maybe you can get into the end zone. Feel good about yourself. Well, Cam Ward’s going to take the snap. Uh nothing’s open and also there is some pressure right away, but he’s able to get outside the pocket. We know he can do this. Looking down the field still, there is nothing open. He eventually tries to float one here. His receiver did not run the way he thought the receiver was going to. And also, he gets clobbered. Again, it’s just like if you’re walking away from this saying, “Wow, Cam Ward’s been disappointing.” What in the world do you want him to do in this situation? There really isn’t anything on this play. It’s a third down and seven. Again, one of these obvious passing situations trying to see if you can come through. Now, the Texans are going to play man coverage one-on-one. They’re trusting their corners can cover the Texans receivers. And listen, coaching is going to get a lot of criticism and I agree the coaching isn’t good here though on this play. Like there’s not much you can do here. You know, you’re running kind of a bit of a a rub route. Uh you’re doing what you can to get someone open. Like the receivers have to have to win this battle for Ward, but you see here Ward, I can’t tell if that one was tipped or he just throw threw it a little bit low. Also, that wasn’t going to be a completion either way though, even if it was a perfect throw. Uh that’s that’s Tyler Lockett running that route. So yeah, just some some issues here, right? It’s not just the coaching, it’s partially personnel that you have to get guys who are open and you know, uh the number one thing I always feel like for young quarterbacks, get them a good receiving core. The Titans have tried. They have tried. Uh uh AO Manor has has really been a nice player for them. They paid Kyle Ridley the most recent offseason. He hasn’t had a great year, too. So that’s kind of been a big part of this stuff. You know, they they added locket. He hasn’t done a lot. But also, you’re seeing mistakes like this, which is this is a third and six. Uh just not on the same page of his receiver. Receiver runs a deeper route. That was Tyler Lockett once again. Um you have this one once again. Uh receiver a little bit late. That was a AO Manor who didn’t make that play. And this one AO Manor that would have been a tough catch, but it’s a great throw from Cam Wards. So again, I I’m not watching these plays and saying Cam Ward stinks. I’m watching these plays and saying the Titans think, which is, I think, a valid takeaway to have with some of this stuff. Even the pick that Ward had in this game, you’re going to see, I mean, it’s a good play actually. He scrambles up, hits his receiver who drops the football and it ends up getting batted and picked instead. I mean, that’s that’s a a tough break. And that is AO Manor once again. So, not his best day in this game. At least I believe it. It’s hard to see that break. Sorry if I if it was someone else and I’m blaming the wrong person. But regardless, um yeah, it’s it’s tough. Again, not a bad play from Ward. Just bad result. And also, even something like this, which is just so disheartening where you’re down six points midway through the third cuz the defense is is playing their tail off right here. They’re keeping you in it somehow. Uh the fourth quarter, the Texans outscored the Titans 20 to nothing, but uh it was 6 nothing after three in this game. Um third and 12. So, like, hey, you have an opportunity to if you can find a way to convert, maybe you gain like seven, eight yards and you can go for on fourth, try it, try try and get some points or or maybe just you kick a long field goal if you get some yards. Um, I I hate what the Titans do here. I get it, but I hate it. Watch as they’re going to just run the ball. Uh, and they don’t even gain any yards on this play. It’s like if you’re going to try to have a surprise run, you got to at least gain some yards. It wasn’t really a great front to run the ball to because the Texans were sending pressure which you could send pressure because you don’t fear getting beat down the field because the the Titans don’t really have the receivers to do that so much right now. So yeah, just just just tough right there. And then you you settle for the field goal, you miss the field goal. Uh Joey Sly was 0 for two in this game. Now there was some good. Let’s talk some good cuz there this this existed. I mean, Cam Ward, it feels like he makes one unbelievable play a game. And this one was that one where he’s going to uh fake a handoff, roll out towards the top of the screen, watch as when he takes the snap, there is an unblocked player, which is by design, but this isn’t exactly how you hope it goes. This is a fine play. This isn’t coaching. This is just a good defensive play to get towards Cam Ward by the edge rusher. But first, watch Ward be able to ward him off, get around there. Uh then he makes a throw. Also sets his feet. I like that. Ward. One of the things I really liked about him coming out of college is even though he can make those off-balance throws, he will set his feet to allow him to if if he doesn’t have to make an offbalance throw, just make it a little bit easier. I mean, especially when you’re throwing across your body like this, going all the way from the, you know, right side of the field to the left side of the field. Anyone who played uh football 20 years ago or more is losing their minds right now. But he makes a beautiful throw. They’re able to get that big completion there. So, really nice stuff. uh by by Cam Ward again. He is capable of this. Like we see this. It’s just they can’t have an off there isn’t an offense to be run right now. Really when there is I think he does a pretty good job like this play. It’s going to be a third down and six. Uh you know again obvious passing situation late in the half. You have Calvin Ridley running a route one-on-one matchup over the middle. Well on this one Ridley is able to get the win on this route and Ward sees it, hits him. They’re able to make the play work. And this is why it’s so important to have good receivers when you draft a young quarterback because you want to teach their quarterback good lessons, right? And you want to teach him, hey, get rid of the ball quickly cuz good things will happen. They won’t learn that lesson if bad things are happening when they’re running the offense as designed. So, uh, you know, a play like this, it shows that he’s still he’s still aware of how you play quarterback. He has not let it affect him yet. I think the the worry is could could that change? It is also worth mentioning he’s played four very good defenses to start the year. The Broncos defense, the Rams defense, the Colts defense, and the Titans defense. Cardinals defense isn’t bad, but it does get easier. And then, you know, the Raiders, the Patriots, they then play the Colts again and the and the Chargers and Texans again. So, uh, you know, not ideal, but just saying you will maybe get some easier moments cuz again, you see good stuff with Ward like this play. Third down and nine. He’s going to take the snap. It’s pressure, but he is going to be able to navigate the blitz. looking down the field, still wanting to throw if if he can, but decides he’s going to try and run for it. As you see, he does run for it. He picks up the first down. So, yeah, you can’t help but feel a little bad for him given how some of this stuff is going. I I have not given up on him at all. Um, but I maybe have given up on the Titans coaching staff. They have to figure something out. Uh, again, they they did try personnel-wise. They did they tried to improve the stuff. It just didn’t fully hit. And so, you got to just keep pumping resources into it. You know, that’s just what you have to do. In fact, I wouldn’t even hate adding an extra receiver uh here for the Titans if if that’s available. I know you’re thinking, well, you don’t want to give up draft picks here. But ultimately, the number one important thing for the Titans right now is to uh is to evaluate Cam Ward. That’s the most important thing. And as of right now, according to PFF, they’re ranked 26th in pass blocking and 31st in uh receiving. That’s just not good enough. So, that that’s what has to get fixed before anything else gets fixed. So, yeah, those are my thoughts. What are yours? Let me know in the comments below. Always love hearing from you.

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