Job One for Titans Coach Brian Callahan: the Continuing Education of Quarterback Will Levis
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan didn't let the ink dry on his contract before building a bond with his newest quarterback pupil, Will Levis.
"I called Will a few days ago after I got the job," Callahan said. "And then I saw him here today. He was working out, so I got a chance to catch up with him.
"I've really enjoyed getting to know him. I can't wait to get to work with him. He's got a lot of really special physical talents that I'm excited to go see if we can make better."
Callahan's reputation for working with quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning, Joe Burrow, and Matthew Stafford was a leading consideration in the Titans' hiring process.
"Yeah, I've been incredibly fortunate to be around great players," Callahan said. "And those guys all bring something different and unique.
"When you talk about Peyton Manning and his incredible ability to prepare, the attention to detail that he brought every single day, the intensity that he went about his job. Those years I was with him, (he) showed me what a great quarterback should look like.
"And not everybody's going to be him, and nor is anybody expected to be. But the foundation of how he went about his business was pretty incredible. And I've taken that everywhere I've gone.
"I learned that Matthew (Stafford) was very different from Peyton. I didn't try to make Matthew do anything that he didn't want to do. ... And what I learned: Matthew was an incredibly tough player. I've never seen a locker room rally around a player like him the way that they did when I was with him in Detroit."
Callahan expressed belief during his Thursday introductory press conference that his next star student could be Levis. "Everything about him so far has been fantastic. I'm excited to get to go further down into it."
Levis started nine games and threw eight touchdowns and four interceptions. Ankle and foot injuries ended his season prematurely.
Levis threw four touchdown passes in his debut against the Atlanta Falcons and led a comeback win over the Miami Dolphins — performances that demonstrated the potential and promise that validated the Titans' decision to trade up and select Levis in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Callahan saw Levis from afar this season but remembered him as a college player.
"I thought that Will (Levis) was a really good player coming out of college, and I thought when you watch him play this year, you saw, really, growth. I mean, you saw him learn. The NFL is hard," Levis said. "It's hard on quarterbacks. It's particularly hard on young ones."
"And so, I saw a lot of really positive things, some of the throws, some of his competitive instincts that he put on tape, were really impressive. And so I'm excited to dive more into that and how can he get better from year one to year two and keep putting him in position to have success so we can score some points on offense."
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