No. 1 pick Cam Ward shows Titans he's a ‘gunslinger' who won't back down

Fox Sports

5 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Months before playing his first NFL game, Cam Ward has already shown the Titans that he's not going to back down to anyone. At mandatory minicamp last week, three-time Pro Bowl tackle Jeffery Simmons, the leader of Tennessee's defense, barked at the No. 1 overall pick between plays. On another occasion, after Ward threw an interception, several defenders taunted him with the "Zombieland" celebration he made famous at Miami.
But the rookie gave it right back to them — even headbutting Simmons for getting too close.
In team drills, Ward confidently delivered the play call to his offensive teammates in the huddle like nothing had happened. How he did so — refocusing after talking trash to the defense — impressed coach Brian Callahan, who's not used to calling plays while his quarterback is still jawing.
"I asked him after practice, 'Just help me out here: Do you need me to wait till you finish?' And he goes, 'No, I'm listening,'" Callahan said last week. "So he's hearing what I'm telling him, and it was pretty remarkable to see all the things going on and how much he's talking, but like his brain is still with me, I guess is the best way to put it. When I'm calling a play, he's doing all he's doing, but he's listening to everything I'm telling him. And he enters right into the huddle, and he calls the play and doesn't screw up the play call, and I thought that was actually kind of remarkable. I know I couldn't do that. So that's just kind of who he is, that's his personality.
"He didn't miss a beat when it came to calling a play and being on top of it and then executing when it came time to execute. So that's a new experience for me, but it was fun."
It shows, simultaneously, Ward's supreme focus and confidence, the biggest takeaways from the No. 1 pick during the Titans' offseason program. We don't yet know what the former Miami star will look like come fall, or if he'll be able to live up to franchise quarterback-sized expectations. But at the very least, his mindset gives him a chance to meet them.
Throughout the spring, Ward arrived at the Titans facility around 5 a.m. — earlier than many coaches — to watch film with some of the rookie pass-catchers. He spent so much time in the building that Callahan felt compelled to remind him that the NFL season is a marathon.
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Ward was consistently one of the last players to leave the field after practice. After the final day of minicamp, while many of his teammates greeted their friends and family in attendance, Ward did sprints.
After miscommunications during 7-on-7 and team periods, he readily spoke up to veteran receivers like Calvin Ridley and Van Jefferson. He constantly chatted with quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree between reps and drills.
"He asks really good questions," Callahan said. "He understands when he makes a mistake, which [the rookies] all make plenty, and we have conversations about it. He's got a humility about him, so he knows when it's time to step back and try to get better and see where he can do things differently. And then there's the moment, when the moment comes, when he's like, 'I'm going to make this throw,' and he makes it. So there's a balance, but he understands when it's time to learn and when to take a step back from the confidence part of it and where can he improve, and that part's been good to see."
Ward showed plenty of comfort throwing over the middle of the field, but some of the situational work posed challenges. Of the three interceptions he threw in offseason practices open to the media, two came in red zone work on the last day of minicamp (one apiece in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11). But he also showed an ability to bounce back. After having a would-be touchdown pass broken up in the end zone, he connected on a tight window throw for a touchdown.
"At the end of the day, I'm a gunslinger," Ward said. "I live it. I always die by it. Coach Callahan knows what kind of guy he has in the quarterback room in me."
What he's also learning is that Ward is not afraid to go at the defense verbally.
Watching the No. 1 pick go at Simmons, one of the league's best players at his position, offensive coordinator Nick Holz couldn't help but think how that energy was missing on offense last year.
"We needed a little bit of edge to us, and so far — it's June — but Cam has a little bit of that to him," Holz said. "And everybody feeds off of that, which is good."
After finishing his first NFL offseason, Ward said his confidence is at "10." His summer plan is to, simply, "work out, stay in the playbook and throw the f--- out the ball."
When training camp starts next month, the trash talk with the defense is expected to resume.
"I'm always locked in," Ward said. "Trash talk, it never means nothing to me. It won't get to me in some type of way. I'm just somebody who likes doing it. What's the point of playing something you love if you can't have fun with it?
"Any chance I get to let somebody know that they can't f--- with me."
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur .
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