Cam Ward caught the attention of the national NFL media and his Tennessee Titans teammates with just two words, and he has spent the past few days dealing with the aftereffects.
Ward took to the podium after the Titans‘ 26-0 loss against the Houston Texans on Sept. 28, and, now famously, uttered the phrase “we ass” to describe the state of his 0-4 squad. His brief display of frustration seemed to reverberate throughout the football world, with the comments drawing attention on sports talk radio and TV shows, as well as providing plenty of meme fodder for Titans supporters and detractors alike across the internet.
As Ward told reporters on Oct. 1, though, the comments haven’t divided the Titans’ locker room as the team prepares for the Week 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals (2-2) at State Farm Stadium (3:05 p.m. CT, CBS).
“It’s also been more of me seeing their side as well,” Ward said. “We had some conversations, but it’s been good. We’re still the same teammates in and outside the locker room. I’ve got some good guys around me. We know that we haven’t played our best ball yet. We’ve got a lot of potential on this roster. We’ve just got to go prove it on Sundays.”
It’s hard to refute Ward’s phrasing, however. The Titans’ offense ranks last in the NFL in points, yards per play, first downs, third-down conversions and passing yards, as well as second-to-last in total yards. And the Titans’ defense ranks bottom five in points allowed, yards allowed per play, rushing yards allowed and sack rate.
When asked if he was surprised by how much the comments have been magnified in the three days since, Ward said no. That’s the life of a No. 1 draft pick.
“They’re going to blow it up no matter what, whether it’s good or bad for the Titans,” Ward said. “So we’re trying to win football games. That’s the biggest thing, and that’s what we’re going try to go do this week.”
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.