At this point in the 2025-26 season, the Tennessee Titans are working on a game-by-game basis in which the team’s identity seems to shift every week.
As interim head coach Mike McCoy tries continuously to find ways to win – something he hasn’t yet managed through six games behind the wheel – the franchise can turn hopeful eyes only on the young talent that is likely to remain once a more permanent option is given the keys to the team.
A Cloudy Outlook
Though due to the ever-uncertain nature of the team’s coaching search, the rest of this year falls in an odd in-between, with multiple loose threads needling their way throughout the team’s crucial operations ahead of what looks to be another complete recent for Tennessee. HC McCoy is chief among those threads, representing the aforementioned limbo that the team currently lies in.
After the Titans’ latest loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at home – to a scathing final score of 25-3, no less – McCoy wasn’t shy in his assessment of the group’s shortcomings. Yet, at the same time, he went out of his way to compare rookie quarterback Cam Ward to an all-time great at the same position; one that, at one point in his expansive career, McCoy had the chance to coach.
“I coached one of the greatest competitors I’ve ever been around in Philip Rivers,” McCoy said, reminiscing on his time as the lead man for the then-San Diego Chargers, whilst also evaluating Ward’s overall performance on the week.
.@Titans interim HC Mike McCoy: Ups and downs for Cam Ward, some missed opportunities … Some drops, some instances where didn’t get the ball out … not enough separation from receivers … inconsistent all around
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) December 1, 2025Maintaining Emotions and Demanding the Ball
“And there (were) plenty of discussions on the sideline where he’s very emotional. And the first thing he does is walk in Monday morning and says: I know why you did that, that was the right thing. But they are all competitors, they want the ball in their hands,” McCoy continued.
“And that is what you want. You want all your players to want the ball in their hands.”
Whether or not the Titans win a single game throughout the rest of the year, the team’s (arguable) most important asset receiving praise like this from an NFL coaching veteran is something for fans to hang their weary hats on.
If the franchise can keep stock in Cam Ward’s development, especially if Ward can come close to what Rivers was in San Diego, their current struggles may be well worth the wait for what is to come under center.