The Tennessee Titans will hit the field Friday for an unplanned padded practice as the team prepares for its opening preseason battle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and head coach Brian Callahan met with the media before it got rolling.
During the media availability, he pointed to schedule flexibility and the need for more reps for the young players as the reasoning for the added session, and not any specific area that has stuck out as needing work. The Titans, especially on offense, have been uneven through two days of padded practice, and with a joint practice next week with the Bucs, this will be another chance for the team in sync.
“It’s just work; we need more padded work at this point.” “We’re a week away from going against another team, and I felt it was the right decision for us.”
As he pointed out, this won’t be a typical padded practice and will likely be shorter than their usual, but they will get some work done and, most importantly, get their young players more reps.
One topic that came up in a question was on the defense, and specifically, the inside linebacker battle taking place for the spot next to Cody Barton. His answer was interesting, pointing out that James Williams, Cedric Gray, and Anfernee Orji were all making plays, and not mentioning Otis Reese, who many thought had the inside track heading into camp. It’s early on, but Reese will have to start making an impact or he’ll be passed up.
In talking about the offense and quarterback Cam Ward, one thing jumped out from his comments on Ward’s interceptions that cannot be ignored.
“They all have their own story based on route combinations and coverage.” Callahan said, “It’s good that he doesn’t repeat mistakes. Thus far, he’s been consistent. We make a correction, and he gets it right, moves forward, and we don’t see it again.”
This is an excellent sign for the future of the offense if Ward is learning and growing from the lessons of each pick. He does have to work on his arm slot and reduce the number of batted passes, but that is something that Callahan cannot coach.
Callahan closed by stating that Calvin Ridley will be held out for rest, and defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat will be out with an abdominal injury and will be considered day-to-day, but did not offer any other updates on Blake Hance or Isaiah Raikes. It will be interesting to watch team drills to see which young receiver steps up into Ridley’s role on offense.